Dave Riggert – Page 968 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Ross torments former team as Missouri rolls past Auburn

Posted on February 2, 2013February 3, 2013

As he walked off the court after one of the best performances in his career, Earnest Ross looked into the crowd.

He wanted to share a moment with his mother, Toy Sue Miller Ross, and the 6-foot-5 Missouri guard from Cary, N.C., made it a point to thank his biggest supporter.

”She doesn’t get to come to many home games just because she lives so far from here,” Ross said. ”My mother was definitely the person I was looking at. For her to come out and support me as far as she lives, I’m grateful to have her and I really appreciate it.”

She certainly enjoyed what she saw.

Ross scored a season-high 23 points against his former team, leading No. 17 Missouri to a 91-77 victory over Auburn on Saturday.

He sat on the bench for the first 3 1/2 minutes, itching to get in against the school he played for from 2009-11. During his sophomore season at Auburn, he led the team with 13.1 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.

Ross said it was satisfying to defeat his former teammates, but he took more pride in helping Missouri (16-5, 5-3 Southeastern Conference) get the victory.

”Very, very excited for a team win,” he said. ”And that’s what we need. Because in order for the team to win, we all have to play well and tonight I think we did that.”

Keion Bell had a season-high 24 points for the Tigers, who moved to 13-0 at Mizzou Arena, joined by only Florida in the SEC as unbeaten teams at home. Missouri also benefited from having its full roster of players available for just the third time this season.

”This is the first game since Dec. 22 that we’ve had our whole team,” coach Frank Haith said. ”That’s what I look at. That’s a blessing.”

The teams combined for 49 fouls and 69 free throws but the sluggish pace didn’t seem to affect Missouri, which shot 54.5 percent from the floor after shooting 38 percent in a 73-70 loss at LSU on Wednesday.

After scoring the final four points of the first half to lead 45-35 at the break, Missouri used a 13-1 run ending with Jabari Brown’s layup with 13:43 remaining to give it a comfortable lead the rest of the way. Missouri is averaging 41.9 points in the second half this season compared to 34.6 points in the first half.

Bell, a game-time decision after missing Wednesday’s loss with an ailing shoulder, started and gave Missouri a couple of highlight plays during the first half with breakaway dunks after two steals. Bell teamed up with Phil Pressey to draw the loudest applause from the crowd with 24 seconds remaining in the first half when Pressey dribbled around three defenders and found Bell open underneath the basket for an easy layup.

”I was just trying to use as much energy and emotion as I can to provide some kind of spark,” Bell said. ”When taking some time off you can be a little rusty, and the areas that you make up for that is energy and emotion.”

Frankie Sullivan led Auburn (8-13, 2-6) with 12 points, while Rob Chubb and Chris Denson both had 10. The Tigers dropped their sixth consecutive game since starting conference play with wins against LSU and at South Carolina. In its last five games, Auburn is shooting 35.5 percent, including 25 percent from beyond the arc.

”It’s the same beat of the same drum,” Sullivan said. ”Every game is the same thing.”

Auburn went 9 of 28 from the floor in the first half but stayed within single digits by converting 15 of 16 free throws. Auburn also kept the rebounding deficit to 18-17 at halftime against the No. 2 rebounding team in the country. But poor shooting continued to plague Auburn in the second half (10 for 25) as Missouri pulled away.

”We had no defense on the perimeter,” Chubb said. ”They were just straight-line driving whenever they wanted and finishing around the rim. When they were around the rim, people were coming in too late, giving weak fouls and allowing them to complete and-ones. It was a recipe for disaster.”

Alex Oriakhi scored 11 points and grabbed six rebounds for Missouri, and his three-point play with 12:36 remaining gave him 1,002 points for his career. The 6-foot-9, 255-pound forward scored 789 points in three seasons at Connecticut before transferring, and is averaging a career-high 10.4 points per game on 57.7 percent shooting this season.

Oriakhi said he was first told about the milestone around a week ago.

