Football at Kansas State has a lengthy history of producing outstanding players. Kansas State has a long history, spanning from the late 1900s with players like Gary Spani and Michael Bishop to more recent additions like Deuce Vaughn and Cooper Beebe.
It is a huge honor t
o be named a consensus all-American. It indicates that, for their position, the player was the greatest in the nation. Being chosen for the first team in at least half of the five organizations that choose the All-America teams is the need to be a Consensus All-American.
Thirteen players from Kansas State have made the All-America squad; two of them did it twice during their collegiate careers. Now let’s examine each player’s profile and the season in which they were selected as an All-American.
The 1977 Kansas State Wildcats logo designed by Gary Spani.
Gary Spani, who was awarded an All-American in 1977, leads us off. This occurred during Kansas State’s gloomy era prior to Bill Snyder’s program reconstruction. Spani holds numerous other honors, such as being the first player ever inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame, the College Football Hall of Fame, and the Kansas State Athletics Hall of Fame.
Spani finished his career with 543 tackles and was selected three times to the All-Big Eight team while attending Kansas State. He averaged 17 tackles per game in 1977, the year he was named an All-American. In four different games, he recorded more than 20 tackles.
P. Sean Snyder Kansas State Wildcats Logo (1992)
One of the greatest punters in Kansas State football history is Sean Snyder, the son of Bill Snyder, who played punting for the Wildcats. In 1992, the year he was awarded an All-American, Snyder averaged almost forty yards on punt returns and nearly forty yards on punt returns.
In the Bill Snyder era, Snyder was the first Kansas State player to be chosen an All-American and the first since Gary Spani in 1977. In 1992, Snyder totaled 3,572 yards on 80 punt plays.
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Chris Canty (born in 1995)
The logo of the Kansas State Wildcats
Chris Canty is among the two Kansas State athletes to have received two All-American selections during their careers. Canty was alive when Kansas State was a member of the Big 8 and lived through the Big 8’s 1996 transformation into the Big 12.
Canty was the player the opposing offense circled on the roster in both of his 1995 and 1996 All-American seasons. With eight interceptions in 2995, Canty set a single-season record at Kansas State and led NCAA football in interceptions returned for touchdowns with two of those interceptions. When he discovered he had been selected for the first All-American team and had led the Big 8 in most defensive stats, he was only a sophomore.
Even better, Canty did not allow a score during the entire 1996 season, allowing just 13 completions on 335 snaps. Canty set another record at Kansas State by concluding his career with 56 passes defended and 14 interceptions.
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Martin Gramatica Kansas State Wildcats logo from 1997.
Martin Grmatica was one of the top players at Kansas State, much like many of the players on this list are. The greatest kicker to ever attend Kansas State and even go on to have a prosperous NFL career is Gramatica.
In 1997, Gramatica was selected to the All-American team following his play with the Wildcats. At Kansas State, Gramatica hit his biggest field goal from 55 yards out with a 76.4 field goal percentage. He was virtually a lock to play for the Wildcats because of his 97.4% extra point percentage.
QB Michael Bishop Kansas State Wildcats logo from 1998
Arguably, one of the greatest quarterbacks in Kansas State football history is Michael Bishop. Despite not having the highest ranking among quarterbacks in the Kansas State record books, he was a game-changer and a member of the 1998 team that came dangerously close to winning the National Championship.
In 1998, Bishop was one of three Wildcats that qualified for the All-American team. Arguably, the finest Kansas State football squad in history is the one from 1998. A single victory stood between them and a National Championship. Bishop passed for 2,844 yards and 23 touchdowns in the 1998 campaign.
LB Jeff Kelly Kansas State Wildcats logo from 1998
Another player from a junior college who transferred to Kansas State was Jeff Kelly, who was arguably the team’s greatest linebacker. Kelly ended the season in 1998 to win a spot on the First Team All-American, after being selected as a Second Team All-American in 1997.
