ATLANTA - Officials from the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Monday announced that Kansas State head football coach Chris Klieman has been selected as The Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week presented by PNC.
The Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week award honors a football coach who led his team to a significant victory during the previous week, while also embodying the award’s three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity.
Kansas State opened Big 12 conference play with a road victory, defeating the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners 41-34 in Norman this past weekend. The Wildcats never trailed in the contest and their 41 points were the most points the program has ever scored in Norman, dating back to 1908.
Under Coach Klieman, Kansas State has won three of the last four matchups against Oklahoma, with the Sooners ranked inside the top six in each game. The win has moved the Wildcats up to No. 25 in the latest AP poll.
“Coach Klieman and the Wildcats opened up Big 12 play with a huge road win against a highly-ranked conference opponent,” said Jim Terry, chairman of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation. “Coach Dodd would have applauded how Coach Klieman and the Wildcats bounced back after a tough game the week before and then went into a hostile territory to pull off an upset victory.”
Klieman was named head coach at Kansas State in 2019 and has complied a 23-17 record during his tenure. Before his time in Manhattan, he coached the North Dakota State Bison to an impressive 69-6 record over five seasons, including four NCAA Division I FCS National Championships. In his first three seasons at Kansas State, he has compiled the most wins in school history by a head coach during that span and became the only coach in school history to send two teams to a bowl game in his first three years.
Off the field, the football team has also worked alongside Be The Match, an organization operated by the National Marrow Donor Program, on Kansas State’s campus. The program, “Get in the Game. Save a Life,” has allowed thousands of collegiate athletes to donate blood stem cells, to help save lives around the world.
Klieman’s student-athletes have been just as impressive in the classroom earning a 986 Academic Progress Rate the last academic year, which is the ninth highest in the country. The team also recorded a Graduation Success Rate of 93 in 2021, the fourth-highest rate among all FBS schools last year.
“What Coach Klieman has done over the last three years has been extraordinary, whether it’s on the football field, or in the classroom or local community,” said Peach Bowl, Inc. CEO & President Gary Stokan. “He has successfully followed in the steps of Coach Snyder, who has won The Dodd Trophy twice. Coach Klieman has won the right way by establishing standards that allows his student-athletes to thrive on and off the field.”
The Dodd Trophy presented by PNC– along with the Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week Award – celebrates the head coach of a FBS team who enjoys success on the gridiron, while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity.
A panel consisting of all previous winners, national media, a member of the Dodd family and a College Football Hall of Fame member will identify the final list of potential recipients at the conclusion of the 2022 season. The winner of the 2022 Dodd Trophy will be announced in Atlanta during the week of the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.