Kansas State Wildcats football

The Kansas State Wildcats football program (variously "Kansas State", "K-State" or "KSU") is the intercollegiate football program of the Kansas State University Wildcats. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I Bowl Subdivision, and the team competes in the Big 12 Conference. The team had an all-time record of 476–612–41 as of the conclusion of the 2011 regular season.

Since 1968, the team plays in Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium in Manhattan, Kansas. The Kansas State University Marching Band, also known as the Pride of Wildcat Land, performs at all home games and bowl games.

History
According to some sources, Kansas State's football team began play on Thanksgiving Day 1893. A team from Kansas State defeated St. Mary's Academy 18-10 on that date. Other sources name Kansas State's first game as a 24-0 victory over a team from Abilene, Kansas, on November 3, 1894. However, the first official game recorded in the team's history is a 14-0 loss to Fort Riley on November 28, 1896.

In its earliest years, the program had a different coach every year – generally a former college football player who had just graduated from college. Often, the coaches also played with the team during the games. Some of the coaches during this era include Fay Moulton, who went on to win Olympic medals as a sprinter; Cyrus E. Dietz, who became a justice on the Illinois Supreme Court; and Wade Moore, who later was a successful minor league baseball manager. The pattern changed when Mike Ahearn became the first long-term coach in 1905. Ahearn coached for six seasons, leading the team to winning records each year, and concluding in the 1910 season with a 10-1 mark. Ahearn also won two conference championships in the Kansas Intercollegiate Athletic Association, in 1909 and 1910. Ahearn was followed by Guy Lowman, who led Kansas State to another conference championship in 1912.

Early success
The team experienced sustained success in the 1920s and 1930s. Elden Auker was part of a group of excellent athletes that attended Kansas State around the time of the Great Depression, which also included Ralph Graham, Henry Cronkite, George Maddox and Elmer Hackney. These athletes were coupled with a series of Hall of Fame coaches. The first of these coaches was Z.G. Clevenger, who arrived in 1916, when Kansas State essentially swapped head coaches with the University of Tennessee. Clevenger is in the College Football Hall of Fame for his playing abilities, but he was also recognized as a brilliant coach and administrator. Clevenger was followed as football coach in 1920 by Charlie Bachman, who stayed until 1927, and earned his way into the College Football Hall of Fame with his coaching prowess. Bachman was also responsible for permanently endowing Kansas State's sports teams with the nickname of "Wildcats." His successor, Alvin "Bo" McMillin, the coach from 1928–33, is also in the College Football Hall of Fame as a player, but he too was a successful coach who, after leaving Kansas State, was recognized as national collegiate coach of the year and then served as head coach for two NFL teams. After McMillin left, Kansas State hired Lynn "Pappy" Waldorf, who was also later enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach.

With this combination, Kansas State found a rare sustained stretch of success on the football field. In 1931 the football team was on track for a potential bid to the Rose Bowl, the sole bowl game in the country at the time, until Ralph Graham was injured. In 1934, Kansas State won its first major conference football championship. That same year, the New York Times referred to Kansas State as "an established Middle Western leader." But then coach Waldorf abruptly left, and the winning stopped.

On October 28, 1939, Kansas State hosted the second televised college football game (and the first televised homecoming game), losing to Nebraska 25–9.

Mid-century
Over the next sixty years, Kansas State would experience very little success on the football field. From 1935 to 1990, Kansas State would have only four winning seasons. According to longtime Wildcat radio announcer Dev Nelson, part of the problem was that Kansas State was one of the few major schools that didn't make a significant investment into its football program after World War II. Indeed, for many years the Wildcats spent far less on football than any Big Eight school; in 1987-88, Oklahoma (the conference's second smallest school) spent half a million more dollars on football than did Kansas State. Typical of this era was a 28-game losing streak from 1945–1948 (second longest in NCAA Bowl Subdivision history), additional losing streaks of 18 and 17 games in the 1960s, and being outscored 188-0 by Kansas from 1960 to 1965.

However, there were a few shining moments during these decades. In the mid-1950s, coach Bill Meek started to rebuild the program. In 1953, Kansas State posted a 5–3–1 record, the first winning season at the school since Wes Fry's 1936 team. Upon starting that season 5–1, K-State also made the school's first appearance in the top 20 polls for college football, at #18 in the Coaches Poll on October 28, 1953. The following year was even better, with Kansas State posting a 7–3 record and playing for an Orange Bowl berth in their final game. But Meek left Kansas State following the 1954 season, when the school refused to give raises to his assistants.

