A Full Circle Moment in Manhattan, Kansas

Matt and Dylan Jacobs traveled to Austin, Texas, to witness the Kansas State Wildcats hold off the Texas Longhorns in Big XII football on November 19, 2011.

Listen to the full audio feature storyBy Dylan Jacobs

2:30

I’ve been going to K-State football games since I was a baby. I was born into a K-State family, and there wasn’t any other school that I would go to over Kansas State University. I have been to road games, every home game for as long as I can remember, and even made a trip to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl in 2022. When I look back at the first game I can vividly remember, it was K-State vs. Texas in 2011.

My dad and I went down to Austin for the game. I can remember what we did before the game, the game itself, and what happened after the game. My dad plays a huge role in all of this. 

He was also a student here at K-State, and like most, he tailgated with friends and sat in the student section to watch the games. Growing up, he would always tell me about his experiences. Whether it be traveling for bowl games, as he did for the 1995 Holiday Bowl. He also attended the 1998 Big 12 Championship game, travelled to Lincoln in 2001, and even went to the first Big 12 Game against Texas Tech in 1996.  

Hearing all of these stories growing up made me more invested and want to experience things like that. I know two brothers, one is a year older than me, and the other is a year younger than me. They’re Oklahoma fans so we made it a “tradition” to go to the Oklahoma and K-State football games. So, I was able to experience travelling for a road game in 2020 and 2022 when we went down to Norman. 

Now, fast-forward to the last three years: I’ve been blessed to work for K-State athletics and help with stats for football and basketball games. It truly is a full-circle moment from when my dad went to school here to now, and all the experiences he and I have had and got to share.