Bill Snyder MANHATTAN, KS – SEPTEMBER 18: Head coach Bill Snyder of the Kansas State Wildcats watches pre-game warm-ups prior to the game against the Auburn Tigers at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium on September 18, 2014 in Manhattan, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Beloved Kansas State coach Bill Snyder announced Monday that he has been diagnosed with throat cancer and has been receiving treatment.

“I have been diagnosed with throat cancer and have been receiving outpatient treatment at the KU Medical Center for about three weeks and am getting along very well. The doctors and staffs at both KU Med and M.D. Anderson (in Houston, Texas) have been great; working so very well together to finalize the overall treatment plan which is being conducted in Kansas City. Both ‘teams’ have projected a positive outcome and have worked out a schedule that allows me to be in Kansas City for my regular treatments and still be back in the office on a regular basis through the first week of March. Sean, along with our coaching and support staffs, remain highly productive in carrying out their responsibilities keeping us on track.

Kansas State also said in the statement that Snyder will remain the Wildcats’ head coach throughout his treatment. Although the season is still more than six months away, spring practice starts in just a month-and-a-half.  The Wichita Eagle, which initially reported Friday that Snyder was sidelined with an undisclosed health issue, reports that Snyder is expected to try to coach during spring practice.

Snyder, 77, coached at KSU from 1989 to 2005, and after a four-year break, he took over again in 2009. Despite the Wildcats’ considerable lack of resources for a Power Five program, Snyder is 202-105-1 at Kansas State, and he is coming off a 9-4 season with a win over Texas A&M in the Texas Bowl. The Wildcats made the Cotton Bowl in 2011 and the Fiesta Bowl in 2012 with a share of the conference title.

Retirement rumors have surrounded Snyder in recent years, since he is almost 80 years old, to the point that the school had to release a statement last year letting fans know that he would be back in 2016. At this point, there are no plans for Snyder to retire before the 2017 season.

About Kevin Trahan

Kevin mostly covers college football and college basketball, with an emphasis on NCAA issues and other legal issues in sports. He is also an incoming law student. He's written for SB Nation, USA Today, VICE Sports, The Guardian and The Wall Street Journal, among others. He is a graduate of Northwestern University.