K-State Countdown: Ranking the 10 biggest what-if moments in Wildcats sports history
Editor’s note: In an effort to provide sports content while college athletics are on pause nationwide because of the coronavirus pandemic, beat writer Kellis Robinett will spend some time this summer ranking some of the best and worst games, moments, players and anything else that comes to mind in the history of Kansas State athletics. If you have a suggestion for a future K-State Countdown, let him know by sending an e-mail to krobinett@wichitaeagle.com
There have been many great moments in the history of Kansas State sports.
There have also been many other moments that have left fans saying two simple words: “What if?”
Fun as it is to kick back and talk about the good times, it’s often more interesting to wade through the hypothetical and re-live some games that didn’t go your team’s way. What if this play went differently? What if that coach tried another strategy? What if that player was on a different team?
Those are the types of questions that live long after the games are over. With that in mind, let’s take a look back at some of the biggest of those what-if moments in K-State sports history.
Last week: The 10 best wins in K-State football history.
10. What if ... K-State beat KU in the 1988 Elite Eight?
Behind Mitch Richmond, Will Scott and Steven Henson, the K-State men’s basketball team won 25 games and stormed into the NCAA Tournament as a No. 4 seed in 1988. The Wildcats finished that season with a pair of victories over the Kansas Jayhawks. They also defeated No. 1 seed Purdue in the Sweet 16. In just about any other circumstance, that team would be remembered for those achievements more than its failures. Alas, this group lost to KU 71-58 in the Elite Eight and the Jayhawks went on to win the national title. That makes this a doubly painful what-if for K-State fans. Lon Kruger left as coach two years later and the Wildcats didn’t reach the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament again until 2010. The Jayhawks, meanwhile, surged forward as a national basketball power. KU and K-State were considered basketball equals before that fateful regional final in Pontiac, Mich. But they have gone in opposite directions since.
9. What if ... K-State hired a different coach to replace Bill Snyder in 2006?
Ron Prince wasn’t the train wreck of a coach that some K-State fans make him out to be. Yes, his overall record (17-20) was under .500, but the Wildcats twice beat Texas and played in a bowl game during his three seasons. They could have done much worse. But they also could have done quite a bit better. That’s where this what-if comes in. K-State was so mediocre under Prince that Bill Snyder came out of retirement to replace him in 2009. How differently might things have played out had K-State hired one of its other choices instead of Prince? Former university president Jim Wefald has said the primary candidates were Jim Leavitt, Gary Patterson and Randy Shannon. Can you imagine Patterson at his alma mater? What about Leavitt leaving South Florida at the height of his powers? Those options probably would have worked out better than Prince. But then maybe Snyder would have stayed in retirement and K-State might have missed out on his successful second stint as coach, which included a Big 12 championship in 2012.
8. What if ... Frank Martin never left for South Carolina?
This question could apply for a number of former K-State basketball coaches. Lon Kruger left for Florida, Dana Altman left for Creighton, Bob Huggins left for West Virginia and Martin left for South Carolina. All four coaches painfully reached the Final Four with other schools. But it’s Martin who fans seem to miss the most. He led the Wildcats to at least one NCAA Tournament victory in four of his five seasons in Manhattan and reached the Elite Eight in 2010. He appeared to be on his way to a long, successful run at K-State but it ended abruptly in large part because of his toxic relationship with then athletic director John Currie. Things have actually worked out well for K-State without Martin, as Bruce Weber has taken the Cats to a pair of Big 12 championships and one Elite Eight over the past seven seasons. But same fans will always yearn for Martin.
7. What if ... Michael Beasley stayed four years?
OK, let’s not get greedy. What if he stayed for three years? Heck, it’s fun to think about what he could have done in just two years. Consider this: Beasley had more 30-point games in one season than any other K-State basketball players had in their entire career. Beasley had 13 different 30-point games as a freshman in 2007-08. Bob Boozer had 10 different 30-point games from 1956-60. No other K-State player has even reached double digits in that statistic. Beasley averaged an astounding 26.2 points and 12.4 rebounds during his lone season in Manhattan. His mere presence made K-State basketball cool again and ignited the program’s resurgence over the past 13 years. He had every right to turn pro after that kind of season, but teammates have said that he privately regretted leaving college so early. Can you imagine how good the Wildcats may have been with him as an underclassman, especially with Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente also on the roster?