”When they announced it, it was definitely a great feeling,” he said. ”When you have your teammates supporting you, it’s even better. So it’s just a blessing and I’m happy I’m going to be able to end my career as a Tiger.”

Missouri plays five of its next seven games on the road, where the Tigers are winless in four attempts this season.

”We’ve got to get off to better starts on the road,” Haith said. ”In early games we haven’t had really good starts. And that comes from focus and energy and passion and all the things we have here when we play at home. We’ve got to generate that.”

— Associated Press —

Northwest women fall at home to Emporia State

Posted on February 2, 2013February 3, 2013

Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team needed some of its late, first-half magic to carry over into the second half.

The Bearcats played a near perfect 5-minute stretch before halftime that produced 16 straight points.

Unfortunately, Northwest couldn’t sustain it, scoring only 10 points in the first 11 minutes of the second half . Emporia State took advantage and came away with a 72-58 victory Saturday afternoon at Bearcat Arena.

The seeds of the second half tumble were planted in the last 20 seconds of the first half when Emporia State scored the final four points that ended the Bearcats’ 16-0 run.

The Hornets started fast in the second half, scoring the first five points in the for a 39-35 lead.

It appeared Northwest had recovered in time by scoring the next four point, tying the game at 39-39.

Sophomore Annie Mathews tied the game once more at 41-41 on a basket and then the Bearcats went cold.

Emporia State scored the next five points and then slowly increased its lead to 54-45. A three-pointer by Emporia State senior Rachel Hanf really put the Bearcats in a tough spot. They were down 57-45 with less than 10 minutes.

Unlike the first half, Northwest could not find an offensive spark when it faced a double-digit deficit.

The Bearcats made just six field goals the entire second half and shot 27 percent from the field, which was in sharp contrast to the 56 percent they shot in the first half.

Mathews and sophomore Maggie Marnin, though, both shot well for Northwest, each going six for nine from the field. Marnin led Northwest with 17 points and Mathews added 14.

Northwest went into halftime with a slim 35-34 lead, and it might have been the most impressive first half of the season for the Bearcats.

How?

A one-point lead is the smallest of advantages.

Well, the Bearcats fell behind 24-12 midway through the first half and were in danger of going into half down 20. Emporia was playing that well on offense and Northwest was out of synch on both ends of the floor.

Northwest finally found its rhythm in the latter portion of the first half when it was trailing 30-19.

Marnin started the run with a basket off an assist from Ashleigh Nelson. Nelson followed with a two-point field goal and then a three-pointer.

Marnin finished the 16-0 run by scoring six straight points that Northwest ahead 35-30.

Emporia State managed to score the last four points in the half. Still, the Bearcats went into half with a lead and that didn’t seem possible 12 minutes into the game.

The Bearcats played great team basketball in the last 10 minutes of the first half. They had 10 assists.

Northwest only got two more assists the rest of the game, which was another indicator why the second half went so poorly for the Bearcats.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

No. 2 Kansas gets upset at home by Oklahoma State

Posted on February 2, 2013February 3, 2013

Markel Brown let out a roar. Marcus Smart did a cart-wheel and a back flip.

Travis Ford exhaled for the first time all game.

After establishing a big first-half lead, Oklahoma State watched it all melt away Saturday. But in one of the rare instances of a team refusing to lose at intimidating Allen Fieldhouse, Brown and Smart managed to hold things together down the stretch against second-ranked Kansas.

Together, they helped the Cowboys pull out an 85-80 victory that ended the Jayhawks’ nation-leading 18-game winning streak – and their 33-game streak at the Phog, too.

”We just beat one of the top teams in the country, and a great team at that,” said Smart, who had seven of his 25 points in the closing minutes. ”It’s hard for teams to come into their home court and get a victory. We’re one of the few teams that have done it. We couldn’t believe it.”

That may account for his impromptu gymnastics.

”I was so ecstatic about the victory,” the freshman said, ”it just came to me to do it.”

Brown finished with 28 points for the Cowboys (15-5, 5-3 Big 12), who hadn’t beaten a top-5 team on the road since knocking off the Jayhawks on Jan. 2, 1958.

