Book excerpt: How bad was Kansas State football when Bill Snyder took over as head coach? The story goes, once upon a time... if you got caught speeding in Manhattan, you didn't get a speeding ticket--you got a football ticket. If you got caught twice? They made you go to the game. While that may be an exaggeration, it's only a slight one. K-State was the worst college football program in the country and hadn't won a game in two years. Oh, how things have changed. Snyder's Wildcats now are regarded as one of the top programs in the country. The Wildcats are regulars in the national rankings, share the best overall record in Big XII Conference history and own the conference's best record on the road. Through the rise to prominence since Snyder's arrival in 1989, the constant has been change. There have been four athletics directors, five sports information directors, three Voices of the Wildcats, and well over 30 assistant coaches. But there's been only one color analyst for Wildcat football--Stan Weber. The former K-State starter at safety and quarterback has seen every play of the Bill Snyder era. And who else, besides Snyder himself, can say that? Stroll through the pages of Stan Weber's Tales from the Kansas State Sideline, and learn the stories behind the stories. Weber will tell first-hand experiences of the events that took K-State football from the outhouse to the penthouse. You'll hear Weber's recollections of some of the great games, like the Wildcats' first victory over Oklahoma in 23 years and the first KSU victory in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 35 years. And, he will share his insights into the personalities of many of K-State's heroes of the Snyder era. Sit back, relax and enjoy StanWeber's Tales from the Kansas State Sideline by Stan Weber with David Smale. Purple attire is required.