Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium opened as KSU Stadium in 1968, with a capacity of 35,000. The first game played at the stadium was on September 21 of that year. Kansas State won the opening game 21-0 over the Colorado State Rams. In 1970, 4,000 permanent bleacher seats were added to the east side and 3,000 temporary seats on the west side. Also that year, an AstroTurf playing field was installed in place of natural grass.
Bill Snyder Family Stadium
Prior to the 1991 season, when a new AstroTurf surface was installed, the playing field was named "Wagner Field" for the Dave and Carol Wagner family of Dodge City, Kansas.
In 1993, on its 25th anniversary, KSU Stadium saw its first significant additions — a five-level press box and luxury suites on the west side of the field.
After the 1998 season, the stadium underwent another expansion, a $12.8 million USD project designed by HOK Sport that increased the official capacity to its current level of 50,300 and added an upper deck on the east grandstands, club seating, and more luxury suites. Prior to the 2002 season, the artificial turf was updated to a more cushioned FieldTurf surface at a cost of $800,000.
Before the final game of the 2005 season, KSU Stadium was renamed in honor of the retiring head coach Bill Snyder, who had led the team for 17 years. Snyder had turned the Wildcats, once among the worst college football teams, into a frequent championship contender in the Big 12 Conference.
In 2006, another $5.6 million will be used to add new north end zone seating and to renovate the locker-room complex. It will add fixed seating behind the North endzone, new audio and visual electronics, and a new hydrotherapy center.