Kelly had the second-highest number of tackles (87) and the team-highest number of tackles for a loss (23), at the end of his 1998 campaign. He added six sacks, a team-high three interceptions, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries to those stats. Thirteen sacks, 47 tackles for loss, and 197 total tackles at the end of his career were his stats.
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David Allen (1998
The logo of the Kansas State Wildcats
As a kick returner, David Allen was selected as an All-American in 1998. Allen’s finest season as a sophomore with the Wildcats was returning kickoffs and punts. His punt returns totaled 729 yards, with an average of more than 23 yards per return. That year, he also scored four touchdowns on punt returns, which aided his All-American effort.
LB Mark Simoneau Kansas State Wildcats logo from 1999
In 1999, Mark Simoneau became the lone Wildcat to be awarded an All-American and is now inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. With numerous awards and a lengthy résumé, Simoneau won the 1999 Defensive Player of the Year title.
One of the all-time finest defenders in Kansas State football history, Simoneau served as captain three times. With 400 total tackles, 52 tackles for loss, 15.5 sacks, eight forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries, and 251 career unassisted tackles, he concluded his career with impressive numbers.
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In 2002, Terence Newman
The logo of the Kansas State Wildcats
In 2002, Terence Newman’s last year at Kansas State, he was named an All-American. In addition, he is a candidate for the College Football Hall of Fame in the next class. One of the best at his position during his four years at Kansas State, Newman went on to have a prosperous NFL career.
In addition to being selected an All-American, in 2002 he was named to the First Team All-Big 12, won Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, and was even awarded the Jim Thorpe Award, which is given to the nation’s top defensive back. In track and field, Newman was also a two-time All-American.
WR Jimmy Nelson with the Kansas State Wildcats logo in 2007.
The only true competitor for Jordy Nelson as the greatest wide receiver in Kansas State football history is Tyler Lockett. Nelson was named an All-American during his last Kansas State season in 2007.
Nelson made an impression on everyone as a big-body receiver with soft hands and an excellent catch radius after entering the game as a walk-on. By far his best season, with 1,606 receptions and 11 touchdowns, was 2007. He was the Wildcats’ best receiver, particularly when Kansas State wasn’t coached by Bill Snyder.
Tyler Lockett, wide receiver, 2014 Kansas State Wildcats logo
As previously established, Tyler Lockett and Jordy Nelson are in a close battle to be the greatest wide receiver to have ever played at Kansas State. Since Lockett is the owner of most of Kansas State’s records, he would likely break the tie.
In 2014, the year he broke several of the records he currently owns at Kansas State, Lockett also earned his All-American status during his final season there. He got 11 touchdowns and 1,515 receiving yards in his last season. At Kansas State, he presently holds 14 records, several of which don’t appear to be breaking anytime soon.
Deuce Vaughn, RB (2021–2022).
The logo of the Kansas State Wildcats
Deuce Vaughn is the only other former Wildcat to be named an All-American twice during their college careers, along with Chris Canty. Vaughn challenges Darren Sproles for the title of greatest running back in Kansas State football history, and he could have won it if he had stayed for a fourth season.
Vaughn was an integral part of the passing and running games in each of the two seasons he was chosen an All-American. Along with 468 receiving yards and four receiving scores in 2021, he accumulated 1,404 running yards and 18 rushing touchdowns. He then finished 2022 with 1,558 rushing yards, nine touchdowns, and 378 receiving yards, three of which were touchdowns.
Logo of the Kansas State Wildcats for 2023: OL Cooper Beebe
As the most recent former Wildcat to be selected an All-American, Cooper Beebe completes this list. After playing for Kansas State for five seasons, Beebe was thrilled to be selected an All-American only in his final season as a Wildcat.
Having been voted the Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year in both 2022 and 2023, Beebe is entering the elite group of offensive lineman to play at Kansas State. Although he spent most of his time at left tackle, what really distinguished him from other linebackers was his versatility and ability to play any position on the field.
