Bill Snyder Family Stadium

 

        Since 1968, Bill Snyder Family Stadium has been the home of the Kansas State Wildcats football team. The Cats originally played at Memorial Stadium but after roughly forty years, it was time for a new stadium. The stadium's original cost sat right around 1.6 million dollars and held 35,000 spectators. In 1970, the stadium expanded to add seven thousand seats. In 1972, a locker room with offices was constructed and by 1983, lights were added to allow for night games. In 1993, a press box and a large Jumbotron were added. In 1999, the east part of the stadium added two more seating levels. This renovation increased the capacity to 50,300 spectators. In 2013, the press box and suites were destroyed and replaced with a seventy-five million dollar state-of-the-art press box with suites. The press box was made to look like a castle with limestone towers that can be viewed from the outside. Within the next three years, the football facility behind the north end zone was completed and Jumbotrons were added to each corner of the stadium. In September of 2021 the most recent renovation of the stadium took place  by adding a fifty million-dollar luxury Shamrock Zone to the south concourse which connected the football stadium with the basketball stadium. 

Although the Wildcats don’t have the most historical team, they do make game days at “the Bill” incredibly enjoyable. Tailgating just outside its walls is consistently ranked as some of the best tailgating in the country. The other big tradition at K-State is the Wabash Cannonball. In the old days of Kansas State, Nichols music hall caught fire and the only music that was saved from the flames was the song Wabash Cannonball. The band plays the song often during a game and the students dance along to the tune. 

Kansas State’s Bill Snyder Stadium has been a college football icon since the nineties and will always be known as one of the nicest football stadiums in the Big 12.