MANHATTAN, Kansas, Aug. 22, 2008 -- A moment can be defined in so many different ways. It can be a game, it can be a play. In the case of Kansas State University, it was the hiring of a coach. And it's only appropriate we come to the stadium that bears his name to unveil Bill Snyder and his turnaround at Kansas State as the bronze medal winner in our countdown.

"The opportunity for the greatest turnaround in college football exists here today," said Bill Snyder in 1989.

His words would prove prophetic. The Wildcats had gone 27 games without a win when Snyder took the job. They were averaging 13,000 fans a game and in danger of falling to the Division Two ranks or losing the program all together.

"If you took a deep breath, you would be a little higher off the ground than you were when you started," said Snyder.

And in 1989, they took their first breath, beating North Texas on the final play of the game to snap a 30-game winless streak. It would be their only win, but to Snyder it was a sign of progress.

"Most say, 'how disappointed was it after the first season' and 'were you regretting your decision?' And it was quite the opposite. I knew we were going to be alright."

The next year they won five games, and then seven and then nine by 1993. It earned them a trip to the Copper Bowl where they picked up the first postseason win in school history.

Shortly after they returned, Snyder got a visit from a fan from western Kansas. It was only then that he understood what it all meant to Wildcat nation.

"He said, 'I'm not going to be here very long. I'm not going to take much of your time. I came here for one reason and that is, I want to tell you that the bowl game in Tucson was the single most important event in my entire life.'"

It would the first of 11 straight bowl games. In 1998, they snapped a 29-game losing streak to Nebraska and vaulted to number one for the first time in school history.

K-State won 11 games five times under Snyder, including in 2003 when they stunned then top-ranked Oklahoma to win that elusive Big-12 championship.

But the Cats followed that up with back-to-back losing seasons for only the second time on Snyder's watch and that left him wondering if it was time to make a change.

"I always said 'if you start thinking about it, it's probably time.'"

So after 17 seasons, Snyder said good-bye before the final game of 2005. The players provided him a fitting farewell -- career win 136 -- and a hero's sendoff from the newly named Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

"This needs to be embedded in my memory and I need not to forget any single portion of it, but I've enjoyed it. I've enjoyed the whole ride," said Snyder.