It is hard to believe Thanksgiving is already here again. It has been a pretty good year to be a K-State sports fan. There is plenty to be grateful for, so I thought I would jot down what I am thankful for as a K-State fan.

I am thankful that K-State beat Kansas in football for the 15th time in a row on Saturday. That makes it 27 wins and four losses for K-State in the last 31 games against Kansas since 1993. You cannot ask for a much better record against your number-one rival.

I am thankful for Chris Klieman. Coach Klieman has the football program on solid footing and has his team in contention for a Big 12 championship for the second straight year. The future looks bright, with Freshman quarterback Avery Johnson set to lead the team for the next three years. Klieman is 38-23 overall and 26-18 in the Big 12 in his five seasons in Manhattan.

I am thankful for Jerome Tang. Tang led the basketball Wildcats to the Elite 8 in his first season in Manhattan and has a talented roster to mold and continue getting better.

I am thankful for K-State volleyball coach Jason Mansfield. Mansfield has injected life into the K-State volleyball program since his arrival. They are a top four/five team in the Big 12 standings and could make the NCAA volleyball tournament in Mansfield’s first season. That would be a huge accomplishment. They recently beat the number five team in the country, Texas, in straight sets in Manhattan.

I am thankful for athletic director Gene Taylor. He made some great hires at K-State, starting with Chris Klieman, and adding Jerome Tang and Jason Mansfield last year. The K-State baseball team found some success in the spring and looks to be on an upward trajectory. There really hasn’t been anything negative to report in the athletic department, and a lot of the credit has to go to the man leading the way.

I am thankful for the K-State fan base. They take the mantra “family” seriously. If there is a more dedicated and rabid fan base out there, I am not sure who it would be. The fans want to win, which is a large part of the reason that the athletic programs are so successful.

I am thankful for my readers. Thank you all for reading my “stuff” and interacting with me. I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving. The football season is not over yet, and basketball has already started, so we have a lot more to talk about shortly.

K-State Sports have been successful and are in a great position to be one of the premier athletic programs in the new Big 12 going forward.