Profiles In K-State Fandom – Cindy Norris

March 30, 2024 Joe Mathieu Comments 1 comment

The fifth profile in K-State fandom features K-State super fan Cindy Norris. I’ve never met Cindy personally, but after reading about her background and viewing all the photos that she sent to me, it’s quite obvious that Cindy is a huge K-State fan and worthy of being featured. I am sure you will enjoy learning a little bit more about Cindy…

JM: Tell me a little bit about your background. Where were you born/where did you grow up and how did you become such a huge K-State fan?

CN: I think I was destined to be a Wildcat. Both of my parents graduated from Kansas State. My dad walked on to the basketball team and then ended up a 3 year letter winner on the baseball team. I started going to games when I was about 5 years old, so yes, the old Memorial Stadium for football and Ahearn for basketball games. The rug I had for naps in kindergarten was purple.

JM: If you or anyone in your family attended K-State, tell me a little bit about how they came to that decision.

CN: I attended Kansas State and knew I would since I was in kindergarten! Both my mom and dad also attended and graduated from KSU.

JM: What do you do for a living?

CN: I taught elementary school for 36 years and all those years were at the same school I attended in 5th and 6th grade. Now I am retired and work part-time at Job Corp and do some Instacart and Door Dash too.

JM: Do you live in or around Manhattan? What’s your favorite restaurant or hangout when you’re in town?

CN: I have lived in Manhattan almost my entire life. I love heading out to Rock a Belly, Houlihans, So Long Saloon and Texas Roadhouse.

JM: Do you have a favorite sport? Favorite K-State team?

CN: This is a hard question. If I had to only pick one sport it would be basketball. I love football, too, but I have a more connected feeling with basketball.

My favorite teams are probably Dean, Barry, Cam and Xavier and the team with my favorites of Mike Evans and Chuckie Williams. I don’t know if I have a favorite team in football but any season that included beating K who and OU!

JM: Do you have season tickets? If so, which sports?

CN: I have season tickets to men’s basketball and football and have for many years . Each year I try to get to a volleyball, soccer and/or baseball game. I need to do better!

JM: Do you have a favorite away game place or story to tell?

CN: A bunch of us decided to go to the KState vs KU football game in Lawrence. I brought all the food and drinks for tailgating. Unfortunately it was raining, no, pouring. We made it through the first half in the rain and decided to go back to the hotel bar where we had all met. I got all the tailgating stuff out of the car and we set it all up at a long table. We watched us win the game and saved money on food!🤣🤣

JM: What is your favorite K-State sports memory?

CN: There have been so many favorite wins in the various sports over the years. The comebacks, the frustrations, the joy and the overtimes. But my favorite K-State memories are the ones where I have met and gotten to know different athletes and coaches along the way. It feels different when you know some of them!!

My favorite recent memory was when my buddy Coach Reem (Jareem Dowling) invited me into the locker room after a game. That was something special for this lifelong fan.

Another thing is as a teacher, I was able to have many athletes in my classroom. It was a great way to get my students excited about Kansas State and hope they might decide to be a Wildcat in the future!

JM: Who is your favorite K-State player(s), past or present?

CN: If I answer this, I’ll probably forget someone! Here are a few:
Mike Evans, Chuckie Williams, Rolando Blackman, Michael Bishop, Steve Grogan, Jamar Samuels, Dean Wade, Xavier Sneed, Kamau Stokes, Jordy Nelson, Tyler Lockett, Collin Klein and Keyontae Johnson.

JM: Who is your favorite K-State coach(es), past or present?

CN: Jack Hartman, Bill Snyder, Chris Klieman, and Jerome Tang.

JM: If you had to guess, what percentage of your wardrobe is purple?

CN: Since I retired, it’s probably gone up! I would guess 60-70%!

JM: What does the “K-State Family” mean to you?

CN: People with the common goal…to love the Wildcats through thick and thin and being loyal to your team.

JM: Anything else you’d like to add?

• I could never, ever cheer for that school down I-70…ever
• Purple is the best color
• There was nothing like a basketball game in Ahearn
• Once a Wildcat, Always a Wildcat
• It doesn’t matter your age, you wear purple on game days!
• Some of my favorite times in my life involved a Wildcat Victory!

JM: Cindy has met a lot of K-State dignitaries over the years, as you can see by browsing her photos!