Chris Klieman shares rare bond with rival Big 12 coaches Willie Fritz, Lance Leipold

Chris Klieman and Lance Leipold coach on opposite sides of a bitter in-state football rivalry, but you will never hear them speak poorly about each other.

In fact, Klieman went out of his way to compliment Leipold and the Kansas Jayhawks after his Kansas State Wildcats pulled off a 29-27 victory in the Sunflower Showdown on Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

“That’s the same football team that was up on us 27-16 last year in the second half, minus their best player,” Klieman said. “(Jalon Daniels) is a terrific player and a terrific competitor. Honestly, I hated to have somebody lose that football game. I know how much it would have meant to KU, and I know how much it would have meant to Lance. It’s no secret Lance and I are friends.”

Klieman also has strong admiration for Houston coach Willie Fritz.

“He’s one of the best coaches in college football,” Klieman said.

So, once again, don’t expect Klieman to gloat if the Wildcats beat the Cougars at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at TDECU Stadium in Houston.

It’s rare for a college football coach to speak glowingly about his peers, especially when they go against each other all the time as members of the same conference.

But Klieman is able to stroll outside the competitive lines with some of his rival coaches because he shares a unique bond with them. Klieman, Leipold, Fritz and even Deion Sanders all won for years at lower levels of college football before they got called up to the Big 12.

Klieman can’t help but feel like they have all followed the same path to their current jobs, and are connected in some way.

“If you can motivate and you can teach and you can be there for guys and rally the troops then you can coach this game,” Klieman said. “Lance has done that at a really high level, and I just appreciate some of the talks we’ve had.”

After thinking back to how many K-State fans questioned Klieman when he was hired in 2018, he respects any coach who is trying to prove himself as he works his way up in the profession.

Klieman won national championships at the FCS level before getting his big break. Leipold won Division III titles and then guided Buffalo to bowl games before he arrived at KU.

“We both had to work our way up,” Klieman said. “More than anything, we both worked our tail off to be in the position that we’re in. Nobody handed us anything. There’s great respect of knowing how hard it is to win at any level.

“When you win at the lower level, you’re not just a football coach. You’re wearing a lot of hats. I think that’s where the respect starts. We both have done it at a high level and at a level below. There’s a chip on both of our shoulders.”

From the beginning of his time in Manhattan, Klieman has said “football is football” to describe why he has been able to win at both North Dakota State and K-State.

It was difficult for some to see him making the jump from the FCS to the Big 12, but he had supreme confidence in himself.

The hire has paid off for the Wildcats. Klieman went 69-6 and won four FCS championships in Fargo. He has gone 46-25 with one Big 12 championship in Manhattan.

Kansas is also happy with Leipold, who has guided the Jayhawks to a pair of bowl games after he won seven Division III championships. Fritz is off to a promising start at Houston after winning big at Blinn College, Central Missouri, Sam Houston State, Georgia Southern and Tulane.

Their combined success may have convinced athletic directors to consider more lower-level coaches for big-time jobs.

Klieman is proud of what they have accomplished.