Bill Snyder is K-State football, and numbers show it

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – Where would Kansas State football be had Bill Snyder never been born? Try oblivion. That's reason why, when the Wildcats kicked off against West Virginia Saturday, he was on the short list for national coach of the year.

No coach is the body and soul of a program more than he. Might as well have been the Bill Snyder Wildcats who came to Morgantown.

He had 165 victories coming into the weekend. The past 13 Kansas State coaches combined, going back to 1945, had 133.

One of every three Kansas State wins in history belong to him. So do 13 of the Wildcats' 15 bowl trips. Kansas State has had 19 winning the seasons the past 77 years.

Snyder owns 13 of them.

Snyder's 165 is No. 1 on the Kansas State career victory list. That's also 126 ahead of No. 2 Mike Ahearn, who coached in 1910. The last Wildcats coach before Snyder to have a career record above .500 was Lynn Waldorf, who lasted only one season. In 1934.

One of the few things he'd never done for Kansas State was play West Virginia. Until Saturday.