In the late 1960s, coach Vince Gibson also briefly started to turn the program around. Behind sophomore quarterback Lynn Dickey, the 1968 squad earned the school's first ranking in the AP Poll and shut out the University of Nebraska in Lincoln for the school's first victory over NU in a decade. That same season, Kansas State also moved into newly built KSU Stadium. The 1969 season was even better. The team started 2–0 before second-ranked Penn State University arrived to play in Manhattan, Kansas. Penn State would ultimately finish the 1969 season undefeated, but Kansas State provided them with one of their toughest tests in a 17–14 game. Following the loss to Penn State, Kansas State reeled off three straight victories, including a win over defending conference champion Kansas in the first Governor's Cup game, and a 59–21 blowout of eleventh-ranked Oklahoma, which was Kansas State's first win over OU since 1934. (It was also the largest loss in Oklahoma's history.) After the Oklahoma game, Kansas State sported a 5–1 record and a #12 national ranking in the AP Poll. This was the high-point of the season, as the team lost its last four games to finish 5–5. Nevertheless, in only his third season, Gibson had dramatically improved the program.

Prior to the 1970 season, Gibson was named the pre-season national coach of the year by Playboy Magazine. The season that followed was up-and-down but ultimately disappointing despite a winning record and a second-place finish in the Big Eight Conference. Kansas State won at Oklahoma and defeated eighth-ranked Colorado, but the season was soured by nonconference defeats and a blow-out loss to Nebraska in the final conference game of the year with the conference title on the line. The worst news of the season came on October 7, 1970, when the conference issued penalties against Kansas State for recruiting violations. The Wildcats were placed on three years' probation, including a one-year ban from bowl games and live television. Gibson would never have another winning season, and left the school in 1974. He later said that the sanctions--the product of what he called an immature quarrel between himself and Jayhawk coach Pepper Rodgers--destroyed everything he'd built over his first four years.

Despite these fleeting moments of glory, by 1989 the school was statistically the worst program in Division I-A with an overall record of 299-509-41. Kansas State had become the first NCAA team to lose 500 games in 1988. Things changed in 1989, when the athletic department hired Iowa's offensive coordinator, Bill Snyder, to replace Stan Parrish as head coach.

First Bill Snyder era
Bill Snyder took over a program that had the worst record in Division I-A and had gone winless in its prior 27 consecutive games. Snyder then presided over one of the most successful rebuilding projects in the history of college athletics.

In 1991, Snyder's Wildcats finished 7–4 and narrowly missed receiving the school's second bowl bid ever. The team also finished with a winning record in conference play for only the third time since winning the conference title in 1934.

In Snyder's fifth season in 1993, Kansas State posted the first victory in a bowl game in school history. Success and high rankings continued over the next decade, including six top-ten finishes in the AP Poll and a perfect (11–0) regular season in 1998 (before stumbling in the Big 12 Championship Game against Texas A&M). As the team improved, recruiting also improved, and Snyder was able to bring in athletes such as quarterback Michael Bishop, the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy in 1998, and running back Darren Sproles, who led the nation in rushing in 2003 and holds the Big 12 record for all-purpose yards in a career. The run of success culminated in a Big 12 Conference championship in 2003 with a 35–7 victory over the #1 ranked Oklahoma. (The 69 years since the last conference title in 1934 was the longest span between football titles in Division I history.)

In his first 17 years as head coach at K-State, Snyder won 136 games – as many as his predecessors had won from 1935 to 1988 – and led Kansas State to eleven consecutive bowl games (1993–2003), including six wins. Snyder's legacy at K-State also includes winning or sharing four Big 12 North titles (1998, 1999 (Tie), 2000, 2003). Snyder also led the Wildcats to a 44–7 record from 1997 to 2000, and six 11-win seasons overall.

In 1998, Snyder was recognized as the National Coach of the Year by the Associated Press and the Walter Camp Football Foundation, and was awarded the Bear Bryant Award and the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award. Coach Snyder was also selected Big Eight Conference Coach of the Year by the Associated Press three times (1990, 1991 and 1993), joining Bob Devaney as the only two men in Big Eight history to be named Coach of the Year three times in a four-year period. Snyder was named Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year twice, in 1998 (Associated Press, coaches) and 2002 (coaches).

The winning attitude under Snyder was represented by a stylized wildcat, called the "Powercat" (shown at top), that was added to the football team's uniforms in 1989. The emblem became so popular that by the late 1990s it had essentially replaced "Willie the Wildcat," a character designed by art department students in the late 1950s.

