May 1, 2015
A letter from A.D. John Currie
Congratulations and thanks are in order to the K-State Nation for turning out in record fashion last weekend in Kansas City for our spring football game despite the chilly and rainy weather. I apologize for not being in attendance as my family and I were in North Carolina following the passing of my father last week. I have heard great things about the day from President Schulz and our staff. I've also spoken with a number of student-athletes since Saturday, and all were appreciative of the unique opportunity they had to play in Sporting Park and were excited to run out of the tunnel before a packed house of 17,000-plus fans. Thank you!
And speaking of football excitement, we are tracking toward extending our consecutive sellout streak to 27 games in 2015 as our renewal rate for football season tickets is currently beyond 97 percent – even better than last year's final figures! Appointment times for seat assignments and upgrades will be sent out by email next week, and we look forward to another exciting season beginning with South Dakota at 6:10 p.m. on September 5.
It is great to be back home in Manhattan, and we have had a busy week in the office. In addition to catching up on paperwork I have done several exit interviews with graduating student-athletes in multiple sports. It is great to get a first-hand perspective on their view of their experience and their evaluation of our progress toward our goal of a Model Intercollegiate Athletics Program – as well as ideas for improvement.
I also had a nice visit with B.J. Finney at the end of today as he stopped by the compliance office to pick up his last check from Ms. Vera. We wish B.J., Tyler and our other graduated football student-athletes the best of luck as the NFL Draft gets started tonight!
And now, let's get to some updates from around the department.
Scott Eilert Named Big 12's Best
I have said many times that a key reason for our success as a department is the hard-working and talented people that we have in place. Kudos are in order for Scott Eilert as he was named the Big 12 Football Video Coordinator of the Year by his peers! Congrats to Scott on this terrific honor, and we appreciate, as does Coach Snyder and our entire football staff, the hard work that he and his staff do on a daily basis. Click here to read our full release on this recognition.
Updated Snyder Leadership Book Available in May
There is no better individual from which to learn about leadership skills than our own Hall of Fame Coach Bill Snyder. He and renowned K-State professor Dr. Bob Shoop have an updated version of their Leadership Lessons from Bill Snyder book that will hit the shelves May 1 and can be purchased locally at the K-State Alumni Association, K-State Super Store, Varney's and the campus bookstore. They will even be available at the new College Football Hall of Fame store in Atlanta! Half of the proceeds from the book will go directly to supporting the new Snyder Leadership Legacy Fellows program, established to honor Coach Snyder's work and to "develop a family of leaders" within the Wildcat family. Click here for more information.
Madison Talley Earns NCAA Regional Golf Appearance
Sophomore women's golfer Madison Talley became the first individual qualifier for NCAA Regionals in program history and was one of 24 players nationally to earn a bid. Madison was the top individual selected for the San Antonio (Texas) Regional, which will be held May 7-9, at Briggs Ranch Golf Club. Congrats to Madison, Coach Knight, Coach Stew and the rest of the program, and best of luck next week to Madison! One final golf note as Coach Robbins and the men's team competed in the Big 12 Championships Monday through Wednesday in Tulsa and we were led by Matt Green, who finished the tournament in a tie for 20th place.
Baseball Returns Home for Weekend Series
Following the program's first-ever series win at Baylor, Coach Hill and the baseball team traveled to Minneapolis, Minnesota, for two midweek games this week before a home series with Arkansas State. Coach Hill and the Bat Cats are eyeing a trip to Tulsa for the Big 12 Championships, and following this weekend's series with ASU, the Cats will host OU for three games (May 8-10) before wrapping up the season against the Jayhawks in Lawrence (May 15-17). Be sure and head out to Tointon Family Stadium this weekend as the series kicks off at 6:30 p.m., Friday, followed by 2 p.m., Saturday, and 1 p.m., Sunday. All three games will also be broadcast live on FOX College Sports.
Busy Weekend Ahead Highlighted by Sunflower Showdown in KC
It will be another busy weekend of action for all of our Wildcat teams in competition. Coach Sweeney and the rowing team will head east to Kansas City for the annual Sunflower Showdown as the Cats look for their fifth straight win over the Jayhawks! Following this weekend's races, the squad will head to Tennessee for the Big 12 Championships beginning May 17. The track and field squad will also head east this weekend and will compete in the Rock Chalk Classic on Saturday. Best of luck to these teams, and be sure and follow the weekend's action at k-statesports.com.
That will do it for today. Stay tuned for some exciting details regarding the next facility enhancement project for our student-athletes, and have a great weekend!
Go Cats!
John Currie