On Wednesday, Bill Snyder said he has no plans of retiring.
“I could go on for quite some time,” Snyder told the Wichita Eagle, “if I don’t get fired and keep having an impact on the players in my program and my family is comfortable with it. I don’t see any particular end in sight.”
Snyder said he thinks every head coach should have a 5-year contract, thereby guaranteeing he'll be there for the duration of each recruit's career.
"A head coach is supposed to be there for five years, so with every guy coming in, you are supposed to tell them you are going to be there five years. but I don’t know if I’m going to be here in five years and I don’t want to lie to you," he told the paper. "I wouldn’t be worth my salt and I wouldn’t want to play for me if I was going to lie to you."
On Thursday, Kansas State put its money where Snyder's mouth is, as the Wizard signed a new 5-year contract. The new deal will pay him $3.45 million in 2018, $3.75 million in '19 and $4.05 million in '20. The contract carries a salary renegotiation clause after the 2002 season.
"It has been a pleasure watching our football program up close over the past year and seeing one of the greatest coaches in the history of college football continue to positively impact student-athletes while also producing winning seasons on a yearly basis," K-State AD Gene Taylor said in a statement. "With this new contract, we felt that it was important to recognize his commitment to our football program, and we look forward to his continued leadership.”
Snyder made $3.2 million in 2017, according to USA Today, which placed him 35th nationally.
Now in his 27th season as K-State's head coach -- and 10th since returning from a temporary retirement in 2009 -- Snyder is 210-110-1 as the Wildcats' head coach with two Big 12 championships, six top-10 finishes and 19 bowl trips, including eight consecutive. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2015.
Snyder spent most of the 2017 off-season battling throat cancer, but returned to lead the Wildcats to an 8-5 season. He will turn 79 on Oct. 7, and be 83 upon the contract's completion.
Snyder has been vocal about his preference that his son, Sean, should take over the program after his departure, a plan that has not been met with the same enthusiasm by most everyone else in purple. Thursday's announcement pushes that dilemma deep into the future.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.