Snyder retired following the 2005 season, and on December 5, 2005, Ron Prince was named the new head coach.

Ron Prince era
On December 5, 2005, Ron Prince was hired as the 33rd head football coach of the Kansas State Wildcats. Prince was formerly an assistant coach and offensive line coach at the University of Virginia.

In 2006, Prince's first year at the helm of the Wildcats, he led Kansas State to a 7–6 record and the team's first winning season since 2003. The signature win of the regular season was a 45-42 upset victory over #4-ranked University of Texas on November 11, 2006. Kansas State finished the season with a 37–10 loss to the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers University in the inaugural Texas Bowl on December 28, 2006.

The Wildcats compiled a 5–7 record in the 2007 season. Coach Prince got the 2007 team off to a quick start, with a 3–1 record and a #24 ranking in the AP Poll after four weeks – the first ranking for Kansas State since the 2004 season. This start included another victory against a top 10-ranked Texas team, this time by 20 points. However, in the next five games, the team alternated wins and losses. In the fifth game of the season, the Wildcat team was upset 30-24 by its cross-state opponents, the University of Kansas, and fell from the Top 25. The following week, Kansas State defeated the University of Colorado 47–20 and reentered the poll at number 25. K-State fell from the Top 25 permanently the next week after a 41–39 loss to the Oklahoma State Cowboys, despite quarterback Josh Freeman having a career day, throwing for 404 yards and three touchdown passes to Jordy Nelson. A win against the Baylor Bears and four losses followed to close out the season.

The 2008 season was Ron Prince's third at Kansas State. Coach Prince led the 2008 team to another 5–7 record. With three games remaining in the season, on November 5, 2008, the school announced that Ron Prince would not return as Kansas State head coach in 2009.

Bill Snyder returns
On November 23, 2008 Kansas State University announced that Bill Snyder was hired to replace the recently fired Ron Prince. Snyder received a 5-year, $1.8 million per season contract.

On September 19, 2009, Kansas State became the fourth FBS teams to lose 600 games in its history after a loss to UCLA at the Rose Bowl. K-State joined Northwestern, Indiana, and Wake Forest.

In 2009, Snyder lead the team to a 6-6 record, going 4-4 in Big 12 play, and falling one game short of winning the Big 12 North. The team failed to make a bowl game for the third consecutive season.

Snyder led the 2010 team to a 7-6 record, with a 3-5 record in conference play, good for third in the North division. The season ended with a loss to Syracuse in the 2010 Pinstripe Bowl. It was K-State's first bowl appearance since Ron Prince lead the team to the 2006 Texas Bowl.

In 2011, Coach Snyder led the team to a 10-2 record in the regular season and a second-place finish in the Big 12 Conference. The team earned a berth in the Cotton Bowl against the Arkansas Razorbacks. It is the first ten-win season since the 2003 season.

In Snyder's second stint, K-State has accumulated 23 wins and 14 losses.

Home stadiums
Kansas State's first playing field was called Ahearn Field, and it was used from 1897 to 1921. The first permanent addition to the field was apparently a roofed grandstand, built in 1901. In 1922, Kansas State opened Memorial Stadium, at a cost of $500,000 USD. Its name was a tribute to Kansas State students who died in World War I. The capacity was 20,000. By 1967, the school's allegiance outgrew the old stadium, and the team moved to KSU Stadium in 1968.

Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium
KSU Stadium opened its doors September 21, 1968. The original seating capacity was 35,000. An expansion in the summer of 1970 added 4,000 permanent bleachers on the east side and 3,000 temporary bleachers on the west side. Following the 1998 season, the addition of a deck and sky suites on the east side of the stadium increased capacity to more than 50,000.

In the 1990s, Kansas State was dominant at home, posting a 26-game winning streak from 1996 to 2000. On November 11, 2000, 53,811 fans witnessed Kansas State's 29-28 win over Nebraska; this remains the largest crowd in the stadium's history and also the largest attendance for a collegiate sporting event in the state of Kansas.

KSU Stadium was renamed "Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium" after head coach Bill Snyder retired at the end of the 2005 season.

