Kansas State football coach Bill Snyder retires after 27 years

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Bill Snyder is retiring as the coach of Kansas State, ending his three-decade relationship with the program that included 27 years on the sideline interrupted by a brief retirement.

The 79-year-old Snyder decided to step away Sunday, a day after the Wildcats finished a 5-7 season with a disheartening loss to Iowa State that eliminated them from bowl eligibility.

The school announced that a search for his replacement would begin immediately.

Snyder turned around one of the worst programs in college football when he arrived in 1988, making it a perennial powerhouse in the Big 12. He finishes his career with a record of 215-117-1, trips to 19 bowl games, two Big 12 championships and a spot in college football’s Hall of Fame.

Along the way, he overcame throat cancer, sent dozens of players to the NFL and gave countless assistants a path to becoming head coaches.