Well this one is gonna be kinda weird. Quite a few people have asked me to do a “Profile In K-State Fandom” on myself. I am normally quite self-deprecating in person and don’t really feel worthy to do one on myself, but I finally decided “what the heck” and to go ahead and do it. So here you go. A question and answer session….with myself.

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?

I was born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and my parents moved to the Kansas City area when I was 10 years old. I’m still a cheese head. Packer fan, Brewer fan, Wisconsin Badger fan, etc. I root for Wisconsin whenever they are not playing K-State. I did not become a huge K-State fan until I stepped on campus for the first time when I was touring colleges in high school. A buddy of mine from high school and I skipped school one day our senior year and drove to Manhattan for a tour of the campus. I’ll never forget the recruiter, her name was Kristen Dreiling. She was spunky and cute, which two high school dudes thought was really cool. She gave us a tour of the campus and at the end of the tour we went back to her office and sat down and she gave us some information on how to apply. I’ll never forget when she asked us “if I give you a stand up Willie, will you come to K-State?” My buddy’s eyes got real wide and his face got really red and then she reached in the drawer and gave us a little cardboard cutout of Willie Wildcat that sits on your desk. He said “Phew! I thought you meant the “standup Willie” was a secret handshake or something!

Did you attend K-State? Did you graduate? What years did you attend?

I attended K-State from 1991 to 1996 and graduated in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Secondary Education/Social Science and History.

Tell me a little bit about how you came to the decision to attend K-State.

Our high school (Olathe North) had a college night where all of the colleges and Universities sent a representative and they all had their own table in the gymnasium. As I walked through the gymnasium I didn’t see KU or K-State in there. I asked someone where they were. They said KU was in the library and K-State was in one of the classrooms down the hall. I was with my parents, so we decided to check them both out. We happened upon the library first. We walked in and it was very quiet, like you would expect a library to be. There was a table with a dude sitting at it wearing a KU shirt. He wore thick glasses and his hair was greasy and not combed. He was probably wearing a pocket protector, but that part might be made up in my head. We walked up to the table and he barely looked at us and said “here is some information. Go ahead and sit at one of the tables and let me know if you have any questions.” Needless to say, we did not.

We walked out of the library and heard loud music coming from the classroom down the hall. It was the K-State fight song. We didn’t even get in the door before a very cute girl greeted us and said “welcome to the K-State room! We are glad to have you! Our next video starts in a few minutes!” The whole room was lively, the exact opposite of the KU setup. There were people up roaming around the room and talking to each other. Part of the video they showed was the K-State basketball game experience. I was hooked. Easy decision.

Are you married?  Kids?

I have three kids in their twenties. All three attended K-State. I have a wonderful girlfriend named Michelle that is a Missouri fan, but she promises to wear a K-State shirt when we go to the game in Ireland next fall!

What do you do for a living?

I work for a food and vending company in sales. I also write for Heartland College Sports, a multimedia website that covers the Big 12, and I run this website.

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

I live in Olathe, Kansas. When in Manhattan, I love hanging out in Aggieville. Unlike some people, I don’t have a favorite spot there. Last Chance was my hangout when I was in college, but now I go bar hopping when there.

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

Football is my favorite, but I like basketball as well. Like my website tagline says, I haven’t missed a K-State football or basketball game on television or radio since 1991. My favorite K-State football team is the 1998 team. My favorite K-State basketball team is the 2007 team with Michael Beasley and Bill Walker. After the Asbury/Wooldridge years, that team was fantastic, and surreal, to watch.

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

Have had football season tickets for a long time. Used to have basketball tickets, but it’s too far to drive on weeknights and I have to get up too early.

Do you travel to K-State away games?

Yes, I try to make it to a couple a year.

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

When I was a student, they had a deal where you could buy a ticket to the Oklahoma game and ride a charter bus to the game. A couple buddies and I did that. We walked on the bus that Friday afternoon and saw that a bunch of people brought coolers with them. We asked the driver “can we bring beer on here?” He said, “yes, but I’m leaving in about 10 minutes.” The bus left from the Union. We sprinted to the nearest liquor store, which was in Aggieville, bought a bunch of beer, and sprinted back to the bus and made it in time. That bus ride was awesome. There were no strangers on the bus. Everyone was best friends by the time we made it back to Manhattan.

I’ll never forget the day of the game waking up and taking the shuttle to OU’s campus. It was a huge party. Beer tents everywhere and tons of people. We grabbed a hot dog and drink and sat down at a picnic table with three elderly ladies that were decked out in Oklahoma gear. They were very nice and a joy to talk to. This was 1994, and K-State had temporarily passed Oklahoma in the college football hierarchy. K-State hammered them pretty good. The final score was 37-20. By the end of the third quarter, most of the Oklahoma fans had left. There was a vendor trying to sell sodas and he was yelling “K-State Cokes for sale!” I had to buy one just for that and he said “we used to do this to you guys!” I’ll never forget that.