Bowl games
Kansas State has participated in 14 bowl games, with an overall record of 6–8. The team's first bowl game was the 1982 Independence Bowl, under coach Jim Dickey. The Wildcats lost to the Wisconsin Badgers by a score of 14–3. The Wildcats did not make another bowl game until 1993. Under Bill Snyder, the Wildcats had a streak of eleven straight bowl appearances that lasted from the 1993 season to the 2003 season. The Wildcats have played in one BCS game, the 2004 Fiesta Bowl, where they lost to the Ohio State Buckeyes. K-State also played in the Fiesta Bowl in 1997, the year before the BCS was created. The school has played in the Cotton Bowl Classic three times, first in 1997, again in 2001 and also in 2012.

Not included in this tally of bowl games is Kansas State's first "post-season" game, played in 1931 against Wichita State as a fundraiser during the Great Depression. Kansas State won that game 20–6. Also not included is the 1992 "Coca-Cola Bowl" played in Tokyo, Japan, against Nebraska, which was a regular season game.

School color
The official color of the University is Royal Purple, as highlighted in the official fight song, Wildcat Victory. The athletic department commonly uses white or silver as complementary colors. K-State is one of a handful of colleges and universities to have just one official school color.

Ring of Honor
In 2002, the athletic department inducted the first class into its Ring of Honor. The first class consisted of Sean Snyder, Lynn Dickey, Steve Grogan, Jaime Mendez, Gary Spani and Veryl Switzer. In 2008, a second class was inducted, consisting of Terence Newman, Martín Gramática, David Allen, and Mark Simoneau. The honored players' names and jersey numbers are on the facade of the east side of the stadium. The numbers of the players not considered retired and can be worn by current players.

Uniforms
K-State's home jersey is purple with white lettering, two white stripes around the sleeves, TV numbers on the shoulders and a white powercat under the collar. K-State's away jersey is white with purple lettering, two purple stripes around the sleeves, TV numbers on the shoulders and a purple powercat under the collar. K-State's pants are silver with white stripe and purple trim going down the sides of each leg, and a purple powercat on the front left side of the pants. K-State uses the same pants for both home and away games. K-State's helmets are silver with a dark purple powercat on each side, with a white stripe and purple trim from the top of the face mask to the rear of the helmet. On each side of the helmet's stripe is the number of the player wearing the helmet; if the player has a number between 1 and 9 there is a zero on the left side. Also, the word "Wildcats" is written on the back of the helmet at the very bottom. K-State uses the same helmets for both home and away games.

The tea has worn these uniforms from 2010 to present, and previously from 1989 to 2007.

In 2008, the Wildcats introduced purple pants while playing road games. These debuted in the first road game of the season at Louisville. The team wore purple pants every road game in 2008 until the final road game of the season at Missouri, when the Wildcats wore gray pants. On November 15, 2008, Kansas State wore purple pants with purple jerseys at home against Nebraska, marking the first time since 1988 that the team wore all-purple uniforms. The Wildcats warmed up for the Nebraska game with their traditional purple jerseys with gray pants, but came out for the game wearing purple pants.

Mascot
The official mascot for the Kansas State Wildcats is Willie the Wildcat. Willie the Wildcat appears at every football game, home and away, as well as every home men's and women's basketball games, volleyball games, and select baseball games. Willie does one push-up for each point the football team scores, followed by the traditional "K!-S!-U! Wildcats!" cheer.

Fort Riley day
Once a year (usually on the second non-conference home game of the season) soldiers from nearby Fort Riley are given free tickets to the game. During the game they receive special recognition. Since 2008 Willie has donned digital US Army fatigues in place of his usual football pants and jersey. The Fort Riley game often has high attendance numbers.

Good for a "first down"
In 1992, K-State installed a new $3.3 million press box, and the public address announcer began what would become a K-State tradition. After a Wildcat first down, the announcer would say, "Good for a Wildcat first down." Throughout the 1993 season, the P.A. announcer did this ritual alone. However, he said at the beginning of the 1994 season the crowd started to shout it with him. Now, with the addition of the first down and touchdown arm motions, K-State's P.A. announcer no longer even needs to finish the phrase, as the Wildcat fans finish it for him. The practice has spread across the country, and is heard in college and NFL football stadiums, and there is no way it originated at Kansas State.

EMAW
EMAW stands for "Every Man a Wildcat," dates back decades of history, and symbolizes that one is a part of the Wildcat nation.

Harley Day
During Harley Day, Willie wears a leather vest or jacket with leather chaps on top of his usual football jersey and pants and rides into Bill Snyder Family Stadium on a Harley Davidson motorcycle, followed by around 50 other K-State fans on motorcycles.

Kansas State vs. Kansas (Sunflower Showdown)
Kansas State and Kansas first played in 1902 and have faced each other every season since 1911, making this the third-longest uninterrupted series in college football history. The two rivals compete annually for the Governor's Cup trophy.

