SE: Q&A with K-State Football Head Coach Chris Klieman

By Corbin McGuire

Chris Klieman walked into K-State's locker room late Tuesday afternoon, strolled past a white board with "win the dang day" scribbled on it and stood in the center of the expansive area.

He plans to spend a good chunk of his time there in the near future. As K-State football's new head coach, he wants to be around his players as much as possible.

This time, however, Klieman's K-State players were gone for holiday break. He was in there to take care of some promotional items, such as some holiday reads and a video question-and-answer with K-State Sportscasting/Senior Director of Broadcast Services Brian Smoller.

In their conversation, the two covered the whirlwind that Klieman's been part of in accepting a "dream job" at K-State while also still coaching North Dakota State toward its seventh FCS national championship game in eight seasons; the reasons he got into coaching initially; his philosophy on social media and access; and why K-State was as much a fit for him as he was a fit to lead the Wildcats.

Afterward, Klieman was gracious enough to sit down with K-State Sports Extra for some more questions.

SE: Brian asked you during your video Q&A if your head was still swirling with everything going on. I want to ask somewhat of a follow-up. When was the last time you worked two jobs at once? College? Early coaching years?

CK: I don't know if I ever was. I'm sure I wasn't working two jobs at once, other than in 2013. I was in the same boat as the gentleman (Matt Entz) that we just hired to be the head coach at North Dakota State. I was the defensive coordinator at North Dakota State, as well as going to be named the head coach right after the championship game, and I was trying to find a staff because everybody was cleared out, everybody was going to Wyoming except for like two people. All the GAs were gone and the video guy was gone… everybody, so I was doing two jobs then.

SE: How have you leaned on those experiences now?

CK: I just learned so much from those experiences to be able to multi-task, to realize there's enough people out there to help you, don't be afraid to ask for help. I've had tremendous support here. People here know I have a job to do to get these recruits and continue to build a staff, but they've also been really supportive to say, 'You know what? You brought 24 seniors into NDSU and you're trying to win a national championship back there,' and they've been really supportive here.

SE: Another throwback question. You played here in 1989 as a defensive back for Northern Iowa and won in Bill Snyder's first home game as K-State's head coach. Our video department actually found some footage of you in that game. How much of it do you remember?

That time when @CoachKli played in #MHK back in 1989

?? No. 9 making plays ??

Sept. 16, 1989 | Northern Iowa vs. #KStateFB | #tbt pic.twitter.com/65meDDaur5
— K-State Football (@KStateFB) December 14, 2018

CK: I remember vividly that it was Coach's first game, and we didn't know how good of a team we had. We had come off of a loss in our first game. I liked seeing the video because my kids thought, 'Shoot, dad you were way more athletic than you are now,' which is a no brainer. But it was fun. Any time you were able to play, at that time, an FBS or Big Eight team and get the opportunity to compete at that high level, our team was really excited about it.

SE: Obviously Wednesday is early signing day, so I wanted to ask a few recruiting-related questions. Outside of speed, size, agility, those types of things, what's your recruiting philosophy?

CK: The guys that have been here have done a phenomenal job of building relationships with some guys that we hope to sign. I think that's what it comes down to: You have to build relationships. That's the number one thing. You have to build a relationship, make sure the young man and the family trust you that you're going to challenge the heck out of that student-athlete but you're also going to be able to love them up, too. We always tell people: It's not going to be easy, but it's going to be worth it. And if you buy into the culture, buy into the new voice in the front of the room, if you take ownership in your role, whatever that role is here, great things are going to happen.

SE: What would you say are some of the keys to building both those relationships, especially early on in a new job?

CK: Just reaching out and always being there, and not just reaching out once in a while but being there all the time. I'll spend a lot of time in this locker room. I think it's really important when student-athletes come back that I'm in here, I'm in the weight room as much as I can from a compliance standpoint, but just being around them so that they know, 'He's wanting to learn about us. He cares.' I'll hire a bunch of staff members that are going to be the same way because I'm convinced players play for coaches that care, and, in the same respect, coaches coach for coaches that care. We'll have a staff and a group of players that will really get along well and challenge each other.

SE: On top of putting together your staff here, your attention now also turns to preparing for another FCS Championship game at North Dakota State, the program's seventh in the last eight years. How does a culture like that develop, where complacency doesn't exist when it easily could? (NDSU faces Eastern Washington on January 5, at 11 a.m., in Frisco, Texas, on ESPN2.)

CK: Well, we don't ever say the word complacency; that's for starters. Because we always talk about staying humble and staying hungry. What you did yesterday is great, but it pales in comparison to what you can do today, and that's a big motto of ours. What you did yesterday is fine, but you're judged on what you do today. That's been our motto throughout the last eight years I've been there: Challenge each other to see how great you can be. Challenge each other to leave your comfort zone. Challenge each other to find more from within, to see how much more you can give. If you empower the student-athletes, if you empower those young men and give them a voice, I think great things are going to happen and they're going to challenge each other.

SE: Lastly, how does your family typically celebrate Christmas?

CK: We're usually watching film and stuff because we've been part of a championship game for seven of the last eight years, but family is huge to me. I'm a huge family guy. I'll have my wife and children back home in Fargo for that time because we're still practicing, but I'll just surround myself with some family and friends, get away and reflect on the blessings that we have, and reflect on what a great journey it has been at North Dakota State and how excited we are for the journey to begin at Kansas State.

Kansas State University Athletics

SE: Q&A with K-State Football Head Coach Chris Klieman

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