Finney relishes role of K-State front man

Ryan Mueller, Jake Waters and Jonathan Truman know how to handle media. As Kansas State football captains, they spend hours talking into microphones and cameras every fall.

Still, they turned to B.J. Finney for advice as they boarded a flight to Big 12 media days last month. None of them had attended a media gathering so large, and nerves overcame them.

They had no idea what to expect. Finney did.

“He has been a captain for three years and he has been down this path before,” said Mueller, a senior defensive end from Leawood. “We were all asking him, ‘What is it going to be like? How many people will be there? What will they ask us?’

“We always seek B.J.’s guidance for stuff like that. He is a fatherly figure to us.”

Finney, from Andale, thinks there are many reasons why his teammates have voted him a captain three separate times – a rarity at K-State – and why they will continue to look to him for leadership as he begins his fourth and final season as the Wildcats’ center. But his constant willingness to speak with media, no matter the circumstance, is prominent among them.

Otherwise, he would have stopped showing up for interviews as a freshman.

“That comes with the position of being a leader,” Finney said. “I don’t know exactly why they keep voting me as captain, but they see something in me and they like it, so I will keep doing it as long as they want me to. Media is part of that.

“I want to help guys during the good and the bad. I want to help them handle anything that comes their way. In order to do that, they need to realize I’m not being a frontrunner, a person who is only visible when things are going good. I have to remain visible and show character and perseverance when times are bad. That is just the way I handle things.”

Some are unwilling to take on the same responsibilities. Others are not allowed the opportunity.

At Kansas State, speaking with media is not mandatory. Wildcat coach Bill Snyder encourages players to participate in interviews when requested by media members, but it’s not a requirement.

Media interviews are every Tuesday afternoon during the season, with Snyder speaking for 30 minutes and players answering questions afterward. Requested players also talk with media after each game. It is the lightest media schedule of any team in the Big 12, but players regularly opt out of interviews for reasons ranging from class to simply not wanting to attend.

A recent example: John Hubert, despite rushing for more than 1,000 yards for the first time in his career, skipped all but a handful of media sessions last season. He didn’t want to talk.

Snyder also has the power to block any interview request, and he won’t hesitate to silence players. Another example: Former receiver Chris Harper, a media darling, was briefly banned from participating in interviews as a junior after bad-mouthing the Pinstripe Bowl.

Throughout his career, Finney has never avoided an interview. And Snyder has always given him the green light, even as a freshman. Finney did miss most Tuesday interviews as a junior because of class conflicts, but he showed up after every game – good or bad – when requested. He returned to Tuesday media sessions last spring.

He does not play a skill position, yet his media attendance rivals that of a star quarterback.

At times, especially as a freshman and sophomore, that put him in awkward situations. Occasionally, so few players showed up for Tuesday interviews that Finney was left answering odd questions, such as what he thought about the opposing team’s star offensive player (he only studies opposing defensive players) or to explain why a defensive teammate wasn’t playing up to expectations.

He has also been asked to analyze good and bad performances from K-State’s offensive line. By now, no question surprises him.

“His leadership is off the charts,” said Truman, a senior linebacker from Wichita. “B.J. doesn’t even have to say anything to be a leader. He just demands the best out of people. He demands the best out of the offensive line, and they all look up to him. They know how to work and how to represent our team because of him.”

“He’s a staple,” Snyder said. “He is a good teacher of young people, both in terms of values and fundamentals on the field. He is one of those young guys who has learned how to, and is not afraid to, step into a demanding leadership role. I appreciate that, because that is not an easy thing for any young person to do. That has been extremely beneficial for us.”

Finney values leadership, because he knows he can deliver it consistently. Sometimes he will block well. Sometimes he won’t. But he can always set a good example.

He still remembers the emotions of being named a player representative as a freshman. And he will never forget the rush of being named a captain as a sophomore.

“It was a humbling,” Finney said. “It was a blessing.”

It still is. He will continue speaking with the media until it’s not.

“I enjoy media, because I know that I can go and I can answer the difficult questions,” Finney said. “I know which questions are sticky and which ones aren’t. I can get a sense of what needs to be said and how this team needs to be represented and what needs to be withheld.

“I have taken notes from Coach Snyder and other different coaches and different players. I can project the image that I know the team would want out there in good times and in bad.”

This story was originally published August 8, 2014 at 7:07 PM with the headline "Finney relishes role of K-State front man."