When Kansas State welcomed Gene Taylor in 2017, he wasn’t looking to change the department overnight. He met with every staff member and asked four simple questions from graduate assistants to senior leaders:
“What are we doing well? What are we not doing well? What do we need to keep doing? What do we need to stop doing?” Taylor said.
Many people value collaboration, and it builds a culture that appreciates people as much as game results. For Taylor, finding the right people is the key to success, and it involves more than just building great facilities or balancing budgets.
“Culture is critically important,” Taylor said. “When you are looking for coaches, you want to make sure they understand the culture of which they are coming to. K-State has always been a place with pride, even if we don’t have the biggest budget. It is that pride and passion that makes us successful.”
Coaches like women’s golf’s Stew Burke have felt the strong effect of Taylor’s leadership. After working at USC and Tulane, he came back to K-State in 2023 to take on the role of head coach for the women’s golf team. Burke could not pass up the chance to lead a program rooted in family and support.
“When the opportunity arose to apply for the head-coaching position, it was honestly my dream job,” Burke said. “K-State’s family culture is something you don’t fully value until you leave it. That support makes all the difference.”
Burke credits Taylor and many K-State athletic administrators for creating a strong environment that helps coaches excel.
“Our support staff truly are here to support our programs and give our athletes a world-class experience,” Burke said. “That support allows us to focus not just on wins but on helping our athletes excel in the classroom and the community.”
Culture’s importance reaches beyond just individual teams. Whether it be hires for volleyball, football or basketball, all are aligned with the departments’ values.
“Every coach we’ve brought in understands the importance of our fan base and the pride that comes with being part of K-State,” Taylor said. “They’ve been able to build their own cultures within their teams, but always with respect to what K-State represents.”
Building a strong program comes with challenges. K-State Athletics faced COVID-19, and coaches and staff had to adapt. In the college sports landscape, the rise of many NIL deals and multiple revenue-sharing arrangements are introducing new challenges, and these developments are changing the way players, schools and fans interact with the sport.
“The change in college athletics has been tremendous,” Taylor admitted. “But we’ve learned to adjust and find a way to stay competitive while doing things the right way.”
Burke believes these challenges strengthen the department. Recruiting top talent and navigating the college landscape relies on a constant foundation of family and support.
“It’s about finding people who fit into the family culture we’ve built here,” Burke said. “When you have that, success follows.”
Taylor arrived in Manhattan in 2017 after serving as North Dakota State’s AD from 2001-2014, followed by a three-year stint as Iowa’s deputy AD. Since then, the athletics department has seen great success, highlighted by top-tier hiring by Taylor.
First, upon his hire, Taylor was given the daunting task of a replacement hire for the legendary Bill Snyder. He landed on head football coach Chris Klieman, who has led the Wildcats to join Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Oregon as the only teams in the nation to win at least nine games in each of the last three seasons.
Taylor hired head baseball coach Pete Hughes in 2018. Hughes’ squad defeated top-seed Arkansas in the Fayetteville Regional last season, earning the Wildcats’ first Super Regional berth since 2013.
At Bramlage, Taylor hired head men’s basketball coach Jerome Tang who earned the 2023 Naismith Coach of the Year award after an Elite Eight berth in his first season.
Jason Mansfield, head volleyball coach, took the program to new heights in his first season leading the Cats. In a program record, K-State took down five Top 25 opponents, including a sweep of the eventual national champion Texas Longhorns.
In his first year, Burke saw the Wildcats earn three individual titles for the first time since 2017-18, including two from junior Carla Bernat. During this fall season, the Wildcats earned three top-two placements, marking the most for an entire season since 2014-15.
K-State’s most recent hires, track and field and cross country director Travis Geopfert and soccer’s Colleen Corbin will look to follow suit with early successes.
On top of hiring, K-State Athletics built new facilities and built trust, pride and collaboration under Taylor’s leadership. As the Wildcats continue to compete on bigger stages, it’s clear that culture and staff support aren’t just ideals at K-State; they’re the keys to its success.
“Someday I’ll look back and hopefully smile,” Taylor said. “Maybe I had a little bit of an impact on K-State Athletics.”