Profiles In K-State Fandom – Kyler Jost

April 1, 2024 Joe Mathieu Comments 0 Comment

We’re rolling now! The seventh installment of “Profiles In K-State Fandom” features Kyler Jost. Kyler is the President of the Kansas City Catbackers. I’ve never met Kyler, but he seems like my kind of guy. I think you’ll agree after reading his profile…

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?

KJ: I’m a Central Kansas wildcat, born in McPherson, my family lived in-between there and Hillsboro. My mom was a teacher and we went to McPherson schools. I’d say that my mother and my uncle were the greatest reason for my K-State Fandom. My uncle graduated in ‘73, and my mom in ‘86.. with plenty of others in-between. From then on, our free time was spent in Manhattan, and tailgating was a family tradition.

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

KJ: Yes, I did… x2! I graduated with a Bachelors in 2018, and Masters in 2023!

JM: How did you come to the decision to attend K-State?

KJ: Attending K-State was a no-brainer for me, if you were interviewing my mom right now she’d tell you that as a high school freshman I was already asking if I could apply to K-State, she’d always laugh and say “I think Anderson Hall will want to see a GPA and an ACT score first!”

JM: Are you married?

KJ: Yes. Married to Kayla, who played volleyball in South Dakota, before finishing at UMKC – she’s really leaned into the purple lifestyle and is becoming quite the Cats fan!

Can you count the number of Powercats in this picture?

JM: What do you do for a living?

KJ: I am a marketer for an Animal Health company, providing solutions and products for cattle producers.

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

KJ: My wife and I live in Spring Hill, Kansas. We enjoy the “rural” and “small town” feel, while also being able to get to Kansas City easily.

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

KJ: Boy, that’s a difficult one. I’d say Football but only by a half-inch. Favorite team would probably have to be that 2012 Big 12 Championship team; very much a what-could-have-been ending, but the Miami blowout, Geno vs. CK7 showdown, and beating OU in Norman will rival any other season in my opinion. Ty Zimmerman, Arthur Brown, Nigel Malone & Allen Chapman had quite the LynchMob defense.

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

KJ: We sure do.. football and men’s basketball! We split basketball tickets with another couple that bleeds purple.. there’s a lot of work travel for all of us between December-March, but we make sure that there’s always two butts in those seats! For football, we tailgate and sit on West Side with my cousins, aunt/uncle, parents, good friends, and “K-State Godparents.” If you need to find us.. we’re probably the ones standing in Section 1 for all four downs.

We also make an effort to hit as many Volleycats and Lady Cats games as possible, and attended quite a few this past year.

JM: Do you travel to K-State away games?

KJ: Absolutely, there is nothing better than chanting K-S-U after a touchdown in an opponent’s stadium. We’ve been to all of the legacy Big 12 stadiums except for WVU (West Virginia) as well as Mississippi State, Stanford, Cowboys Stadium vs Stanford, Vanderbilt – along with many bowl games: Liberty, Cotton, Fiesta, Texas, Sugar & Big 12 Championship.

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

KJ: Favorite away-game experience is tough to choose but Starkville, MS with some buddies may take the cake. We went to Starkville, just the three of us friends, with no plans other than tickets to the game and a hotel room. We ended up just wandering the facilities to make friends, which allowed us to join their tailgate. Probably the hottest that I have ever been, but sitting front row with two of my best friends watching us beat up on an SEC team made it well worth it! We love exploring other campuses, seeing what’s for fun in their student facilities, and of course eating all of the recommendations.

JM: Any negative experiences?

KJ: Any trip to Lawrence (despite how badly we beat them) can only be so enjoyable, ya know? Gotta get in, get out.

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

KJ: Hard to pick just one… here’s some of my all time favorites:
-Christmas morning some years back finding BOWLS of COTTON under the tree, with Mom & Dad surprising us with a family trip for the 2012 Cotton Bowl.
-The many, many trips Mom and I made together to Kansas City to watch the basketball teams in the Big 12 Tournament all through middle and high school..
-Tailgating in the blizzard this past year, staying warm around the pot of chili before headed in to shovel our seats!

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

KJ: Basketball – it’s got to be the combo of Curtis Kelly + Denis Clemente, such a fast-paced and aggressive fast-break offense they provided.
Football – Jordy Nelson, fun to watch a Kansas guy walk on, embarrass the competition, and then do it again on the biggest stage possible; only to return to his humble beginnings and coach kiddos & farm with his family in central Kansas. Hope to add Avery Johnson to this list very soon!

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

KJ: Pretty easy to list Tang and Klieman right now, as we’re really in a golden era of Wildcat athletics – but I’d have to say I loved the Frank Martin era and of course grew up in the prime-time of Snyder. Would be remiss if I didn’t give a McPherson, KS shout-out to Brad Underwood, as we loved having him on the bench as well.

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

KJ: At least 60% — from a polo and normal wear perspective, I’d say almost all! I work with so many Wildcats that we celebrate “Willie Wednesday”.. meaning that you wear something with Willie on it. We’ve gotten to the point where the other alumnus are aware that Wednesday = Purple, and they’ve begun to just accept it for what it is.

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

KJ: I think the term “K-State Family” is extra special because we truly mean it. You see the term “Family” being posted and stated by other universities and teams, but we take ours to a completely different level. We’re obsessed with purple and our school; have you ever gone to other states and counted the license plates of the local D1 school? How many times do you run into other K-Staters in an airport or internationally because, they too, are sporting a lavender quarter zip on a work trip? My friends and colleagues that went to other schools don’t have near the connection with their alumni base as we do – they just “cheer for” their team when they play, and outside of that season they have other hobbies – not K-Staters, it’s a lifestyle. . K-Staters truly go out of their way to help, connect, promote and enjoy each other! I’m always so amazed at how Wildcats help each other find jobs, connect with others for professional development, encourage campus visits, start small businesses together, etc.

JM: Anything else you’d like to add?

Yes, I’d love to add a simple plug for the KC Catbackers. If you’re not aware of what Catbackers are, we’re a volunteer group created by the Alumni Association, to unite K-Staters and host a variety of events including athletics watch parties, student recruitment activities, picnics, banquets and plenty of happy hours! I currently serve as the President for KC Catbackers. If you’re a local to the Kansas City metro area, we’d love to have you join us for an event and get connected. The best way to find out about our events is our website or our Facebook page; we put on some pretty fun events, not to mention some awesome watch parties and golf outings!

If you’re not local to Kansas City, I encourage you to find your local Catbacker chapter, there are over 33 in the State of Kansas, and even more across the nation/globe!