Bill Snyder to Headline NAIA Champions of Character® Awards and Virtual Fundraiser
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) will honor five (5) individuals as a part of the annual Champions of Character® Foundation Awards event, set for June 24 held in a virtual setting for the first time. Former Kansas State Head Football Coach Bill Snyder will serve as the keynote character honoree.
“What sets the NAIA apart is our focus on character-driven athletics,” said NAIA President and CEO Jim Carr. “We are excited to celebrate the achievements of this year’s honorees and their dedication to the five core values of the Champions of Character program.”
The 2020 award winners are:
- Company of Character: Veracity Consulting
- Team of Character: Pleasant Hill Chicks Softball
- Coach of Character: Andy Gibbs, Shawnee Mission East High School Head Boys & Girls Tennis Coach
- High School Student-Athlete of Character: Issac Riggs, Midway R-1 School
- Collegiate Student-Athlete of Character: Dimitri Ingrassia, Judson University Men’s Tennis
In addition to the above award winners, there were 31 student-athletes who were announced as Champions of Character award winners for their respective Kansas City area high schools. The awards recognize individuals and businesses that embody the NAIA’s five core values of Integrity, Respect, Responsibility, Sportsmanship and Servant Leadership. The award winners were chosen based on the way they demonstrate these values throughout their daily lives.
The Champions of Character Foundation Awards and Virtual Fundraiser celebrates the character values of those who make a difference in the culture of sport and in our community. Support from the event is designed to create a better culture of sport through the advancement of character education programs that intentionally teach the five core values to young people.
Former long-time Kansas State Head Football Coach Bill Snyder will be the keynote character honoree for the 2020 event. Coach Snyder is known for his commitment to building character in his players both on and off the field, and it is this commitment that has helped to propel his legendary career at Kansas State.
Coach Snyder, whom is the winningest coach in Kansas State Football history, retired as the 20th winningest coach in Football Bowl Series (FBS) history and ranks second among active FBS coaches in wins. The Throughout his time, he amassed a 215-117-1 record with the Wildcats and became widely known as one of the top coaches in the nation, year-in and year-out.
Coach Snyder created a winning culture in Manhattan, Kan., which has direct ties to the increase in enrollment from 18,120 when he was hired to now more than 24,000. This culture spilled over to the K-State Alumni base and supporters and helped to rekindle school pride from coast-to-coast, and especially in the region.
Just three years removed from inheriting a team that was on an 0-26-1 stretch, Coach Snyder went to work to re-build the program in Manhattan. In his third year in 1991, he led the team to a 7-4 record to give the team its second winning season since 1970, helping to earn him ESPN National Coach of the Year honors.
All totaled in his time at Kansas State, Coach Snyder led the Wildcats to 19 bowl appearances, 11 winning seasons, four Big 12 North Division titles, two national No. 1 rankings, coached student-athletes to a total of 214 All-America honors, 13 CoSIDA Academic All-America honors, was a five-time national coach of the year and seven time conference coach of the year. Additionally, he became the fourth active coach to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame (2015) and is set to receive the 2020 Paul “Bear” Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Memorial Hermann Health System, in October.
The Champions of Character Foundation was established by the NAIA to impact the lives of student-athletes through sport and to reward those that keep as a vital part of their athletics experience. For information on tickets to attend the Champions of Character Foundation Awards and Virtual Fundraiser to see Coach Snyder, go to NAIA.org/COCLuncheon.