Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium
Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium is a
stadium in
Manhattan, Kansas. It is used solely for
American football, and is the home field of the
Kansas State University Wildcats.
Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium opened as KSU Stadium in
1968, with a capacity of 35,000. It was the replacement for Memorial Stadium, which hosted Kansas State football games since 1922 (and is still standing today). The first game played at the new stadium was on
September 21, 1968; Kansas State beat the
Colorado State Rams 21-0. In
1970, 4,000 permanent bleacher seats were added to the east side and 3,000 temporary seats on the west side. Also that year, an
AstroTurf playing field was installed in place of natural grass.
Prior to the
1991 season, a new AstroTurf surface was installed and the playing field was named "Wagner Field" for the Dave and Carol Wagner family of
Dodge City, Kansas.[
1]
In
1993, on its 25th anniversary, KSU Stadium saw its first significant additions â€" a five-level press box and luxury suites on the west side of the field.
After the
1998 season, the stadium underwent another expansion, a $12.8 million
USD project designed by
HOK Sport that increased the official capacity to 50,300 and added an upper deck on the east grandstands, club seating, and more luxury suites. Prior to the
2002 season, the artificial turf was updated to a more cushioned
FieldTurf surface at a cost of $800,000
USD.
Before the final game of the
2005 season, KSU Stadium was renamed in honor of the retiring head coach
Bill Snyder, who had led the team for 17 years.[
2] Snyder had turned the Wildcats, once among the worst college football teams, into a frequent championship contender in the
Big 12 Conference.
In
2006, another $5.6 million
USD was used to renovate the locker-room complex and add new north end zone seating, raising the official seating capacity. The renovation includes new audio and visual electronics and a new hydrotherapy center.
* From
1996 to
2000, Kansas State won 26 consecutive games on their home field. This is the 25th-longest home winning streak in NCAA history.
* Kansas State's 100th game at Snyder Stadium was a 14-21 loss to
Iowa State University on November 16,
1985.
* Kansas State's 200th game at Snyder Stadium was a 40-7 win over
Louisiana Tech on November 17,
2001.
* The stadium has hosted several
Kansas high school football State Championship contests and
Kansas Shrine Bowl games.
* 53,811
Nebraska, November 11,
2000* 53,310
Oklahoma, October 16,
2004* 53,011
Oklahoma, October 14,
2000* 52,254
Kansas, October 9,
1999* 52,234
Nebraska, October 23,
2004* 52,221
Nebraska, November 16,
2002* 52,077
Colorado, November 6,
1999* 51,614
Kansas, October 25,
2003* 51,536
Colorado, October 18,
2003* 51,234
Missouri, November 20,
1999