I also went with some buddies to the KU/K-State game in Lawrence in 1992. KU won 31-7. It was the worst K-State game I have ever attended. KU fans were unbearable. Biggest bunch of jerks I’ve ever been around. I vowed to never attend a game there again and I haven’t.

What is your favorite K-State sports memory?

Easily the 2003 Big 12 championship game. I was telling everyone before that game that K-State had a chance to win. Watching that K-State team destroy Nebraska in Lincoln a few weeks earlier had me convinced. Every single person I said that to thought I was crazy. We walked into the stadium to our seats and there was a very obnoxious Oklahoma fan sitting right behind us that didn’t stop talking crap from the moment we sat down. I was 30 at the time and this guy was probably 50. He was one of the biggest jerks I have ever encountered in my life. When K-State went up 14-7, I never heard another peep out of him the rest of the game. And he left sometime during the 4th quarter. Now that’s what you call karma.

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

Nobody ever answers this by saying just one person, but I will. Michael Beasley. I know he had his issues and wasn’t on campus long, but the basketball season that he played in Manhattan was just magical. It might be the best season ever by a college player. At least you can make that argument. I recorded every game and still have the recordings. This was before DVR was a thing. The recordings started on VCR tapes and eventually got transferred to DVDs.

Michael Bishop is a close second. After the 2022 Big 12 championship win, we walked over to Dallas Live from the stadium and I saw Michael standing by himself drinking a beer. I went up and introduced myself and we talked for a long time. He’s a great guy. My kids walked up (we had been separated in the crowd) and didn’t know who he was. I said “this is Michael Bishop. He is the best K-State quarterback of all-time!” Their eyes got real wide and they all grabbed their cell phones and got selfies with him and he was very accommodating and happy to do it. Thank you, Michael for the great memory. K-State football wouldn’t be what it is without you. You took the program to the very top of college football.

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

Bill Snyder, just because he accomplished the impossible. I’ve met him a few times and he is always very nice. I have a few handwritten notes form him as well. I have a story that indicates how great of a guy he is. My Dad had a big milestone birthday a while back and a few days before the big party I still didn’t have a gift for him. My Dad LOVES Bill Snyder. I called the football complex and asked if I could speak to Coach or if there was a way to get through to him. Whoever answered said the best thing to do is to send him an email. So I did. I asked Coach if there was a way he could send my Dad a note/card or whatever for his birthday that was just two days away. I offered to pay for postage or for anything else he might send. He emailed me back right away and all he said was “Joe, I will take care of this.” And he did. The next day I had my Dad’s gift. What a First Class guy.

I love Frank Martin, too. As you can see in the picture above, my Dad and I got to meet Frank when K-State played in the Hall of Fame Classic at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. My Dad and I were part of an organization and my Dad was in charge of bringing their international conventions to town. So he knew a bunch of people in the convention and visitors bureau. One of them called him the day before the game and said “I’ve got these tickets to a private K-State event. Do you want them?” They came with suite tickets, too. I didn’t know what it was all about, but Dad called and said I had about 10 minutes to put a suit on and we needed to head downtown. Luckily I had nothing better going on!

We had VIP tickets, so we got to meet and talk to Frank and all of the players. I like the picture because I don’t know what we were laughing about, but it captured the moment perfectly. We were joking around with each other and had a fantastic time. K-State played Duke the next night and lost, but I’ll never forget sitting in a suite watching Jacob Pullen and Kyrie Irving battle against each other.

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

80 percent? They don’t call me “K-State Joe” for nuthin’. There are some friends and family that have never seen me wear anything but purple. I wore a dress shirt last Christmas and Michelle’s Mom said “Joe, you look nice! I’ve never seen you in anything but purple!” I get that a lot!

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

It means a lot. Every season at the first football game when the band marches on the field, this 51-year old man gets goosebumps all over his body and starts to get choked up. Every year. Why is that? I’m not sure. Maybe a psychologist can explain it. But I think me standing in that stadium with 50,000 other people brings back memories of great games, great tailgates, great friends, and great family experiences that I’ve had in that stadium. I happened to take a video on my cell phone when Collin Klein ran in the game-clinching touchdown against Texas in 2012 and K-State won its second Big 12 championship. I panned over with my phone to my friends and my Dad all jumping on each other, high fiving, and cheering and yelling. It was pure joy that we all shared. Happiness. I had a similar experience in Dallas in the stands when K-State won the Big 12 in 2022, but that time I got to experience it with my kids. I remember everyone jumping on me and high fiving me and someone knocked my glasses off of my face and they went flying three rows away. I wouldn’t have it any other way!

We have all shared the good times, bad times, frustrating times, and great times as K-State fans. That’s what makes us family. We have that passion that other fan bases don’t have. I’m glad I found K-State and that I’ve made so many friends from that University over the years. And my family has been able to experience it as well. Come to think of it, my family is also a K-State family. Whether they went to the University or not. My Mom and Dad bleed purple because their son and grandchildren went there. They are a couple of the biggest K-State fans out there.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Thank you for reading and supporting my K-State side gigs. I’ve kept the site going because it is doing well. And that’s because of you.

I want to keep this series going. Let me know if you know someone who should be featured!