Dating back to the beginnings of Kansas State and Kansas football, neither school had sustained excellence consistently. The first time both schools met as ranked teams was not until 1995, when the University of Kansas came into the game 7-0 and ranked #6 in the AP Poll, while Kansas State University was 5-1 and ranked #14. Kansas State beat KU decisively 41-7 in that game. KU leads the all-time series 64–40–5 after the 2011 game, but the rivalry has been very even since the Governor's Cup series began in 1969, with Kansas State holding a 23-19-1 lead. The University of Kansas disputes the series record because it does not acknowledge its forfeit of a 1980 victory.

Kansas State vs. Iowa State
Kansas State has played Iowa State every year since 1917. The series record is the closest for Kansas State against any of its old Big Eight Conference rivals, with Iowa State holding a 49-42-4 lead following the 2011 game. The name alludes to the two schools' agriculture programs.

In 2009, the two schools began playing a series of neutral site games in Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, and fans and media adopted the name "Farmageddon" for the series. Kansas State University won the first Farmageddon game in Kansas City by the score of 24-23, on October 3, 2009. K-State also won the 2010 match-up, 27-20 and the 2011 match-up of the final regular season, 30-23. K-State has won 18 of the last 22 games between the two schools.

Kansas State vs. Nebraska
Kansas State and Nebraska were conference rivals for decades, from 1913 to 2010. With only 115 miles separating the two schools, they were the closest cross-border rivals in the Big 8 and Big 12 conferences. The two schools played for the first time in 1911, and then played every year from 1922, making it one of the longest uninterrupted series in college football, until Nebraska moved to the Big Ten Conference in 2011.

However, Nebraska long held a commanding lead in the series, keeping the rivalry limited. All-time, Nebraska leads the series 78–15–2. Kansas State lost 29 consecutive games to Nebraska until November 14, 1998, when #1 Kansas State beat #11 Nebraska 40–30. The record between the two schools after that game was much more even, with Kansas State again beating Nebraska in 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2004. During that era, the Wildcats and Cornhuskers consistently competed for the Big 12 North championship.

The 1939 contest between the two teams was televised locally in Manhattan, becoming only the second televised college football game. The 1992 contest was played in Tokyo, Japan, as the Coca-Cola Classic.

National awards
The following Kansas State players are in the College Football Hall of Fame:
 * Gary Spani (2002)

Kansas State players and coaches have won the following national awards:
 * Lou Groza Award (Outstanding kicker) - Martín Gramática, 1997
 * Davey O'Brien Award (Nation's top quarterback) - Michael Bishop, 1998
 * Jim Thorpe Award (Outstanding defensive back) - Terence Newman, 2002
 * Walter Camp Coach of the Year - Bill Snyder, 1998
 * Paul "Bear" Bryant Award - Bill Snyder, 1998
 * Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award - Bill Snyder, 1998

Heisman Trophy history:
 * Lynn Dickey finished tenth in the 1970 Heisman Trophy voting.
 * Michael Bishop finished second in the 1998 Heisman Trophy voting.
 * Darren Sproles finished fifth in the 2003 Heisman Trophy voting.

Former Wildcats currently in the NFL

 * 15 former Wildcats are currently on 45-man rosters in the NFL.
 * As of 2011, Kansas State has had at least one player drafted in the last 18 NFL drafts. This is the second longest streak in the Big 12 Conference, behind only Texas.
 * Kansas State quarterbacks have started more games in the NFL than quarterbacks from any other school in the Big 12 Conference (274 starts after the 2010 NFL season).


 * Brandon Banks, WR Washington Redskins 2010–present
 * Rock Cartwright, RB Washington Redskins 2002–2009; Oakland Raiders 2010–present
 * Jeromey Clary, OL San Diego Chargers 2007–present
 * Zac Diles, LB Houston Texans 2007–2010; Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2011–present
 * Josh Freeman, QB Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2009–Present


 * Ben Leber, LB San Diego Chargers 2002–2005; Minnesota Vikings 2006–2010; St. Louis Rams 2011–Present
 * Ryan Lilja, OL Indianapolis Colts 2004–2009; Kansas City Chiefs 2010–Present
 * Jeron Mastrud, TE Miami Dolphins 2010–Present
 * Jon McGraw, DB New York Jets 2002–2004; Detroit Lions 2005–2006; Kansas City Chiefs 2007–Present


