K-State Football Coach Chris Klieman Helped Recruit New Track Coach Travis Geopfert
Kansas State football coach Chris Klieman was doing more during the spring than running football camps, recruiting and preparing for the upcoming season.
Klieman was also recruiting a head coach when Cliff Rovelto retired after 32 seasons as K-State’s Director of Cross Country and Track and Field.
Klieman knew the perfect replacement was Travis Geopfert, a four-time national assistant coach of the year while at Arkansas.
Geopfert listened and so did K-State athletics director Gene Taylor. On Monday (July 15), Geopfert was introduced as K-State’s seventh fulltime track and field/cross country head coach.
“Coach Kleiman was one of the first ones to reach out to me and said, 'Hey, there's a candidate I think you should look at and it's Travis' and when you have a head coach that you respect as much as coach Klieman and for him to reach out and say this is somebody you should look at and get a chance to meet him for what he's accomplished in Arkansas throughout his career is phenomenal,” Taylor said at the introductory press conference for Geopfert.
Geopfert admitted the process started with Klieman asking him if he would be interested in coming to K-State.
“So,” