The purple-and-white faithful at Kansas State University were left misty-eyed and reflective Wednesday as head football coach Chris Klieman, the architect of a modern Wildcat renaissance, announced his retirement after seven seasons of steady excellence, one Big 12 title, and a program culture that outlasted any scoreboard. At 58, Klieman—the second-winningest coach in school history with 54 victories—cited family priorities and personal health as the guiding forces behind a decision that’s been simmering since at least the emotional fallout of a 51-47 heartbreaker against Utah in late November. His departure caps a 2025 campaign that ended on a high note with a 24-14 Senior Day victory over Colorado, securing bowl eligibility for the fifth straight year, but it also underscores the quiet toll of chasing championships in the unforgiving grind of Power Four football.
“After many deep and thoughtful conversations with my family, we have decided that the time is right for me to retire from coaching,” Klieman said in a heartfelt statement released by K-State Athletics. “This decision was not taken lightly and was the culmination of many factors, including my own personal health. I absolutely love coaching the game of football and developing players into young men, but now is the time for me to step away and spend more time with Rhonda and our three kids. I truly am thankful to Gene Taylor for trusting me with this program in 2018, and we have accomplished many great things including winning the 2022 Big 12 Championship. K-State will always be a special part of our family’s story, and we will forever be Wildcats.”
The announcement, first broken by The Manhattan Mercury and confirmed in a 4 p.m. press conference at the Vanier Family Complex, drew a standing ovation from a packed media room and hugs from AD Gene Taylor, Klieman’s longtime collaborator from their North Dakota State days. Players, informed earlier in a 2 p.m. team huddle, emerged somber yet appreciative, with social media lighting up under #ThankYouCoachKli as alumni like Deuce Vaughn and Felix Anudike-Uzomah shared gratitude for the mentor who turned them into pros and All-Americans. “He’s the definition of a K-Stater—grit, grace, and giving everything,” one former player posted on X, capturing the sentiment rippling through Manhattan.
Klieman’s Wildcat ledger reads like a blueprint for sustained success: a 54-37 overall mark (.593 winning percentage), bowl berths in six of seven seasons (Texas Bowl 2021, Pop-Tarts 2023, Rate 2024), and that magical 2022 run—10-4 record, Big 12 crown via a 41-31 thriller over TCU, and a Sugar Bowl clash with Alabama. He swept the Governor’s Cup seven straight times against Kansas, notched three wins over Oklahoma, and fostered a roster that produced 104 All-Big 12 nods, including back-to-back Consensus All-America honors for RB Deuce Vaughn (2021-22) and the first for an O-lineman in Phillip Beebe (2023). Three players—Adam Holtorf (2019), Adrian Martinez (2022), Beebe (2023)—earned National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete status, a testament to Klieman’s “young men first” ethos.
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