Kansas State To Honor Six Former Football Players

The Kansas State football program will honor six former Wildcats who will comprise the inaugural class for the K-State Football Ring of Honor at the 2002 season-opening game against Western Kentucky on Aug. 31.

The class includes Lynn Dickey, Steve Grogan, Jaime Mendez, Sean Snyder, Gary Spani and Veryl Switzer. Each of those players will have their names permanently affixed to the facing inside KSU Stadium.

"I am so very pleased to have the opportunity to express our gratitude to these truly great representatives of Kansas State University and its football history," said head coach Bill Snyder. "Although not all have reached consensus All-America status, they were certainly worthy of that honor and have each proven themselves to be the epitome of excellence both on the gridiron and in their own personal, professional and family lives. My congratulations to each for being such very special K-Staters.

"I look forward to the future when we will have the opportunity to recognize several other deserving student-athletes from our program into the Ring of Honor. And, yes, I am a tremendously proud father."

"We’re thrilled to be able to honor some of our football greats who helped lay the groundwork for Kansas State football and who are tremendous ambassadors for our university," said President Jon Wefald. "We hope that Wildcat football fans from around the region will join us Friday evening to help celebrate these six people and their contributions to our program and our university."

Ceremonies will begin on Friday, Aug. 30, when the inductees will be honored at an invitation-only reception. Following the reception, a ceremony, which is free to the public, will take place at Bramlage Coliseum. Doors will open at 8:30 p.m., with the ceremony beginning at 8:45. A brief autograph session will follow the induction ceremony.

At halftime of Saturday’s game, the permanent display of the inaugural class in the stadium will be unveiled.

"This will be an important evening for our department and will be a great way to kick off not only the football season but the entire athletic year at K-State," said athletics director Tim Weiser. "This will begin an ongoing way for us to pay tribute to individuals who have distinguished themselves in the building of what has become one of the best football programs in the nation."

The Ring of Honor is designed to recognize those in the football program who have distinguished themselves on and off the field. Among the criteria considered is graduation from Kansas State with a student-athlete having been out of school for at least five years, quality of character, whether the person is an excellent representative of K-State and whether a person has achieved performance that warrents consensus All-America level status at Kansas State University.

LYNN DICKEY (Quarterback, 1968-69-70)

First team quarterback on the all-time All-Big Eight team selected in 1995... First team All-Big Eight quarterback in 1969 and 1970...

All-time career leader in passing yards with 6,208... Only Wildcat ever to pass for more than 6,000 yards... Also tops career lists in completions (501) and attempts (994)... Ranks 4th in career touchdowns with 29... Had four of the top six passing games in Wildcat history, including a career-high 439 yards against Colorado in 1969... All-time career leader in total offense with 5,779 yards.

Named K-State’s Most Valuable Player in 1970... Finished 10th in voting for the Heisman Trophy in 1970... Played in the 1972 Senior Bowl and the North-South Shrine Bowl.... Played 15 seasons in the NFL for Houston and Green Bay... Was a third-round choice of the Houston Oilers in the 1971 NFL Draft...

Inducted into K-State Sports Hall of Fame as a charter member in 1990... Inducted into the State of Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1997... One of two players to wear jersey number 11, the lone number retired at Kansas State... Dickey has three daughters, Natalie Upp, Meredith Dickey and Elizabeth Dickey.

STEVE GROGAN (Quarterback, 1972-73-74)

Named K-State’s Most Valuable Player in 1974... Earned Ken Ochs Courage Award in 1974.. Ranks 11th on the Wildcats’ all-time list in passing yards with 2,213... Ranks 9th on the Wildcats’ career list in total offense (2,798 yards)...

Academic All-Big Eight selection in 1973 and 1974... Played in the Blue-Gray All-Star Game and the All-America Bowl in 1976... Played 16 seasons in the NFL with the New England Patriots... Led New England to its first Super Bowl appearance in 1986... Passed for 26,886 yards and 182 TDs for the Patriots... Was New England’s 5th-round pick in the 1975 NFL Draft...

Inducted into the K-State Sports Hall of Fame in 1995... Inducted into the State of Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1999... One of two players to wear jersey number 11, the lone number retired at Kansas State.