 * Jordy Nelson, WR Green Bay Packers 2008–Present
 * Terence Newman, DB Dallas Cowboys 2003–Present
 * Darren Sproles, RB San Diego Chargers 2005–2010; New Orleans Saints 2011–Present
 * Daniel Thomas, RB Miami Dolphins 2011–Present
 * Reggie Walker, LB Arizona Cardinals 2009–Present

Notable former Wildcats
David Allen, Jonathan Beasley, Monty Beisel, Michael Bishop, Josh Buhl, Jerametrius Butler, Chris Canty, Rock Cartwright, Tim Colston, Jarrod Cooper, Henry Cronkite, Lynn Dickey, Zac Diles, Demarcus Faggins, Mario Fatafehi, Josh Freeman, Yamon Figurs, Martin Gramatica, Steve Grogan, Ray Hahn, Darren Howard, Kevin Huntley, Jeff Kelly, Ben Leber, Nick Leckey, Ryan Lilja, Aaron Lockett, Kevin Lockett, Tyler Lockett, George Maddox, Chad May, Jon McGraw, Damion McIntosh, Shad Meier, Jaime Mendez, Quincy Morgan, Frank Murphy, Jordy Nelson, Terence Newman, Terry Pierce, Thomas Randolph, Jamie Rheem, Ell Roberson, Josh Scobey, Clarence Scott , Mark Simoneau, Sean Snyder, Gary Spani, Darren Sproles, Veryl Switzer, Daniel Thomas, Rashad Washington
 * Bold represents that the player was an All-American at Kansas State University

Individual records
Kansas State records through the 2009 season

Passing
 * Yards (Game): 489, Chad May (vs. Nebraska, 1993)
 * Yards (Season): 3,353, Josh Freeman (2007)
 * Yards (Career): 8,078, Josh Freeman (2006–2008)

Rushing
 * Yards (Game): 292, Darren Sproles (vs. Louisiana-Lafeyette, 2004)
 * Yards (Season): 1,986, Darren Sproles (2003)
 * Yards (Career): 4,979, Darren Sproles (2001–2004)

Receiving
 * Yards (Game): 209, Jordy Nelson (vs. Missouri State, 2007)
 * Yards (Season): 1,606, Jordy Nelson (2007)
 * Yards (Career): 3,032, Kevin Lockett (1993–1996)


 * Receptions (Game): 15, Jordy Nelson (Twice, 2007)
 * Receptions (Season): 122, Jordy Nelson (2007)
 * Receptions (Career): 217, Kevin Lockett (1993–1996)

Defensive
 * Sacks (Game): 4, Chris Johnson (vs. Missouri, 2000)
 * Sacks (Season): 11.5, Nyle Wiren (1996); Ian Campbell, 2006
 * Sacks (Career): 29.5, Darren Howard (1996–1999)
 * Interceptions (Game): 4, Jaime Mendez (vs. Temple, 1992)
 * Interceptions (Season): 8, Chris Canty (1995)
 * Interceptions (Career): 15, Jamie Mendez (1990–1993)
 * Tackles (Game): 28, Danny Lankas (vs. Missouri, 1967)
 * Tackles (Season): 184, Josh Buhl (2003)
 * Tackles (Career): 543, Gary Spani (1974–1977)

Special Teams
 * Most Field Goals Made (Game): 5, Jamie Rheem (vs. Texas, 1999)
 * Most Field Goals Made (Season): 22, Martin Gramatica (1998), Brooks Rossman (2007)
 * Longest Field Goal: 65, Martin Gramatica (vs. Northern Illinois, 1998)Longest Field Goal in NCAA History
 * Most Punts (Game): 12, (four times)
 * Most Punts (Season): 83, Don Birdsey (1973)
 * Most Punt Returns for Touchdowns (Game): 2, (many times)
 * Most Punt Returns for Touchdowns (Season): 4, David Allen (1998)
 * Most Kickoff Returns for Touchdowns (Game): 2, Brandon Banks (vs. Tennessee Tech, 2009)
 * Most Kickoff Returns for Touchdowns (Season): 4, Brandon Banks (2009)

All-time records versus conferences

 * Records using conference alignment at time of game; as of the end of the 2011 regular season.

Records against Big 12 teams

 * All-time records, regardless of conference; as of the end of the 2011 regular season.

Conference membership history

 * 1896–1899: Independent
 * 1900–1912: Kansas College Athletic Conference/Kansas Intercollegiate Athletic Association
 * 1913–1927: Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association
 * 1928–1995: Big 6/7/8 Conference
 * 1996–Present: Big 12 Conference