Oklahoma State stunned the Jayhawks by building a 14-point lead in the first half, but Kansas had pulled ahead 64-60 on a 3-pointer by Naadir Tharpe midway through the second half.

The Jayhawks still led by six when Phil Forte hit a 3-pointer from the wing with 4:15 left to begin a 13-2 charge, allowing Oklahoma State to seize control.

The Cowboys’ stretched the lead to 77-69 with 50 seconds remaining, but the Jayhawks (19-2, 7-1) managed to play savvy defense and take advantage of a couple missed free throws. Andrew White III’s 3-pointer made it 78-75, and his free throw made it 78-76 with 36 seconds left in the game.

Forte, an 89-percent foul shooter, made two at the line to restore a cushion, and White answered with two of his own. Smart added a free throw, and Johnson’s layup cut the Cowboys’ lead to 81-80.

Forte calmly made two more free throws with 7.9 seconds remaining, and Johnson turned the ball over near mid-court before Kansas could even get up a tying 3-point attempt. Forte got ahold of the ball and laid it in at the buzzer to punctuate the victory.

”This place here, it’s one of the greatest environments in college basketball, against a great basketball team,” said Ford, who had been 1-5 in his coaching career against Kansas. ”We figured a way out to score a few points. Really proud of our effort.”

Forte finished with 11 points for the Cowboys, all of them in the second half.

Ben McLemore had 23 points to lead Kansas. Kevin Young added 12 and Jeff Withey had 10 as the Jayhawks lost at home to Oklahoma State for the first time since Feb. 8, 1989.

”We haven’t played good in three weeks or whatever,” said Jayhawks coach Bill Self, who lost for only eighth time in 165 games at Allen Fieldhouse. ”When you don’t play well, you have to defend and rebound, and we didn’t do that worth a crap today. We got what we deserved.”

Johnson’s turnover in the closing seconds was the 16th of the game for the sloppy Jayhawks. They also had 16 earlier in the week, when they struggled to get past West Virginia.

”We don’t have a guard,” Self said despondently. ”We don’t have a point guard.”

Having one sure would have helped in the first half.

That’s when the Cowboys took control with a 19-3 run, taking advantage of the Jayhawks’ lousy offense while getting the ball in the hands of Brown, who had 11 points during the surge.

”We had to come out, punch them in the mouth and not let the crowd get into it,” Brown said.

By the time Brown was fouled by Johnson and converted the three-point play with 10:58 left in the half, Oklahoma State had a 26-12 lead – the largest by anybody against the Jayhawks all season.

Kansas eventually went on an 11-3 run of its own to get back into the game, but Brown delivered another 3-pointer out of a timeout and Oklahoma State managed to maintain a 40-34 lead at the break.

Brown finished the first half with 22 points, just two off his season high. The junior guard was 7 of 10 from the field, 5 of 7 from the arc and even had a couple assists.

Brown hit another 3 out of halftime before Kansas finally started to execute.

McLemore led the way with 11 points during a 16-4, momentum-changing run. Twice he finished off alley-oops from Johnson, and his lay-in with 13:23 left gave Kansas a 50-47 lead.

Smart and Brown refused to let the Cowboys wilt, though.

Smart, who considered Kansas before signing with the Cowboys, scored back-to-back baskets, and Forte finally scored after missing his first eight field-goal attempts. Brown then hit his seventh 3-pointer, pulling Oklahoma State within 59-58 with just over 8 minutes left in the game.

Forte added his first 3 moments later, and Michael Cobbins followed up a miss by Forte with a massive dunk that allowed the Cowboys to regain a 67-66 lead with 3:45 remaining.

”They got the best of us, definitely, on offensive rebounds,” Withey said.

Le’Bryan Nash, who had struggled all gam, beat the shot clock with a jumper with 2:40 left that gave Oklahoma State a 69-68 lead. And despite some tense moments down the stretch, they did enough on defense and at the foul line to hang on for a signature victory.

”It’s a big win, winning at Kansas. That’s one of the biggest wins of our season right now,” Nash said. ”It was a good win, but we still want more.”

