ATLANTA (Sept. 16, 2024) - Officials from the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc. today announced that Kansas State head football coach Chris Klieman has been selected as The Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week Presented by PNC Bank.
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.
Klieman and No. 14 Kansas State put together a dominating 31-7 victory over No. 20 Arizona Friday evening at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The win snapped Arizona's nation-leading, nine-game winning streak and gave Kansas State its first regular-season home victory over a ranked non-conference opponent since 2002. Kansas State scored the final 31 points of the game and was led by sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson, who finished with 156 yards and two touchdowns in the air, along with 110 yards on the ground. The Kansas State defense shut down the Arizona offense, holding them scoreless the final three quarters and only allowing 56 rushing yards.
"Coach Klieman has built the Kansas State football program into a consistent winner and a formidable force in the Big 12," said Jim Terry, chairman of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation. "This was an impressive victory early in the season that has the Wildcats poised to be in contention for a spot in the new 12-team College Football Playoff."
Klieman has been the head coach of Kansas State for the past five years after taking over in 2019, posting a 42-24 record. Klieman is the only coach in Wildcat football history to win eight or more games in four of his five years at the helm and is now tied for the second most wins in program history. Before his time in Manhattan, he coached North Dakota State to an impressive 69-6 record over five seasons, including four NCAA Division I FCS National Championships.
Off the football field, Klieman's players have had success in the classroom during his tenure, recording a perfect 1000 Academic Progress Rate and a 95 Graduation Success Rate during the 2023 season. The Graduation Success Rate measures the number of student-athletes who graduate from their school within six years of entering. Kansas State also led the Big 12 and was ranked 13th among FBS schools in graduation rate in 2023.
In the community, the football team has worked alongside Be the Match, an organization operated by the National 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.
"It's becoming almost an annual tradition for coach Klieman to be named our Coach of the Week," said Peach Bowl, Inc. CEO and President Gary Stokan. "He's following in the footsteps of former two-time Dodd Trophy winner and Kansas State legend Bill Snyder by setting the highest standard both on and off the football field."
The Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank – 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 2024 season. The winner of the 2024 Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank will be announced in Atlanta during the week of the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
