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K-State Mitch Richmond 1988
One of the most recognizable players in Kansas State history, Mitch Richmond was a two-year letterman for head coach Lon Kruger from 1986–88. He helped guide the Wildcats to a 45–20 (.692) record, including a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances and a trip to the 1988 NCAA Midwest Regional Final. His 1,327 points are the most by a player in a two-year career.
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Wildcats Martin Gramatica 1998
Gramática played at Kansas State from 1994 to 1998. During his four college seasons, he made 54 out of 70 field goals and 187 of 192 point-after-touchdown attempts, gaining a school record of 349 points in four seasons. He set the single-season school record with 135 points and the longest field goal kicked from 65 yards. Those achievements earned him the nickname Automatica because whenever he attempted a field goal, it was taken for granted that it would be good.
In the 1996 season, Gramática was granted a medical redshirt. Gramatica was a first-team All-America choice by the Associated Press both his junior and senior years and received the Lou Groza Award in 1997. Notably, he converted all three field goals from 50+ yards his junior year, and as a senior kicked a phenomenal 65-yard field goal against Northern Illinois University – the longest field goal in college and professional football history kicked without a tee. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in social science from Kansas State in May 1999. Gramática was known for characteristic jumping in celebration after every successful field goal. However, he stopped this after his brother Bill Gramática tore his ACL while playing for the Arizona Cardinals and celebrating in a similar manner after kicking a field goal.
Gramática is a member of Kansas State’s Ring of Honor.
The official color of the teams is Royal Purple, making Kansas State one of very few schools (as well as Syracuse and Harvard) that have only one official color; white and silver are generally used as complementary colors.
Kansas State participates in the NCAA Division I FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) and is a member of the Big 12 Conference since 1996. Previously, Kansas State competed in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference until 1912; the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association from 1913 to 1928; and the Big Eight Conference from 1928 to 1996 (known as the Big Six from 1928 to 1947 and the Big Seven from 1947 to 1957).
College Sports Established
1913
Location
Manhattan, Kansas
College Name
Kansas State University
Collegiate History
1973 – Present / NCAA Division 1
1913 – 1973 / University Division of the NCAA
Conference History
1996 – Present / Big 12 Conference
1957 – 1996 / Big Eight Conference
1927 – 1957 / Missouri Valley Conference
1913 – 1927 / Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Nickname
Wildcats – K-State hasn’t always associated itself with the feline family. The name “Aggies” was the first used by the school in the late l890s by head football coach John “Chief’ Bender. The new coach made his mark on K-State history when he gave his team the “Wildcat” nickname. However, Coach Bender soon left the K-State program and the Wildcat nickname became a stray.
NCAA Championships
Baseball 0
Men’s Basketball 0
Women’s Basketball 0
Football 0
Soccer 0