— Associated Press —

Kansas State holds off Oklahoma for win in Norman

Posted on February 2, 2013February 3, 2013

On a day when he struggled to make shots, Angel Rodriguez delivered from the line for No. 18 Kansas State.

The sophomore guard hit two free throws with 5.6 seconds remaining to give the Wildcats a 52-50 win over Oklahoma on Saturday night.

Even though Rodriguez was 1 for 6 from the floor and his team wasted a late eight-point lead, coach Bruce Weber had confidence in Rodriguez to make a play.

Rodriguez drove by Sooners guard Sam Grooms into the lane and was fouled. He then put his shooting woes behind him and made both free throws.

”I was just saying, ‘It’s just another free throw like you practice by yourself in the gym,”’ Rodriguez said. ”I like the pressure. I think I function better with pressure.”

The free throws ended an 8-0 run by the Sooners in the final two minutes that tied the game for the first time since the 7:30 mark of the first half.

With Oklahoma trailing 50-42, Romero Osby scored the last of his 13 points on a three-point play to pull the Sooners within five with 1:58 to go. Grooms then tied it with a 3-pointer and a driving layup with 13 seconds left. Weber opted not to call a timeout, instead letting Rodriguez take the game into his hands.

”I told him to push it and see what happens,” Weber said. ”If it gets to where we don’t have anything, I’m going to call timeout. We practice that all the time. Sometimes you call timeout and it gives the defense a chance to set up. (Oklahoma head coach) Lon (Kruger) does a great job of taking things away, so we thought it was better to just go with it. It was a double ball-screen, Angel read it, got to the bucket and was fortunate to get the foul and get the free throws.”

Just as Weber had done, Kruger also did not call a timeout and Grooms had a chance to win it for Oklahoma. However, his 3-pointer at the buzzer was short. The win kept the Wildcats (17-4, 6-2) in second place in the Big 12, one game behind Kansas.

For the Sooners (14-6, 5-3), it was their third loss in their last five games after starting Big 12 play 3-0.

”We realize today that we have a lot way to go,” Kruger said. ”There is nothing wrong with that. With this group of people, they have done a great job and made a lot of progress. Today’s a reminder that we still have a ways to go.”

Will Spradling led the Wildcats (17-4, 6-2) with 12 points, including five in a row after the Sooners pulled within one with 11:27 to go. Their leading scorer, Rodney McGruder, was held to seven points on 2-for-8 shooting.

Osby had 13 points and seven rebounds to lead the Sooners (14-6, 5-3), who had no other player reach double figured in scoring.

”They were into it and dictated for most of the night with their defense,” Kruger said. ”We had trouble getting separation and trouble scoring. Credit Kansas State, they were the better club and deserved to win.”

Open looks were hard to come by for both teams and neither made more than 40 percent of its shots. Oklahoma was held scoreless for over 10 minutes, including the last 6:27 of the first half, but Kansas State was only able to go on a 6-0 run during that stretch to take a 30-23 lead.

The Wildcats were without McGruder and Spradling due to foul trouble for much of that stretch. And while the Kansas State reserves struggled to score, they made life difficult for Oklahoma on offense.

”That group that was in was a weird group for us because me and (McGruder) were in foul trouble,” Spradling said. ”They couldn’t get the flow going offensively. They did a great job defensively. They did what they had to do to keep us in the game.”

That included Rodriguez, who logged the most minutes of any Wildcat and helped hold the three starting guards for Oklahoma – Steven Pledger, Buddy Hield and Je’lon Hornbeak – to 2-for-12 shooting and six points.

— Associated Press —

City High School Basketball Scores – Friday, Feb. 1

Posted on February 1, 2013

BOYS

Lafayette 71, Cameron 41

Benton 41, Chillicothe 37

Bishop LeBlond 47, Savannah 34

Lee’s Summit West 64, Central 51

North Andrew 57, St. Joseph Christian 52

GIRLS

Lafayette 44, Cameron 41

NORTH KANSAS CITY TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP
North Kansas City 55, Central 49 OT

North Andrew 70, St. Joseph Christian 40

NWMSU’s Mosby sets school record at Husker Invitational

Posted on February 1, 2013February 1, 2013

Ashli Mosby highlighted the opening day of the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational Friday for the Northwest Missouri State track and field team’s with a school record and a NCAA provisional mark.

