“Good Morning K-State Nation!

On a beautiful snowy December morning let me start by saluting the road crew in the city of Manhattan.  Mrs. Currie is grateful that you got the plows out extra early all over town so the USD 383 schools could open on time (and get the kids out of the house)!  And speaking of “behind the scenes” folks working hard, hats off to the Bramlage Coliseum event staff – in 48 hours beginning this past Friday evening and concluding Sunday night the staff went all out to host six K-State graduation ceremonies and two basketball games!

Of course among those several thousand K-State students receiving undergraduate and advanced degrees were 38 student-athletes who proudly walked across the stage at Bramlage Coliseum last weekend.  We had a fun group with lots of proud parents and family members at our student-athlete graduation reception last Friday night where we also presented each senior with their K-State Athletics Varsity Ring.  Graduation is a great reminder that a fundamental objective of our goal of a World-Class Student-Athlete Experience is to provide all 450-plus of our student-athletes with the resources and opportunities to earn their degrees.  We have had a terrific fall here at K-State, and I am so proud of our coaches, staff and student-athletes for their continued hard work and focus as we build a Model Intercollegiate Athletics Program.

Let’s get right to today’s update beginning with a football and bowl update.

K-State Nation Ready to Turn San Antonio Purple
Thanks to another great year on the football field by our coaches and student-athletes, we are excited to be traveling down to San Antonio for the 2015 Valero Alamo Bowl where our 11th-ranked Wildcats will face off against 14th-ranked UCLA in what should be one of the more exciting bowl matchups this postseason – it will also mark the first time in Alamo Bowl history that two Top 14 teams will square off in the game.  I also would like to note that when Coach Snyder’s team takes the field on January 2 we will have a total of 22 players who have already received their degrees from K-State!  Be sure and click here for all of our bowl-related information, including details on our January 1 pep rally, pregame party at the Gonzalez Convention Center and other alumni events.  Please note that the registration deadline for the Alumni Association pregame party is Monday.  We look forward to spending five days in San Antonio and know that the Wildcat Nation will do what it does every bowl season – and that’s paint the city Purple!

Leadership Legacy Program Named in Honor of Coach Snyder
We all know the impact that Coach Snyder has had not only on our football program but also the entire university, Manhattan and state of Kansas communities.  Recently, the Mary Lynn and Warren Staley School of Leadership Studies announced the inaugural Snyder Leadership Legacy Fellows Program, which will provide a leadership development opportunity rooted in the 16 Goals for Success to top students of Kansas State University.  He is a sure-fire hall of famer in many arenas (and just happens to be on the ballot for the 2015 College Football Hall of Fame) and I continue to be amazed at his consistency and caring approach to young peoples’ lives!  Click here for more information on the Snyder Leadership Legacy Fellows Program.

Wildcat Fans Buck the National Trend
Knowing that the Alamodome will be packed with purple on January 2, I would like to commend our fans on another terrific year of supporting the Cats.  Bill Snyder Family Stadium has been sold out for 20 straight games dating back to last year, and just like this recent article shows, K-State ranked second nationally in 2014 behind Oregon in percentage of capacity, operating at 106.2% this season.  In fact, our average of attendance of 53,081 this season was a new school record, and we are already excited for 2015!

Ahearn Fund Office Open at Year End
It has been an incredible recording breaking 2014 for the Ahearn Fund, and I appreciate the efforts of our staff and of course the generosity of all 10,000-plus Ahearn Fund members.  The Ahearn Fund office will be closed for the holidays on December 24-29, but will be open from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on December 30 and until 1:00 p.m. on December 31 to answer calls and questions or to help donors who wish to make their gifts in time to receive a 2014 receipt.  Call 888-232-9074 or click here for more information.

Holiday Hoops on the Horizon
After a big doubleheader win in Bramlage on Sunday, both basketball teams will be back in action this weekend as our 7-1 women’s team will host Grambling State at 1 p.m. inside Bramlage, and later that day the men’s team will face off against SEC foe Texas A&M in Kansas City’s Sprint Center at 6 p.m.  We are expecting a huge crowd of 14,000-plus at the Sprint Center and hope all of our KC area fans can make it to the game – be sure and get downtown early.  Tickets to both the men’s and women’s games are available by calling the K-State Athletics Ticket Office at 800-221-CATS or by visiting k-statesports.com.  We also would like to remind you about a holiday mini-plan ticket option for our December 28 and 31 men’s games against Texas Southern and Georgia.  You can purchase GA tickets to both games for just $30!

Track and Field Hosts Two Winter Meets
While the temperatures are cold outside, things were heating up in Ahearn Field House as our track and field teams hosted two meets last weekend.  The Wildcats racked up four school records, four meet records and freshman Rhizlane Siba set a new Morocco National Indoor Record in the women’s high jump, while sophomore Adam Deterding and senior Erica Twiss each took top honors at the Carol Robinson Pentathlon.  Click here for full results of last week’s meets, and next action for Coach Rovelto’s squad is January 9 in Lawrence.

All-American Performances
We have had a terrific all-around fall in terms of academic and athletic performances, and several of our student-athletes were recognized as All-Americans on the field this week.  From football, wide receiver Tyler Lockett, offensive lineman B.J. Finney and kicker Matthew McCrane were honored on various teams, while volleyball standouts Katie Brand and Kylee Zumach were named AVCA All-Americans. Congrats to these student-athletes!

Vanier Football Complex Progress
If you have driven down Kimball past Bill Snyder Family Stadium you have seen that the Vanier Complex is almost completely torn down.  The crews from Mortenson/GE Johnson have been working hard and are on schedule to complete the site clearing by the end of December.  It will be fun to watch the new VFC come out of the ground in 2015.  We are grateful to all who are making it happen!  Click here for some pictures and the link to the construction web cam.  Also, stay tuned for a video tour we will be releasing in the next week or so which we made walking though the old building before demolition started.

That will do it for today. Drive safely, and we’ll look forward to seeing you in Bramlage and the Sprint Center Saturday.

Go Cats!”
John Currie