I remember Hopalong Cassidy riding Topper onto the field to toss in the ball for the opening kick off. An untimely release of Topper’s bowels delayed the game while a cleanup crew came out to clean up the field. Probably not what you wanted to hear but good for a smile.
Dr. Vera Polehna Rogers ’60, ’62, ’68
Days Creek, Oregon

Our most significant memory is when Veryl Switzer ’54, ’74 made a touchdown run in the “bad years.” This was probably in 1950.
Richard Brown ’54
Salina, Kansas

During my two years in graduate school at K-State, I worked every football and basketball game as an usher. During the second half, we were allowed to stand at the front of the stadium to watch for any pedestrian traffic problems and enjoy the game. I was near the 40-yard line late in the game when K-State was leading KU 10-7 in the fourth quarter, and Gale Sayers burst around the left side of the field to run 85 yards for the winning KU touchdown. He sounded like a herd of elephants to me, as the stadium was very quiet watching the all-American win the game for KU! Then after he scored, there was a smattering of applause!
Samuel Musil ’64, ’65
Marysville, Kansas

The first game I went to, we played Penn State Nittany Lions. We lost, but I cried because I was so proud to be a Wildcat. Upon graduation, my first alumni game was against Nebraska. We lost 17-44 and had been down at zero most of the game. Typical of K-State fans, when we scored our first touchdown, we went wild. At the end of the game, we were all still going wild — just knowing it wasn’t a shutout and the pride in our team for never giving up the fight! It’s true — K State is FAMILY!!!! 
Karen Quilty-Miller ’71
Topeka, Kansas

Perhaps one of the best memories is the fact that you only needed to show a student ID to get in for the games — you didn’t have to buy a ticket to attend a game if you paid your student fees. However, I also remember the glory days for my parents — they had never been to a college football game and they were enthralled with the place. They were also very happy to see me receive my diploma in that stadium as the first member of my family to graduate from college. I also remember “reviewing” the Air Force ROTC cadets when I was the cadet Wing Commander.
Jim Breneman ’64, ’66
Prairie Village, Kansas

In the years before Coach Vince Gibson — mid to late 1950s — some of K-State football games were lightly attended. So lightly attended that if a kid, like myself, were so inclined, he could move along the railing to keep abreast of the line of scrimmage. I lived three blocks away from the stadium. I had a paper route and delivered papers to a couple apartments under the west side of the stadium. Each Manhattan Mercury cost a nickel, of which I got a penny. The Homecoming game was my favorite. The fraternities fixed up animated caricatures of a Wildcat humiliating his opponent. An endless line of cars crept the prescribed route among the fraternities. My buddies and I made the rounds on foot. 
Robert Clack Jr. ’68, ’70
Florissant, Missouri