(EXCLUSIVE) Bill Snyder Named as ‘Father Figure’ in Kansas State Veteran Aaron Lockett’s Emotional Admission
College football is admittedly evolving away from its community-based, people-driven origins. Expanding its footprint further than ever. Polarizing mechanisms to facilitate said expansion, such as conference realignment, are fanning the flames of discontent among the sport’s vetted traditionalists. So let’s dial it back to the fundamentals. To the heart of what keeps CFB ticking, keeps it thriving—its people. Those who set the foundations for its appeal and mobilized generations of fans. We at EssentiallySports conducted an exclusive interview with Aaron Lockett, who had some heartfelt things to say about the man who built his alma mater’s football program: A certain Bill Snyder.

As hyperbolic as it sounds, Bill Snyder is the single most important figure in the history of Kansas State athletics. 2 separate stints as head coach across 4 decades. That’s over 200 wins and 2 Big 12 championships. That’s the condensed version of what Bill Snyder did for KSU. As clichéd as it sounds, he put them on the map. Made them a perennial power set up for success well after him. This became evident when the Wildcats won another conference championship under his successor, Chris Klieman.

Aaron Lockett, a 3x All-Big 12 selection, had the privilege of his time at Kansas State coinciding with Coach Snyder. In his exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, Lockett acknowledged how much he owes to the great man. Not just professionally, but more importantly, in his traversal through life off the gridiron.