1953 Kansas State Wildcats football team

{{Infobox college sports team season

| year = 1953

| team = Kansas State Wildcats

| sport = football

| image =

| image_size =

| conference = Big Seven Conference

| short_conf = Big 7

| record = 6–3–1

| conf_record = 4–2

| head_coach = Bill Meek

| hc_year = 3rd

| captain =

| stadium = Memorial Stadium

}}

The 1953 Kansas State Wildcats football team represented Kansas State University in the 1953 college football season. The team's head football coach was Bill Meek. The Wildcats played their home games in Memorial Stadium. 1953 saw the Wildcats finish with a record of 6–3–1, and a 4–2 record in Big Seven Conference play, tied for second in the conference. The Wildcats scored 198 points while giving up 116.{{cite web|title=1953 Kansas State Wildcats Schedule and Results|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=SR/College Football|access-date=November 7, 2019|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/kansas-state/1953-schedule.html}}

Kansas State started the season with a 5–1 record, and made the program's first appearance in the top 20 of a national ranking system at #18 in the Coaches Poll on October 28. 1953 was also the first year that Kansas State played on national television, when its game on November 7 against rival Kansas was broadcast on NBC.

The team finished the season leading the NCAA in punt returns (23.8 yards per punt average).

Schedule

{{CFB schedule

| rankyear = 1953

| poll = Coaches

| timezone = Central

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = September 19

| time = 8:00 p.m.

| w/l = w

| nonconf = y

| opponent = Drake

|| site_stadium = Memorial Stadium

| site_cityst = Manhattan, KS

| score = 50–0

| attend = 11,000

| source = {{cite news |author= |title=Wildcats To Test "Muscles' Against Drake Saturday Night |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-manhattan-mercury/128483498/ |newspaper=Manhattan Mercury-Chronicle |location=Manhattan, Kansas |date=September 18, 1953 |page=5 |access-date=July 18, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}{{cite news |last=Burnette |first=Stan |title=Rampaging Wildcats Clobber Drake, 50-0 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-manhattan-mercury/128483649/ |newspaper=Manhattan Mercury-Chronicle |location=Manhattan, Kansas |date=September 20, 1953 |page=4 |access-date=July 18, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = September 26

| w/l = l

| nonconf = y

| away = y

| opponent = Colorado A&M

| site_stadium = Colorado Field

| site_cityst = Fort Collins, CO

| score = 13–14

| attend =

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = October 3

| w/l = w

| opponent = Nebraska

| site_stadium = Memorial Stadium

| site_cityst = Manhattan, KS

| gamename = rivalry

| score = 27–0

| attend = 12,500

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = October 10

| w/l = w

| away = y

| opponent = Iowa State

| site_stadium = Clyde Williams Field

| site_cityst = Ames, IA

| gamename = rivalry

| score = 20–12

| attend = 8,037

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = October 17

| w/l = w

| opponent = Colorado

| site_stadium = Memorial Stadium

| site_cityst = Manhattan, KS

| gamename = rivalry

| score = 28–14

| attend = 14,000

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = October 24

| w/l = w

| nonconf = y

| opponent = Wichita

| site_stadium = Memorial Stadium

| site_cityst = Manhattan, KS

| score = 21–0

| attend = 15,000

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = October 31

| w/l = l

| homecoming = y

| rank = 18

| opponent = Oklahoma

| opprank = 7

| site_stadium = Memorial Stadium

| site_cityst = Manhattan, KS

| score = 0–34

| attend = 23,822

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = November 7

| w/l = w

| away = y

| opponent = Kansas

| site_stadium = Memorial Stadium

| site_cityst = Lawrence, KS

| gamename = rivalry

| tv = NBC

| score = 7–0

| attend = 25,000

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = November 14

| w/l = l

| away = y

| opponent = Missouri

| site_stadium = Memorial Stadium

| site_cityst = Columbia, MO

| score = 6–16

| attend = 17,000

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = November 21

| w/l = t

| nonconf = y

| away = y

| opponent = Arizona

| site_stadium = Arizona Stadium

| site_cityst = Tucson, AZ

| score = 26–26

| attend = 19,000

| source = {{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-kansas-city-star-cats-gain-a-tie/169668185/|work=The Kansas City Star|title=Cats gain a tie|date=November 22, 1953|accessdate=April 5, 2025|via=Newspapers.com}}

}}

References

Kansas State

Category:Kansas State Wildcats football seasons

Kansas State Wildcats football