Mosby, who had narrowly missed the mark last weekend, finished with a time of 8.91 in the 60-meter hurdles. Although the senior did not qualify for the finals, her time sets the school record in the event breaking Hannah Henry’s mark of 8.92 set in 2009.

Ashton Nibert was also just under half a second behind her personal best time in the 400-meter dash with a time of 56.94. Nibert’s time was the 11th best time in the NCAA Division I stacked raced that saw the top eight times advance to the finals.

The Bearcat men had a trio of individuals reach provisional marks; however the three athletes were Will Haer, Tyler Shaw and Travis Manning and all three Bearcats had already earned provisional marks this season.

Shaw was the lone Bearcat to finish in the top 10 in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.10 to finish 10th. Manning finished 13th in the heat with a time of 8.17 as both Bearcats entered the race with career best times of 8.08, tied for the 13th best time in the nation.

Haer was the top Division II athlete in the pole vault as the senior finished 12th with height of 15-08.25. The Craig, Mo., native continues to hold a top 15 mark in Division II at 15-11.25.

Action at the Frank Sevigne Invitational continues Saturday for a number of Bearcats.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

Benedictine names Williams full-time wrestling coach

Posted on February 1, 2013

Benedictine College Athletic Director Charlie Gartenmayer announced that the interim title will be removed from wrestling coach Thomas Williams and Coach Williams will take over the reigns of the wrestling program full time.

“Thomas was thrust into a difficult situation and has done an outstanding job of leading the program through this transition period,” said Gartenmayer. “His leadership of the program as the interim coach has proven to us that he has the necessary skills to lead the program as the head coach into the future.”

Coach Williams moved into the role of interim head coach shortly after the programs first tournament of the season after joining the Benedictine staff as a graduate assistant in the fall.

“I feel very lucky and blessed to be given this amazing opportunity,” Coach Williams said. “I would like to thank Charlie Gartenmayer and President Steven Minnis for granting me with this position. I have received so much support from the school and alumni since I became the interim coach.

“A lot of this year has been surreal. I only moved to Kansas in August to begin working as a grad assistant and my college career only ended in March of 2012.”

Coach Williams was a four-year starter at NCAA Div. I American University at the 125-pound weight class. During his career at American he was a two-time EIWA place winner and was also a two-time NCWA Academic All-America selection.

He is a native of San Dimas, Calif., where he was a three-time state placer and a state champion.

He gradated from American with two Bachelor degrees, one in International Service and the other in Business.

With the interim title removed, Coach Williams can now focus not just on the remainder of the current season but the future of the program.

“I believe that with the interim title removed it will make it far easier for me to recruit even more student athletes,” Coach Williams said. “Now the athletes I have been recruiting will know that there is stability and they know who will be coaching them next year for sure.

“I also look forward to searching for a great graduate assistant. I am excited to begin this search and have another person with me that can help guide our Benedictine College wrestling team towards success in the classroom and in competition.”

The inaugural season for the wrestling program is hitting the home stretch with just a few competitions remaining before Benedictine enters its first postseason opportunity.

With a road dual on Friday against NAIA member Bethany (Kan.) College and one final open tournament on Sunday in Marshall, Mo., at Missouri Valley College, the Ravens will then turn their attention to a postseason run.

The Ravens will compete in a NAIA Regional Tournament at Baker University in Baldwin City on Feb. 16.

— BC Sports Information —

Bearcats rally from 20-point deficit to defeat Northeastern State

Posted on January 31, 2013January 31, 2013

After trailing most of the game, freshman Connor Crooker was fouled as he hit a driving layup with 4.3 seconds and knocked down the ensuing free-throw to complete the Bearcats comeback in a 73-72 win over Northeastern State Thursday night.

The Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team improved to 14-5 on the year and 7-3 in league play to pull into a second place tie with Washburn. The visiting RiverHawks also fell to 14-5 overall and 7-5 to sit a half a game behind the Bearcats and Ichabods.

Crooker nailed his only three-pointer with 11:47 left in the game to pull Northwest within two points at 53-55. The freshman also finished the night a perfect 9-for-9 from the free-throw line to help add to his career-high 24 points.

Nearly three minutes later the Bearcats would take their first lead of the game after Matt Wallace drained a pair of free-throws and Crooker duplicated the effort with 6:35 left in the game. However, the Bearcats’ lead would be short lived as Jon Miller nailed a deep three-pointer to put NSU back ahead, 60-59.

A trapping Bearcat defense forced 14 turnovers as the RiverHawks’ miscues sent Northwest to the free-throw line 32 times. Northwest finished the night 29-of-32 from the charity stripe including a 9-for-12 effort from Bryston Williams. Williams finished with a season-high 17 points.

The game-winning basket was set-up after Jermaine Bransford missed the back end of two free-throws with 27 seconds left.

A driving Wallace found Alex Sullivan in the corner for three of his four points on the night as the trey pulled Northwest within two at 72-70.

NSU would have one more chance to ice the game when Bryton Hobbs missed two free-throws with 10 seconds left. Crooker would take ball nearly the length of the court drawing the foul as his layup tied the game at 72-72.

Grant Cozad also added a career-high 19 points as the Bearcats played their first game without leading scorer, Dillon Starzl. The sophomore added seven rebounds in the win.

Northwest held the RiverHawks’ leading scorer, Bryton Hobbs to just nine points. The MIAA’s leading rebounder, Jermaine Bransford finished with 17 points and just two rebounds.

The Bearcats quickly return to the hardwood Saturday to face Emporia State at Bearcat Arena. Tipoff between the Bearcats and the Hornets is set for 3:30 p.m.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

Stevens leads Northwest women to upset of RiverHawks

Posted on January 31, 2013January 31, 2013

A career high 20 points from Monique Stevens helped the Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team knock off Northeastern State 67-64 Thursday night at Bearcat Arena.

The Bearcats improved to 11-7 on the season and 5-5 in the MIAA while the RiverHawks fell to 13-6 overall and 8-3 in league play. It was the first ever win over Northeastern State for the Bearcats snapping a five-game winning streak for NSU.

The first half was a battle for rebounds. The RiverHawks out rebounded the Bearcats 16-14. Northwest went 6 for 11 from behind the arch to keep the game close before taking the lead with 7:47 left in the half.

Meridee Scott and Ashley Thayer hit back to back threes during an 11-3 run to give the Bearcats their first lead of the game at 17-15. Tember Schechinger hit a deep three then turned around to block the final shot of the first half giving Northwest a 34-23 lead into halftime.

Junior Monique Stevens took over in the second half putting the dagger in the RiverHawks. Stevens went 4 for 6 from behind the three point line in the second half along with three assists and a rebound. The junior finished with 20 points and knocked down six three-pointers and added four rebounds and five assist to her final tally.

The win keeps the Bearcats in the MIAA tournament hunt as they enter a pivotal stretch with five games against teams all in the top eight of the league standings. The quick turnover for Northwest puts them back in action Saturday against Emporia State. Tipoff from Bearcat Arena is set for 1:30 p.m.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

K-State signs Snyder to new five-year contract

Posted on January 31, 2013January 31, 2013

Kansas State Director of Athletics John Currie announced today that legendary head football coach Bill Snyder has agreed to a new multi-year contract, securing the services of the 2011 and 2012 national and Big 12 coach of the year through the 2017 season.

The new contract, which has an automatic rollover provision after the completion of each season mirroring the agreement signed in 2009, increases Snyder’s compensation to $2.75 million for the 2013 season, while annual increases of $100,000 will bring the five-year total to $14.75 million through the 2017 season. The new deal has been approved by the K-State Athletics, Inc., Board of Directors and President Kirk Schulz.