6. What if ... Bill Snyder left for another job?
Bill Snyder was famously loyal to K-State, remaining in Manhattan as the team’s head football coach for nearly 30 years. But he had opportunities to leave for other jobs. Over the years, schools such as UCLA, LSU and many others expressed interest. So did a few NFL teams. He probably came closest to leaving for UCLA in 1995, but opted to remain with the Wildcats. His quote about coming to Manhattan because of the people and staying in Manhattan because of the people applies here. There would have been quality options to replace him, such as former K-State assistant Bob Stoops, so maybe things would have worked out just fine. Then again, maybe not. The Wildcats went on to win 11 games six different times between 1997 and 2003. It’s hard to think about K-State football without him.
5. What if ... K-State reached the Final Four in 2010 or 2018?
No team has to apologize about reaching the Elite Eight, but it’s a far cry from the Final Four. K-State missed out on a trip to the biggest stage in college basketball by razor-thin margins under both Martin and Weber. The Wildcats were one of the best teams remaining in the NCAA Tournament until they lost to Butler in the 2010 regional finals. Things were a bit different in 2018, as the team reached the Elite Eight as a No. 9 seed. But the Wildcats were favored to reach the Final Four when they drew Loyola-Chicago in that game. Unfortunately, they lost once again. Weber would have been bulletproof with another Final Four on his resume. K-State hasn’t reached the Final Four since 1964, and it has wasted some great opportunities to return.
4. What if ... K-State beat Baylor in 2012?
The Wildcats began the season 10-0 and rose to No. 1 in the BCS standings before heading to Baylor for a game that would have moved them within one victory of the national championship game. But K-State’s dream season began to crumble when star safety Ty Zimmerman was unable to play with an injury and the Bears dominated on their way to a 52-24 victory. K-State salvaged a Big 12 championship and an 11-win season by beating Texas the following week, but it was no longer in the national title race. This game doesn’t sting quite as much for K-State fans as another loss on this list, because this team also lost to Oregon 35-17 in the Fiesta Bowl and clearly wasn’t the best team in the land. But a perfect regular season from the Wildcats would have earned them a matchup against Notre Dame (not eventual champion Alabama) and that game would have been evenly matched.
3. What if ... K-State won a national championship in 1951?
The Wildcats are one of the few power-conference schools that has never won a national championship in any sport. That almost changed in 1951 when Ernie Barrett led the K-State men’s basketball team to 25 victories and a date against Kentucky in the national championship game. The Wildcats were one of the nation’s best teams all season and entered the tournament final having won eight straight. But a shoulder injury held Barrett back in the championship game and Kentucky won 68-58. Had he been healthy, who knows what would have happened.
2. What if ... K-State beat Texas A&M in 1998?
A game that will live in infamy for any K-State football fan of a certain age. The only thing standing between the Wildcats and a spot in the BCS championship against Tennessee was Texas A&M in the Big 12 championship game. Victory seemed like a formality, as K-State won its first 11 games and rose to No. 1 in the coaches’ poll behind star quarterback Michael Bishop and a strong defense. But the Aggies had other plans and won the game 36-33 in double overtime. Just like that, the best team in K-State history was heading to the Alamo Bowl instead of the Fiesta Bowl. That was the ultimate what-if game for K-State fans. The Wildcats needed Miami to upset UCLA that same day to clear a path to the title game, and many have wondered if they let down after it happened. Much of K-State’s football staff was also preparing to join Bob Stoops at Oklahoma, perhaps leaving them distracted. How much did that hurt their championship hopes? Even still, they were painfully close. Take away a late Bishop fumble, and the Wildcats likely win. Add two more yards on a late Hail Mary catch and the Wildcats definitely win. The biggest gut punch came when Texas A&M receiver Sirr Parker caught a slant pass and reached the end zone on third-and-17 in double overtime.
1. What if ... K-State never hired Bill Snyder as football coach?
You have probably heard the stories about what K-State football was like before Snyder arrived in 1989. The Wildcats had more losses than any other team in the college game and hadn’t celebrated a win since 1986. K-State football was so bad, and so few fans attended its games, that there was talk of the school being kicked out of the Big Eight. Snyder and Wefald have said many times that the athletic department was on the verge of dropping down to the FCS level and perhaps joining the Missouri Valley Conference. But things changed when K-State hired Snyder away from Iowa, where he was working as an offensive coordinator. Under his leadership, the Wildcats won 215 games, played in 19 bowl games and claimed a pair of conference championships. Funny thing is: Snyder wasn’t the school’s first choice. What if one of the other candidates had accepted the job or Snyder had remained at Iowa? K-State, and the town of Manhattan, would look much different today.