Coach Snyder addresses the crowd after the game. Photo by Rod Mikinski

The first time Bill Snyder walked off the field on Saturday, he did so a winner.

The Kansas State football team had come back from a 14-point deficit, helping Snyder close out his career with a 36-28 win over Missouri.

When the clock ticked to nothing, Snyder walked to the middle of the stadium, shook hands with Missouri coach Gary Pinkle and walked off, back to the locker room.

There's a natural progression to the end of a football game. The final horn blows, the players pour out on to the field in celebration, the coaches shake hands and the crowd heads for the parking lot.

Only, no one in the stands flinched when Allen Webb took the final knee. Or after the coaches shook hands. Or even after Snyder left the field. And as the players circled the field, shaking hands, the aisles remained empty.

Two giant walls of purple remained in Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The band played the school song and the fight song, the student section started chanting their coaches' name, and everyone remained on their feet.

And then the music hit.

He walked back in like a prize fighter, compelete with theme music and an entourage.

Right Said Fred's ''Stand Up (For the Champions)'' blared through the loud speakers as Snyder, surrounded by security and family, made his way back to the field as the sea of purple erupted in jubilation.

After an introduction by president Jon Wefald, Snyder took the mic, and the man who built Kansas State football from the ground-up, was now forced to find the words to say good-bye.

He spoke of heartache, calling it the one of the hardest weeks of his life after announcing his retirement on Tuesday. He spoke of family and how important it was to have his wife, Sharon, and children surround him as he said farewell.

And he spoke to the fans, calling them all one big family.

"They're going to name this stadium the 'Bill Snyder Family Stadium' and I hope you understand that you are my family as well," Snyder said, looking at the crowd. "And in the future, everytime you're here, you come to your stadium."

He thanked the players, and again, the fans. He assured everyone that Manhattan would remain his home and singled out his son, Sean Snyder, who has been with the program as both a player and a coach.

Finally, he said good-bye to Wildcat nation, showing the outward emotion that he kept guarded so close for 17 years.

"I love all of you, because you are my family."

And like that, it was over. Jordy Nelson and Jeromey Clary put Snyder on their shoulders and carried him off the field and the purple walls remained intact, clapping their hands and chanting his name.

They waited until he was off the field, cheering on the man who put Manhattan on the map. Only after he was gone did the stadium rows empty and the aisles fill up.

If the Kansas State players ensured that Snyder walked off the field the first time as a winner, the fans made sure that when Snyder was carried off the field one final time, he left as a legend.