Kansas State fans flock to Memphis for Liberty Bowl

It is difficult for Chuck and Mary Jo Hamon to keep track of the Kansas State bowl games they have attended. As lifelong fans, they were at the Copper Bowl for Bill Snyder’s first postseason appearance in 1993 and they have made nearly every bowl trip since.

At this point, they only keep track of the K-State bowls they missed – the Independence Bowl in 1982 and the Aloha Bowl in 1994.

K-State will play in its 19th bowl game on Saturday against Arkansas, which means the Hamons will watch the Wildcats in a bowl for the 17th time. Their decision to make the drive from Valley Falls to Memphis was an easy one.

“We were going to come to the bowl game regardless of where it was,” Chuck Hamon said. “We are loyal fans. If they are in a bowl game we are going to be there. We went to New York for the Pinstripe Bowl and froze to death. We were definitely coming here.”

The Hamons were among the large contingent of K-State fans – estimated as high as 10,000 – who attended the Wildcats’ pregame pep rally on Friday at Autozone Park, a minor-league baseball stadium in downtown Memphis. Some worried K-State fans may not travel well to a bowl destination, given the team’s up-and-down season and 6-6 record, but they drove east in strong numbers.

K-State sold all but a few of its 8,000-ticket allotment for the game. Thousands more purchased tickets directly from the Liberty Bowl or on secondary markets.

Many of those fans arrived as early as the team did on Monday. They visited Graceland and packed Beale Street on New Year’s Eve. Arkansas is expected to have a fan advantage at the game, but purple dominated red throughout town this week.

“For us a bowl game is about our wonderful fan base, an awful lot of people who save up their nickels and dimes,” K-State coach Bill Snyder said. “The only vacation they take is that one they take after the season is over. It is meaningful to them as well as it is to our players.”

Tim and Dianna Halpin were two K-State fans that made the drive from Olathe. They had their fingers crossed for Memphis, a drivable destination they could easily reach and support their favorite team, as well as their son Colin, a trumpet section leader in K-State’s marching band.

“We went to the Fiesta Bowl and the Alamo Bowl and we were going to go anywhere they went this year, but we were happy it was the Liberty Bowl,” Tim said. “The Cactus Bowl would have been a long trip.”

“We have never been to Memphis,” Dianna said. “We wanted to see it.”

K-State fan Mike Tufano said it was a no-brainer to make the trip from Kansas City, even if the game won’t be as glamorous as some recent bowls. He called it an easy trip to a fun tourist location for a bowl K-State has never played in.

“For me, it’s not about the quality of the bowl or game this year,” he said. “Getting back to 6-6 was a huge accomplishment for a team that was at 3-6 and earning their way in matters. I’m proud of the way that they fought back to get there.”

The Hamons said they were also motivated simply to support a team that worked hard to get here. They like bowl trips for the “mini family reunions” they become, the tourist attractions they get to see and the new friends they meet.

But nothing beats the bowl itself. No matter when or where it is played, they want to be there for it.

“I knew they would come through this year. They always do,” Mary Jo Hamon said. “I just had faith that they were going to pull something out. I really did. I think the Iowa State game set the stage. Since then they have looked great. I knew Coach Snyder was going to figure out something. They really earned this bowl game.”

This story was originally published January 1, 2016 at 7:41 PM with the headline "Kansas State fans flock to Memphis for Liberty Bowl."