What Chris Klieman said about his retirement as Kansas State football coach
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MANHATTAN — For the second time in just over two weeks, Chris Klieman sat behind a table and wiped away tears.
This time, they came after a crowded theater, full of Kansas State coaches and faculty members, who gave him a standing ovation in the Vanier Family Football Complex at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
In the hours before, Klieman announced his retirement after seven years of coaching the Wildcats.
“It’s been an emotional day for me,” Klieman said. “I am at peace.”
Klieman will walk away from coaching after 35 years in the business. The sudden announcement came on Monday, Dec. 3, sending shockwaves across The Little Apple.
He replaced the legendary Bill Snyder, whom he called the greatest college football coach in history, before the 2019 season, after leading North Dakota State to four FCS national championships in the five years before.
Not taking any questions from the media, Klieman delivered a nearly seven-minute statement in which he spoke about how blessed he was to be the Kansas State football coach and to spend the last 15 years of his life coaching in Fargo, North Dakota, and Manhattan. He spoke about the Wildcats’ successes, including a Big 12 championship in 2022, and thanked players, coaches and support staff who helped make his career possible.
“I hope everybody that’s come across me, whether it’s players and support staff, whether it’s here or any of the places I’ve been, will say that ‘this guy cares and he’s gonna have my back,'” Klieman said. “I’m not going to throw people under the bus, and I’m gonna continue to love them. I’m going to challenge the heck out of them, but I’m going to love them.”
Klieman informed the Wildcats of his decision during a team meeting in the hours before delivering his statement. On national signing day, word of his retirement began leaking in the morning before he was able to meet with them. Klieman walked into a silent room to tell the players himself, then laughed and said it wasn’t a funeral.
After a loss, Klieman said he tends to tell the team not to “walk on eggshells” around him, meaning not to be cautious of their words or actions. He told them the same thing on Wednesday. Klieman said he’s going to get out of town for the remainder of the week to be with his family, then return and talk to players next week.
“For my entire coaching life, I’ve put other people first,” Klieman said. “For the first time ever, I’m going to put Rhonda (wife), Devin (son), Haley (daughter) and Colby (son) first.”
K-State athletic director Gene Taylor said he has yet to speak with Klieman about coaching in the upcoming bowl game, but will speak with the team’s leaders in the coming days to gauge their interest.
Taylor said his discussions with Klieman about retirement began Monday, Dec. 1. The AD hadn’t considered it a possibility until after his daughter asked whether Klieman was doing OK following the coach’s emotional press conference after K-State’s Nov. 22 loss at Utah.
After the regular season ended, Taylor asked Klieman if he’d like to sit down. When Klieman sat down in his office, the coach said he had to get something off his chest.
“I was expecting a different conversation, to be honest with you,” Taylor said. “He talked about his family and his health, and that stopped me in the tracks, and I just said, ‘You know, this is your decision, and I’m not going to talk you out of something that you feel is important to you and your family.”
Klieman potentially has one more game in which he’ll roam the Kansas State sideline. He can add one more to his 54 wins as Wildcats’ coach, the second-most in K-State history. It would be his sixth bowl appearance in seven years, following a career in purple that saw him develop 26 First Team All-American designations and eight total All-Americans.
He went from replacing Craig Bohl at North Dakota State, who was coming off three FCS national championships, to replacing Snyder, the most iconic name to be associated with Kansas State University. At both stops, he was successful, leading his teams to championships.
And those who worked with him said he did it all “the right way.”
“I think we did a pretty damn good job here,” Klieman said. “I’m going to depart you guys now. I love everybody and appreciate everybody. Thanks for everything.”
Wyatt D. Wheeler covers Kansas State athletics for the USA TODAY Network and Topeka Capital-Journal. You can follow him on X at @WyattWheeler_, contact him at 417-371-6987 or email him at wwheeler@usatodayco.com
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Why Chris Klieman said he is retiring as Kansas State football coach
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