Snyder recalls 'lost' bowl games vs. Hogs

Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder, right, argues with referee Ron Snodgrass in the first half of the Liberty Bowl NCAA college football game between Kansas State and Arkansas Saturday, Jan. 2, 2016, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Bill Snyder visited Arkansas for the first time Monday at the Little Rock Touchdown Club's meeting at the Robinson Center in Little Rock.

He was reminded of his two games as Kansas State's head coach against the University of Arkansas by emcee David Bazzel.

The Razorbacks defeated Snyder's Wildcats in the Cotton Bowl in the 2011 season, and the Liberty Bowl in the 2015 season.

What did Snyder remember from those two games?

"We lost them both," he said, which brought laughter from the Touchdown Club crowd.

But Snyder, who will turn 80 on Monday, was gracious toward the Razorbacks when it came to those bowl victories.

"Arkansas was a tremendous football team," Snyder said. "They outplayed us."

Snyder engineered one of the great turnarounds in college football history at Kansas State in Manhattan, Kan.

Before Snyder arrived in 1989, the Wildcats had four winning seasons since the mid-1940s. He said that Kansas State was the only program in the history of college football that had lost 500 games before he took the job.

When Snyder took over the program, the Wildcats had 46 scholarship players, the lowest of any Division I school then or since.

Snyder won 215 games over two stints at the Big 12 Conference school from 1989-2005 and 2009-18. He won two Big 12 titles (2003 and 2012) and four Big 12 North Division crowns in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2003. He also was a seven-time coach of the year (three times in the Big Eight in 1990, 1991 and 1993; four times in the Big 12 in 1998, 2002, 2011 and 2012).

Snyder said he didn't go to Kansas State for football.

"I believed in people," Snyder said. "I went to Kansas State because of the people."

Former Arkansas coach Bret Bielema, a former assistant coach under Snyder at Kansas State, shared with Bazzel via text message his respect for Snyder.

"A very special man," Bielema said of Snyder. "He influenced me and many others. He left no stone unturned."

Snyder was an assistant coach for Hayden Fry at North Texas (1976-78) and at Iowa in 1979-1988. In 1983, Fry's coaching staff included Snyder and future head coaches Barry Alvarez (Wisconsin), Bob Stoops (Oklahoma), Kirk Ferentz (currently at Iowa) and Dan McCarney (Iowa State).

Fry is someone that Snyder still appreciates.

"He's a people person," Snyder said. "He was open and had a pleasurable approach of visiting people, regardless of who they would be.

"If you didn't know who he was, you would still have great admiration for him because of how great of a person he was."

When asked what it will take for Arkansas to become a winning program again, Snyder said it will be about people.

"You will have good people come through the program," Snyder said. "The question leads to recruiting and can you find the right individuals.

"I'm probably in the minority in this regard, but I believe in quality young men with great character and a great value system. They create the successful foundation for a football team."

Sports on 10/01/2019