Grogan and his wife, Roberta, have three sons, Tyler, Tanner and Tate.

JAIME MENDEZ (Safety, 1990-91-92-93)

Consensus first team All-America defensive back in 1993, selected by AP, Kodak, Football News, Athlon’s and the NFL Draft Report... One of eight semifinalists for the Thorpe Award in 1993...

Three-time All-Big Eight selection at free safety... Named K-State’s Co-Most Valuable Player in 1993..

Holds Kansas State records for interceptions in a game with four against Temple in 1992... Also stands as the Wildcats’ career leader in interceptions with 15 and in interception return yards at 298... Had six interceptions in both the 1990 and 1992 seasons...

Played in the East-West Shrine Game in 1994... Played in the 1994 Senior Bowl... Signed as a free agent by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1994.

SEAN SNYDER (Punter, 1991-92)

Consensus first team All-American in 1992, selected by Kodak, Associated Press and Athlon’s... Third team All-American in 1991 by Football News... Twice named first team All-Big Eight Conference and was Defensive Newcomer of the Year in 1991 season... K-State’s Special Teams MVP in 1991 and 1992...

Holds K-State school records for punting yards in a season (3,572 on 80 punts in 1992) and punting average in a season (44.65 in 1992)... Had 12 punts for a 52.5-yard average against Colorado in 1992... Ranks 2nd all-time at K-State in career punting average with 42.96...

Played in the 1992 Senior Bowl and the Blue-Gray All-Star Game the same season... Signed as a free agent by the Phoenix Cardinals in 1993...

Currently serves as the associate athletics director for football operations at K-State... Snyder and his wife, Wanda, have three children, Katherine, Tate and Matthew.

GARY SPANI (Linebacker, 1974-75-76-77)

First team All-America selection in 1976 by the Football News and a consensus first team All-American in 1977...

Three-time All-Big Eight Conference selection in 1975, 1976 and 1977... Named K-State’s Most Valuable Player in 1976 and 1977... Played in the East-West Shrine Game and the Hula Bowl in 1978...

In three seasons, he was the Wildcats’ leader in tackles and was twice named team Most Valuable Player. Spani continues to dominate the Kansas State career record books as the team’s all-time leader in career tackles (543), career assists (343) and assists in a season (110). Recording at least 20 tackles in a single game four times, Spani is also ranked first, fifth and sixth on the Wildcats’ list for most tackles in a single season.

Following graduation in 1978, Spani was chosen in the third round of the National Football League draft by the Kansas City Chiefs, where he played all nine years of his career and led the team in tackles four straight seasons...

Selected to be the first Kansas State player to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, with ceremonies to be held in December 2002... Member of the K-State Sports Hall of Fame as part of the 2000 induction class...

Spani and his wife, Stacey, have five daughters, Shalin, Taber, Tanis, Sajel and Taris.
 

VERYL SWITZER (Halfback, 1951-52-53)

First team All-America pick in 1953 by Professional Football Coaches Association... Second team All-America pick in 1951 and 1952... Three-time All-Big Seven Conference selection...

Led Kansas State in rushing during the 1952 (201 yards) and 1953 (558 yards) seasons... Also led K-State in total offense in the 1953 season with 585 yards... Ranks 4th all-time in punt return yards with 596... His 14.2 career average is third all-time at K-State behind David Allen and Aaron Lockett... Returned two punt returns for touchdowns in 1953 and has three for TDs in his career...

Played in the East-West Shrine Game and the College All-Star Game in 1954... Played for the Green Bay Packers in 1954-55 and in the Canadian Football League for Calgary (1959) and Montreal (1959-61)... One of only two K-State players ever taken in the NFL draft, being selected by the Packers with the third pick in 1954...

Member of the charter class of the K-State Sports Hall of Fame, inducted in 1990... Also inducted in the same year to the State of Kansas Hall of Fame... Retired after serving as an administrator in the Kansas State Athletic Department...

Switzer and his wife, Fern, who is deceased, have two sons, Veryl Jr. and Calvin, and a daughter Theresa.