Sports : Kansas State Football player Drew Wiley has Vinton Fan in the Stands

Drew Wiley, number 59, is being watched closely by former Vinton resident and fan at the home games

By Kathy Dzewaltowski

I’ll admit that I might be a little obsessed with Drew Wiley. Now, don’t get me wrong because I don’t mean in a Kathy Bates à la Misery, “I’m your number one fan” kind of way. I don’t know all his stats, nor could I provide a play-by-play of his athletic career. I don’t personally know Drew and his family, although his uncle was in my high school class, and he and I were born on the same day at Virginia Gay Hospital. But, I am still a fan of Drew’s college football career, and I have the added privilege of being able to cheer for him in person.

I’m sure I’m not Drew’s only fan, but I might be the only fan who’s a fellow Vinton native living in Manhattan, Kansas, where Drew plays football. I grew up in Vinton, graduated from Washington High School in 1983, went on to The University of Iowa, met my husband there, and then we moved to Manhattan, where my husband had gotten a job as a professor at Kansas State University. Along the way, we became fans of Kansas State football, which was no small feat when one considers the football team was in the midst of a 27-game losing streak when we arrived in Manhattan and had been dubbed “Futility U” by Sports Illustrated. In those days, there was no need to have season tickets because you could walk up to the ticket booth on game day, purchase a ticket, and pretty much sit anywhere you wanted because so few fans attended games.

By our third season in Manhattan, Bill Snyder, who was Hayden Fry’s offensive coordinator with the Iowa Hawkeyes, had been hired as the head football coach. Those who followed what was then Big 8 athletics probably know Coach Snyder slowly and surely turned things around. It wasn’t long before we had to purchase season tickets in order to be able to attend games. The Kansas State Wildcats had become a winning program with legions of fans, and since I was an Iowa alum and familiar with Coach Snyder, I probably needed less convincing than most to become a follower of the program. Before long, I was a loyal and dedicated fan.

I’m telling you all this to provide the background for my Drew Wiley obsession. I was a fan of Kansas State football, spending my fall Saturdays at the stadium in the September heat, November cold, and occasional rain. I’d watched 29 long years of games going back to the days of “Futility U,” and I’d seen a lot of players come and go. And then one day, I learned via social media that a kid from Vinton had signed to play with the team that had earned my multiple years of dedication: Drew Wiley. It was the perfect storm. The team I had been following for 29 years and an athlete from my hometown – how could I not be obsessed?

It probably goes without saying that I was excited, and if I’m going to be honest, probably also shocked when I learned Drew had signed with Kansas State. Which is not meant to be a comment about Drew’s talent, but rather, it had simply never crossed my mind that I would ever see a Viking play for the Wildcats. I appreciate what it means for a Vinton-Shellsburg athlete to make it to a Division I team. That’s not something that happens all the time. When it does happen, there are a lot of Division I schools where the athlete could go, so the likelihood that the athlete would choose Kansas State seemed slim to me, and I just never thought about it happening. So, yes, I was a little shocked, and when I saw it on social media, my first reaction was, “Wait, did I read that right? Did it say Kansas State?”

Drew’s first game with Kansas State came in the fall of 2017, and when I spotted him in the crowd of players on the field, it was thrilling to see a Vinton kid suited up in Wildcat purple. It didn’t really matter to me if he played any minutes or if he ever played any minutes. But, of course, he does get playing time, mainly on short-yardage plays and on special teams, where he has been part of the field goal defense team. At the end of the 2017 season, the Manhattan newspaper had a special section devoted to the football team’s season, and Drew was in the photo of the huddle of players featured on the cover. I saved the special section and dropped it off at the Benton County Courthouse for Drew’s dad the next time I was in Vinton. My husband and kids thought that was weird. When I was growing up, if someone you knew was in the newspaper, you saved your copy and gave it to them so they would have extras to give to family members or to have as keepsakes. Maybe no one saves newspapers anymore since everything can be found online.

I’m now in my thirty-second season of watching Kansas State football, which is also the first season of new head coach Chris Klieman and the third season of my cheering for Drew Wiley. Coach Klieman also has a local connection – native of Waterloo, attended Columbus Catholic High School, played football at Northern Iowa, was an assistant coach at Northern Iowa and Loras College, which is naming just a few of his coaching jobs. And with a new coaching staff, sometimes things change, but it looks as though Drew is still viewed as a strong team asset. Ahead of the first game of the 2019 season, there was an article in the Manhattan newspaper, which quoted Drew’s position coach as saying Drew was doing a wonderful job at camp and was a young man he could count on. The coach certainly made it sound like Drew will continue to be a valued player for the team. Drew was also featured in an accompanying photo on the front page of the Sports section. (Since I’d learned that saving newspapers to pass along is weird, I didn’t save the newspaper this time; plus, I’m a digital subscriber now, anyway.)

Kansas State’s 2019 season kicked off Aug. 31st with a game against Nicholls State. From my seat in row 45, I watched Drew as defensive tackle block and hold the line and generally look solid. Looked good to me, and I’ll be back for more when the team takes on Bowling Green the following Saturday and for all of the Saturday home games..

I know that my obsession with Drew Wiley’s college career will ultimately be fleeting. He’s a college junior now, and the remaining Saturdays will fly by. His eligibility will end, and he’ll move on. From my seat near the top of the south end zone, I doubt Drew will ever hear me cheering him on, but if he’s ever near the south end zone, maybe defending against the opponent’s field goal attempt, and the wind carries “Go, Drew!” his direction, that will be me -- his Vinton fan.