MANHATTAN, Kansas – Former K-State quarterback Jonathan Beasley and head coach Bill Snyder are two of the seven newest members of the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame as the group will be honored Tuesday, Oct. 5, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington with the enshrinement ceremony set for Noon CT on the West End Zone Plaza.
The enshrinement ceremony is taking place 17 months after initially being scheduled due to postponements caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to the two Wildcat inductees, the 12th Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame Class includes Notre Dame split end Tom Gatewood, Arkansas guard Jerry Jones, Ole Miss running back/wide receiver Dexter McCluster, Texas defensive end Cory Redding and Boston College linebacker Bill Romanowski.
These six remarkable players and distinguished head coach join an elite group of honorees comprised of 78 men and women who have shaped the grand traditions of college football and the celebrated history of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. Each Hall of Fame member will make brief remarks during the hour-long lunchtime event. The ceremony is free and open to the public.
The Hall of Fame dates back to the spring of 1998 when the inaugural class was enshrined at Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas. Today, Induction Day takes place every other spring inside AT&T Stadium. Each Hall of Fame member receives a personalized bronze statue that features the likeness of a 1930s football player, the era in which the Cotton Bowl Classic was founded.
18 JONATHAN BEASLEY, KANSAS STATE
Ht. 6-1 Wt. 215 Class: Senior
Position: Quarterback
Hometown: Glendale, Arizona
2001 Classic: Kansas State 35, Tennessee 21
Rushing: 17 attempts, 98 yards, 1 TD
Passing: 13-27-1, 210 yards, 2 TD
Nothing seemed to faze Kansas State quarterback Jonathan Beasley. Not even a playing field covered in snow after a winter storm blew through North Texas just hours before the start of the 2001 Cotton Bowl Classic. Beasley set records for first-half efficiency by rolling up 238 yards in total offense and logged the second-highest number of yards passing with 193 against Tennessee. On the ground or through the air, he was relentless. He ran 14 yards for the game’s first score, and then passed for touchdowns of 56 and 10 yards. By the time the third quarter rolled around, most of the snow had evaporated along with Tennessee’s chances of winning. Beasley and the Wildcats pounded out 507 yards in total offense and cruised to a rousing 35-21 defeat of the Volunteers.
BILL SNYDER, HEAD COACH, KANSAS STATE
Hometown: St. Joseph, Missouri
Classic Coaching Record: 1-2-0
1997 Classic: BYU 19, Kansas State 15
2001 Classic: Kansas State 35, Tennessee 21
2012 Classic: Arkansas 29, Kansas State 16
No job was too big for Snyder. Not even a program that had experienced limited success until he set foot on the Manhattan campus in 1989. His tireless work ethic and intense dedication transformed the Wildcats into a national contender that tallied six 11-win seasons over a seven-year stretch and logged 11 consecutive bowl appearances. With his guidance, the Kansas State program became the model of consistency. The Wildcats landed in three Cotton Bowl Classics, highlighted by a dominating 35-21 defeat of Tennessee in the 2001 game. In 2015, he became one of only four active coaches to be enshrined into the College Football Hall of Fame. Three years later, he wrapped up a spectacular coaching career with 215 victories. Simply put, Coach Snyder is the architect of the greatest turnaround in college football history.
