Construction and renovations
Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium opened as
KSU Stadium
in 1968, with a capacity of 35,000. It was the replacement for the on-campus
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 shut out
Colorado State 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.
Over the next two decades, the stadium received only periodic updates. First, the original turf was replaced in 1980 with a product called Superturf, and lights were installed prior to the 1983 season. In 1988, the south end of the stadium was partially enclosed when the new
Bramlage Coliseum was completed. A large reception room inside the coliseum now overlooks the south end of the stadium. Finally, prior to the
1991 season, another new artificial playing 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 permanent additions – 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 seating capacity to 50,300 and added an upper deck on the east grandstands,
club seating, and more luxury suites.
[2] Prior to the
2002 season, the artificial turf was updated to a more cushioned
FieldTurf surface at a cost of $800,000.
Prior to the
2006 season, another $5.6 million was used to renovate the locker-room complex and add new north end zone seating, raising the permanent seating capacity by approximately 1,900, to 52,200.
[3] The renovation also included new audio and visual electronics and a new
hydrotherapy center. Although new permanent seating was added, the athletic department actually lowered the stadium's official seating capcity to 50,000 following the renovation.
Name
Before the final game of the
2005 season, Kansas State offered retiring head coach
Bill Snyder the opportunity to rename KSU Stadium. Snyder had turned the Wildcats, once among the worst college football teams, into a frequent championship contender in the
Big 12 Conference. When he was asked about renaming the stadium, Snyder told school officials, "If you are going to do it, name it after the people that I care about the most."
[4] Hence, the Regents renamed the stadium to honor the family of the coach who had led the team for 17 years.
[5]
Historical notes
- From 1996 to 2000, Kansas State won 26 consecutive games on its home field. This is the 25th-longest home winning streak in NCAA history.
- On August 31, 1996, the stadium hosted the first athletic competition in Big 12 Conference history: a football game between Kansas State and Texas Tech University. [6] Kansas State won the game 21-14 amid pomp and ceremony, including a skydiver delivering the first conference game ball.
- The first night game at the stadium was held on October 23, 1982, when TBS erected temporary lights to televise a game against the University of Kansas. Kansas State won the game 36-7, in front of a then-record crowd of 43,167.
- 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.
Top 10 crowds at Snyder Stadium
Kansas State has exceeded the official capacity at Snyder Stadium several times; following are the top 10 crowds:
[7]
- 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
Non-football uses
The facility has hosted a very small number of non-football activities. On September 5, 1987,
Willie Nelson performed a concert at the stadium to raise money for
Farm Aid, following a Kansas State football game.
[8]
References
- KSU Buildings Chronology
- KSU Stadium Project on Track
- K-State Has Grand Plans
- Snyder is retiring, but K-State stadium will be in the family
- Board of Regents Re-Names Kansas State University's Football Stadium
- Some key dates in Big 12 history (sidebar)
- Kansas State list of top crowds
- 1988 KSU yearbook on e-yearbook.com