Snyder raring to go

Coach unretires, rejoins K-State

After a restless retirement, coach Bill Snyder is ready to turn Kansas State into a winner again.

Three years after handing off a successful Wildcats program to Ron Prince, the 69-year-old and wispy-haired Snyder was hired to take charge of the school he transformed from college football's biggest losers to national championship contenders. Prince was fired this month but is completing the season.

"The Kansas State family is in flux right now," Snyder said at a news conference yesterday. "I want to be able to help. I want to be able to soothe the waters. I've learned some lessons and there are some things I will do to encompass my family."

He is returning to the sideline at a school where his name is much in evidence. Turn off Interstate 70 and there is Bill Snyder Highway. About 20 minutes later, there is Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

Snyder signed a five-year contract for a base salary of $250,000 and a total compensation of about $1.85 million annually, athletic director Bob Krause said. Krause said he had made no offers to anyone else.

"We anticipate he will coach as long as he is able to coach and is successful in coaching," he said.

Kansas State president Jon Wefald, who approved the hiring of Snyder in 1988 after the school had gone 0-21-1 its two previous years, is certain the winningest coach in school history still has the "fire in his belly."

Snyder said another aging coaching legend - 81-year-old Joe Paterno of Penn State - warned that he might not like retirement.

"He told me I'd get awful sick and tired of seeing Little League baseball games," he said.

From 1989-2005, Snyder compiled a 136-68-1 record.

While that might not turn heads at Alabama or USC, it sure did at a university that had won only 130 games the previous 51 years. The 12 head coaches who preceded Snyder from 1945-88 had only 116 victories among them.

BC duo honored

Boston College redshirt freshman quarterback Dominique Davis and junior linebacker Mark Herzlich were named ACC players of the week after their performances in the Eagles' 24-21 win at Wake Forest Saturday. Davis, who replaced the injured Chris Crane, engineered the game-winning, nine-play touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter. Herzlich had nine tackles and two interceptions, returning the first 34 yards for a touchdown . . . Phil Estes, who led Brown to its third Ivy League title in the past 10 years, was named one of 20 finalists for the Eddie Robinson Award as the nation's coach of the year . . . Harvard quarterback Chris Pizzotti was chosen by teammates as the winner of the Frederick Greeley Crocker Award as the team's MVP.

New pact for Pinkel

Missouri coach Gary Pinkel agreed to a new contract, two weeks before his 12th-ranked Tigers are set to play in their second straight Big 12 title game. Pinkel is 58-39 overall in his eighth season at the school . . . Tim Tebow will get a chance to repeat as winner of the Maxwell Award, given to college football's top player. The Florida quarterback was one of three finalists announced yesterday, along with Graham Harrell of Texas Tech and Colt McCoy of Texas. The Maxwell and eight other awards will be presented Dec. 11 on ESPN . . . James Madison (10-1) received all 25 first-place votes to retain the top spot in the Coaches Football Championship Subdivision poll. New Hampshire, which plays at Southern Illinois in a first-round playoff game Saturday, moved up one spot to No. 10. Harvard is ranked 14th and Maine 21st.