Every Saturday in the Fall, Manhattan,
KS comes alive when the Wildcats are at home at Billy Snyder Family
Stadium. Prior to moving into Bill Snyder Family Stadium in 1968, the team had
played at Memorial Stadium since 1924. By the mid 1960s, the stadium
began showing its age and the Wildcats needed a new modern facility. Over $1.6 million was raised in order to construct Bill
Snyder Family Stadium. The Wildcats played their inaugural first game at the stadium
on September 21, 1968 when they battled Colorado State. The stadium
was originally known KSU Stadium
and had a capacity of 35,000, but that soon changed as the
stadium was expanded two years later. Nearly 4,000 permanent stands
were added on the east side, while 3,000 temporary stands were placed
on the west side of Bill Snyder Family Stadium in 1970.
After only two years of
having a grass field, the team decided to switch to Astroturf. By the
1972 season, locker rooms and athletic offices were constructed at the
north end of the stadium. In 1983 the Wildcats were able to play at
night as lights were installed. In the 1990s Bill Snyder Family
Stadium was
upgraded. A new five story press box with luxury suites was
built in 1993 and three years later a new state of the art video/scoreboard
was installed. Perhaps the largest expansion at Bill Snyder Family Stadium was completed
before the 1999 season when the upper deck on the east side was
built. This expansion also included the construction of
31 new luxury
suites and increased the seating capacity of Bill Snyder Family
Stadium to 50,300. During the 2005 the stadium was named Bill Snyder Family Stadium after KSU Coach Bill Snyder.
In 2006 $5.6 million was spent on new locker rooms and expanded
seating into the north endzone. Throughout its more than four decades of existence, fans have seen
Bill Snyder Family Stadium expand along with the success of the football team.
NEXT GAME
2010 SCHEDULE
WILDCATS TIDBITS
Bill Snyder Stadium Desktop Photo Mint 13"x16" Limited to 5,000
Bill Snyder Stadium Stadium
Silver Coin
More Posters
-9/4 - UCLA
-9/11 - MISSOURI STATE
-9/18 - IOWA STATE
-9/25 - UCF
-10/9 - NEBRASKA
-10/16 - at Kansas
-10/23 - at Baylor
-10/30 - OKLAHOMA STATE
-11/6 - TEXAS
-11/13 - at Missouri
-11/20 - at Colorado
-11/27 - at North Texas
Famous Players:
Jon McGraw, Gerald Neasman, Terry Pierce School Traditions: Willie Wildcat, Touchdown I-XI, School
Colors of Royal Purple and White
PLANNING YOUR TRIP TO KANSAS STATE AND BILL SNYDER
FAMILY FOOTBALL STADIUM