Salt City Sooner
12/3/2008, 01:56 PM
Some things just don't change:
If only Kansas State's future football schedules come together as smoothly as his statewide barnstorming tour did Tuesday, Bill Snyder will be a happy man.
But before that happens, coaches and athletic directors at UCLA, Oregon, Miami, Virginia Tech and Auburn had better be prepared to field some phone calls in the coming weeks.
"My preference in scheduling hasn't changed at all," Snyder said to laughter during a short question-and-answer session following remarks to Wildcat fans at the Kansas State at Salina campus conference room, the fifth of six stops on his daylong tour. "I'm really kind of amazed at the schedule down in the future, and quite a few games have been scheduled."
Snyder's scheduling philosophy as K-State head coach from 1989-2005, was in sharp contrast to that of his successor - and predecessor - Ron Prince. During his three-year tenure before he was let go last month, Prince scheduled home-and-home series with a number of big-name opponents as far ahead as 2016.
Snyder's preference, particularly in his early years, was to soft-pedal the nonconference schedule with lesser teams, then sprinkle in stronger opponents at opportune times.
"I'm not saying what's right or what's wrong, I know what's important to me, and what I believe is important to our program," Snyder said. "So there will be an attempt to alter our schedule as it exists now, and we'll certainly alter our scheduling philosophy.
"There's a time and a place for everything, and that's a delicate issue, to be able to pick the right time and place."
As an example, Snyder cited a two-game series with Southern California in 2001 and '02, just before the Trojans took off under coach Pete Carroll.
"I'd like to say we picked the right time to play USC," he said of the two victories.
The future schedules have K-State playing at UCLA next season and entertaining UCLA the following year, then facing both Oregon and Miami - one at home and one on the road - in 2011 and 2012. They also have a trip scheduled to Virginia Tech in 2014, with the Hokies returning two years later, while Auburn completes a two-game contract by visiting Manhattan in 2014.
Scheduling was just one topic broached by Snyder during his 40-minute visit, a get-reacquainted session repeated in Garden City, Wichita and Kansas City during the morning, followed by Topeka, Salina and Manhattan in the afternoon.
Asked about his coaching staff, Snyder said it was roughly two -thirds complete, but that today's climate of multi-year contracts for assistants and other complications have slowed the process.
"Today is a little different than it was in 1988," he said. "In 1988, when finally decided that I was going to do this thing, I sat down, got a pencil and a paper and I wrote down a bunch of people I was familiar with or I know.
"Most of them were out of work or were at much smaller colleges at the time. I made one phone call, they all said yes, I had a collection of nine and we all came to Manhattan the next day."
His reason for returning after three years away from coaching had everything to do with family - his own and Kansas State - Snyder told the gathering of about 100, reiterating his comments last week when accepting the job.
"The best way I can explain it is, the waters are a little rough right now - a pretty high tide as it relates to the K-State family," he said. "The Kansas State fan base is maybe a little unsettled, and that's disheartening to me.
"I'd like to think that maybe I can help calm the waters."
All he asked in return, Snyder added, was fan support, particularly at the turnstiles on game days.
"I'm not here to ask you for a dollar," he said. "I just want you to hopefully rejoin, re-up in the family and be the tremendous vital part of it that you've always been.
"There was a little sadness for me, seeing the ruffled waters, seeing fans leave the stadium before the game's completed, seeing so many empty seats, seeing so many red shirts sitting in the stands."
Snyder also told about conversations with two former Wildcat players - Rock Cartwright and Terence Newman - now in the NFL, and how they felt their K-State careers prepared them for success in the pros. Newman, whom he met on a recruiting trip in Dallas, also pledged his support in rebuilding the program.
Texas, fertile recruiting ground during Snyder's first go-round, was only one stop in the past week. He said he made a home visit in Wichita on Monday night and declared, "If I understand correctly, there are no doors in Wichita of present or past student-athletes that are closed - whatever that means."
http://www.hutchnews.com/Sports/snyder2008-12-02T21-30-23
If only Kansas State's future football schedules come together as smoothly as his statewide barnstorming tour did Tuesday, Bill Snyder will be a happy man.