“Coach Snyder’s daily drive, focus and energy in continuing to build the K-State football program are truly remarkable and inspirational,” said Currie. “While he is not one to focus attention on himself, President Schulz and I felt that it was important to recognize in this very significant way his tremendous leadership and commitment to continuing to lead the K-State football program.”

The architect of the “greatest turnaround in the history of college football” and a 21-5 overall record over the past two seasons, Snyder will be paid a base salary plus supplemental licensing payments totaling $2.75 million in the 2013-14 contract year, $2.85 million in 2014-15, $2.95 million in 2015-16, $3.05 million in 2016-17 and $3.15 million in 2017-18, as well as other benefits.

“Bill Snyder is one of college football’s most respected legends and a complete ambassador for K-State and Manhattan,” Schulz said. “We are so fortunate to have one of the very best coaches in college football history who also fully embraces and understands the value and mission of our university. Under his leadership our football program continues to raise the national visibility of Kansas State University which is a key component in our K-State 2025 vision of becoming a Top 50 public research university.”

Predicted to finish sixth in the Big 12 prior to the 2012 season, the Wildcats tallied an 11-2 record, including an 8-1 mark in Big 12 play to capture the school’s third conference championship and first since 2003. Snyder guided Kansas State to its seventh 11-win season, but only the second 11-win regular season (1998) in school history.

In addition to being named the 2012 Big 12 Coach of the Year by both the Associated Press and his fellow coaches, Snyder was also named the Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year, a finalist for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year and Bear Bryant Award for the second straight season as well as being a finalist for the Bobby Bowden and Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Awards and a semifinalist for the Maxwell Coach of the Year Award. He was also the 2011 Woody Hayes National Coach of the Year and Big 12 Coach of the Year after leading the Cats to a 10-3 record and a berth in the AT&T Cotton Bowl.

A five-time national coach of the year honoree, Snyder led K-State to a school-record six wins against ranked opponents in 2012, including its conference-championship clinching victory over No. 18 Texas. Additionally, the Wildcats obtained their first-ever No. 1 ranking in the BCS standings earlier this year.

“My entire family and I have been so very grateful for the genuine, caring and loyal support K-Staters have provided our coaches, staff, families and young people on a yearly basis,” Snyder said. “And, as I have stated so often we came to Kansas State because of the people, stayed because of the people and returned because of the people, and that remains unchanged. We have continued to make daily improvement as a football program, and I am grateful for the opportunity to continue and will do so as long as I feel that I am having a positive impact on our university, community and football program and the young men that are involved. I appreciate so very much the leadership of President Schulz and John Currie, in addition to all past administrators and staff, and their commitment to our football program.”

Snyder’s leadership also carries over into the classroom as the Wildcats have consistently ranked among the Big 12 leaders in football graduation rate, while the program’s APR scores have remained well above the NCAA’s .930 standard mark, including its most current .969 rate for 2011-12.

Student-athletes under Snyder have also made graduating from K-State a priority as a remarkable 17 members from the 2012 squad already had degrees in hand while participating in the2013 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. A total of 11 student-athletes under Snyder have also earned Academic All-America distinction including 2011 National Scholar Athlete and Campbell Trophy Finalist Tysyn Hartman, who is also currently a member of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Named the 32nd head football coach at K-State on November 30, 1988, and again as the 34th on November 24, 2008, Snyder has amassed a 170-85-1 (.669) record during his tenure with the Wildcats, including a 97-65-1 (.598) mark in Big 8/12 games and a 34-16 overall record since his return in 2009.

His 170 victories are the seventh-most among active FBS coaches and are more than triple the man in second place on K-State’s all-time coaching victories list.

K-State Athletics is enjoying an unprecedented combination of athletic, academic and administrative accomplishments as the Cats strive towards their vision of a model intercollegiate athletics program. Ongoing athletic facility improvements in excess of $100 million include the new $75 million West Stadium Center at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, slated to open August 31, 2013.

— KSU Sports Information —