SE: K-State Fan Appreciation Day Brings Taste of Wildcat Football
Aug 14, 2017 | Football, Sports Extra
Hours before the gates opened for K-State's annual Fan Appreciation Day on Saturday, James Woodfield tossed a small football around with his two grandsons, both sporting Wildcat football jerseys.
"I want to be a K-State football player," yelled one grandson.
A native New Yorker who moved to Kansas in the early 1970s, Woodfield loves these moments. He experienced a similar one at last year's Fan Appreciation Day, and he could not turn down the opportunity to bring both his grandsons back this year.
"Last year, he goes, 'Grandpa, you are going to come watch me when I play on this field one day, aren't you?'" Woodfield said. "It about put tears in Grandpa's eyes.
"I just love the fact that this gives them something to look forward to on Saturdays."
Fan Appreciation Day has a similar affect on Wildcat fans of all ages.
"We come mostly for the tailgating," said Brian Schottler, a Manhattan native. "We've watched all the YouTube videos and we're ready. It's almost football time."
Added Woodfield: "It just makes you feel more connected with the experience. It's something to look forward to, getting down there and meeting the players. I'm not big on getting autographs, it's more about just getting down there, meeting and greeting, and being on the field and seeing it from that perspective."
The event offered fans the opportunity to get autographs from the Wildcats and watch the last part of their practice, giving them a taste of excitement for what's to come in the fall.
"It seems like there's some renewed optimism about how we'll end up this season," Schottler said of the Wildcats, who are ranked No. 19 in the Preseason Amway Coaches Poll. "So that's kind of exciting to see if we can live up to expectations."
"I'm excited about the awesome potential," added Woodfield. "You have to dream big and there's a chance, if we win the Big 12, we might even have a shot at a national championship run. Who knows? We could do something special."
Like any trip to Bill Snyder Family Stadium, Fan Appreciation Day brings a feeling of nostalgia. It reminds fans what they love most about K-State football.
Tammy Caffrey, who lives in Westmoreland, said it's "the excitement and the pride that everybody takes in it."
As for Daniel Lehman, a K-State graduate living in Topeka, he said his favorite aspect of the program is the man who runs it.
"It's just Bill Snyder himself, just what he brings to the community," Lehman said. "With his battle with cancer and now he's coming back, it's just good to see."
For fans like Woodfield, who are old enough to remember K-State football before Snyder arrived, it's a reminder of just how far the program has come.
"It's great around here," he said. "We are what we promote. At K-State, it's a family thing. We treat people with respect and it's a great experience. It's just great to have everybody have a chance to actually show their pride."
Schottler, who does not remember the down years very well, said watching Dan Youngman's documentary, "Miracle in Manhattan — Part 1— The Foundation," gave him a new appreciation for what transpired once Bill Snyder came to K-State.
"I really like seeing all of the purple. I've been here all my life and I don't really remember when it switched, but we were watching all the old clips and people are all wearing all different colored shirts, unless it was Nebraska, but there was really no coherence, and now you just walk around town and everybody's wearing purple," Schottler said. "That's really cool to see that support. Knowing that you're part of something that big, that's really cool, knowing football was really the key to start that. Snyder really built that up to where everybody kind of celebrates that every day, rather than just a few Saturdays in the fall. It's really impressive."
K-State embarks on the 2017 campaign and opens a seven-game home schedule on Saturday, September 2, against Central Arkansas, a game that serves as the ninth-annual K-State Family Reunion. As K-State draws nearer to running its consecutive sellout streak to 40 games, tickets can be purchased through the K-State Athletics Ticket office online at www.k-statesports.com/tickets, by phone at 1-800-221-CATS or at the main ticket office inside Bramlage Coliseum.
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