Klein's Manhattan Community Impact

For Collin Klein, Kansas State has never been only about football.

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It’s about people.

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“K-State family is special,” Klein said. “When you think about the genuine relationships that we build with each other and everyone that we meet, that resonates with me.”

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“Blue collar work ethic, toughness, then that competitive nature — you don’t cross that family either,” Klein continued. “That resonates with me. That’s what K-State is all about.”

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Bill Snyder said that support has always been critical to the program’s success.

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“I think (Klein) is well qualified to step into that role (head coach), and I think he will have a great deal of support from the people of Kansas State,” Snyder said.

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In Snyder’s view, the relationship between the program and the community differs from that in many college football towns.

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“It’s significant anywhere, but in a smaller community such as Manhattan, I think it’s a necessity,” Snyder said.

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Former K-State player and now special teams coordinator Stanton Weber said that connection is difficult to explain until you experience it firsthand.

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“It’s different here,” Weber said. “There’s a genuine humility in who we are, and it’s hard to describe until you feel it.”

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Weber said that culture extends far beyond the football facility.

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“When people ask you a question here, they actually want to hear what you have to say,” Weber said. “They care about who you are. Our people support this football team in a way that’s different than other places I’ve been.”

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That support, Weber said, is rooted in something deeper than wins and losses.

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“Our fans genuinely care about the human beings in this program,” Weber said. “Obviously, we’re here to win, but the connection between this community and this football team is special and unique.”

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The ‘family’ mentality has always been central to what made K-State successful, dating back to Snyder’s early years rebuilding the program. And it was that rebuild by Snyder brought economic change that forever changed the Manhattan community. 

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Kansas State athletics generated more than $486 million in annual economic activity for Manhattan and the state of Kansas during the 2022-23 year, according to an economic impact study conducted by Tripp Umbach. The study also found K-State athletics supported more than 3,850 jobs and generated $21 million in tax benefits specifically for Manhattan.

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Much of that impact comes from fan travel and spending tied to football and other sporting events. During the 2022-23 season alone, more than 527,000 fans attended ticketed K-State athletic events, bringing business to Aggieville, restaurants, hotels and local businesses throughout the community.

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GoPowercat publisher Tim Fitzgerald has seen the transformation of the community from the football team firsthand. 

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“Collin's family — no doubt Collin is one of us,” Fitzgerald said. He is almost like an offspring of Bill Snyder. He's literally an offspring of the program. And I am noticing so many Bill Snyder-esque things about Colin Klein — more than I expected.”

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Fitzgerald added that part of being family is the freedom to instill toughness, connecting back to the blue-collar work ethic Klein spoke of.

 

“It was brutal, and that was the only way to form the culture he needed,” Fitzgerald said of Snyder’s early system. “He needed to know who was going to survive it. If you couldn’t make it, you weren’t going to put your identity on this program.”

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Fitzgerald believes that same mentality still matters, even as college football changes. He compared it to what Curt Cignetti recently built at Indiana — a culture centered around accountability and physical play that quickly transformed the program into a winner.

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That balancing act of holding onto identity while adapting to modern college football is ultimately what defines Klein’s “new old school.”

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And in Manhattan, where football and community have long been connected, that idea carries weight beyond the field. And for many, that's why Klein’s return feels bigger than a coaching hire.

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It feels personal.