But before that happens, coaches and athletic directors at UCLA, Oregon, Miami, Virginia Tech and Auburn had better be prepared to field some phone calls in the coming weeks.
"My preference in scheduling hasn't changed at all," Snyder said to laughter during a short question-and-answer session following remarks to Wildcat fans at the Kansas State at Salina campus conference room, the fifth of six stops on his daylong tour. "I'm really kind of amazed at the schedule down in the future, and quite a few games have been scheduled."
Snyder's scheduling philosophy as K-State head coach from 1989-2005, was in sharp contrast to that of his successor - and predecessor - Ron Prince. During his three-year tenure before he was let go last month, Prince scheduled home-and-home series with a number of big-name opponents as far ahead as 2016.
Snyder's preference, particularly in his early years, was to soft-pedal the nonconference schedule with lesser teams, then sprinkle in stronger opponents at opportune times.
"I'm not saying what's right or what's wrong, I know what's important to me, and what I believe is important to our program," Snyder said. "So there will be an attempt to alter our schedule as it exists now, and we'll certainly alter our scheduling philosophy.
"There's a time and a place for everything, and that's a delicate issue, to be able to pick the right time and place."
As an example, Snyder cited a two-game series with Southern California in 2001 and '02, just before the Trojans took off under coach Pete Carroll.
"I'd like to say we picked the right time to play USC," he said of the two victories.
The future schedules have K-State playing at UCLA next season and entertaining UCLA the following year, then facing both Oregon and Miami - one at home and one on the road - in 2011 and 2012. They also have a trip scheduled to Virginia Tech in 2014, with the Hokies returning two years later, while Auburn completes a two-game contract by visiting Manhattan in 2014.
Scheduling was just one topic broached by Snyder during his 40-minute visit, a get-reacquainted session repeated in Garden City, Wichita and Kansas City during the morning, followed by Topeka, Salina and Manhattan in the afternoon.
Asked about his coaching staff, Snyder said it was roughly two -thirds complete, but that today's climate of multi-year contracts for assistants and other complications have slowed the process.
"Today is a little different than it was in 1988," he said. "In 1988, when finally decided that I was going to do this thing, I sat down, got a pencil and a paper and I wrote down a bunch of people I was familiar with or I know.
"Most of them were out of work or were at much smaller colleges at the time. I made one phone call, they all said yes, I had a collection of nine and we all came to Manhattan the next day."
His reason for returning after three years away from coaching had everything to do with family - his own and Kansas State - Snyder told the gathering of about 100, reiterating his comments last week when accepting the job.
"The best way I can explain it is, the waters are a little rough right now - a pretty high tide as it relates to the K-State family," he said. "The Kansas State fan base is maybe a little unsettled, and that's disheartening to me.
"I'd like to think that maybe I can help calm the waters."
All he asked in return, Snyder added, was fan support, particularly at the turnstiles on game days.
"I'm not here to ask you for a dollar," he said. "I just want you to hopefully rejoin, re-up in the family and be the tremendous vital part of it that you've always been.
"There was a little sadness for me, seeing the ruffled waters, seeing fans leave the stadium before the game's completed, seeing so many empty seats, seeing so many red shirts sitting in the stands."
Snyder also told about conversations with two former Wildcat players - Rock Cartwright and Terence Newman - now in the NFL, and how they felt their K-State careers prepared them for success in the pros. Newman, whom he met on a recruiting trip in Dallas, also pledged his support in rebuilding the program.
Texas, fertile recruiting ground during Snyder's first go-round, was only one stop in the past week. He said he made a home visit in Wichita on Monday night and declared, "If I understand correctly, there are no doors in Wichita of present or past student-athletes that are closed - whatever that means."
http://www.hutchnews.com/Sports/snyder2008-12-02T21-30-23