From his home in Vero Beach, Fla., a man born in 1910 in tiny Norcatur, Kan., sat down Tuesday night with pen in hand and paper on desk to accomplish one more thing before he went to sleep beside his wife of 73 years.

Elden Auker, sole survivor from the 1935 World Champion Detroit Tigers and a former All-Big Six selection in football, basketball and baseball for Kansas State, already knew what words he was going to put on the letter he was about to write to Bill Snyder, K-State’s retiring football coach.

“I’m going to say, ‘Congratulations on a great career, and I hope you have a happy and successful retirement and good health,'” Auker said by phone. “‘And thanks for making Kansas State what it is today.'”

Notice Auker said “making Kansas State what it is today.” He didn’t say “making the Kansas State football program what it is today.”

Snyder’s effect on K-State and the town of Manhattan transcends touchdowns and field goals. It was Snyder who came up with the Powercat logo that has grown into such a great source of pride. You’re familiar with the Powercat, that purple, fanged wildcat on the rear windows of so many cars parked on Wednesday nights outside Conroy’s Pub during the football season. The homey Sixth Street dining and drinking establishment is where the Catbackers meet weekly to watch the replay of Saturday’s game.

The Catbackers had a watch party at Bigg’s Barbecue for the nationally televised Texas A&M game.

“Bill Self was actually there that night,” said John Fiore, vice president of the Lawrence-area Catbackers. “We sent the waitress down to offer his whole table a round of drinks. He said no thank you.”

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Maybe Self feared the drink was spiked, given KU’s basketball dominance over K-State.

“Yeah, he probably wanted to play it safe on that one,” Fiore said. “After he turned down the drinks, we did a loud, raucous KSU cheer for him. He had a good time with it.”

A better time than Snyder would have, no doubt. Winners come in all sorts of different packages.

“He’s very low-key,” Auker said of Snyder. “He’s all-business, and he’s an awfully nice person.”

Fiore said the rumor mill that churned among Catbackers had been whispering Brent Venables, Oklahoma’s co-defensive coordinator, as Snyder’s successor for “about a week now.”

“I know somebody who’s got a friend who knows this guy who’s over in Manhattan who heard that rumor,” said Fiore, whose third cousin’s brother-in-law’s co-worker’s step-sister’s best friend’s attorney’s secretary might have heard the same rumor.

Auker said the name Venables didn’t ring a bell. Once told he was a former Snyder assistant, Auker was all for it.

Venables, 34, grew up in Salina and played for and coached under Snyder at K-State. Whoever succeeds Snyder will inherit 18 returning starters, so Snyder picked a classy time to step aside. He is 135-68-1 at K-State. The previous 14 coaches all had losing records.

Lynn Waldorf (7-2-1 in 1934, his only season) was the last winning coach.

“We had some good teams,” said Auker, who played for Bo McMillin. “It’s just that TV hadn’t been invented yet.”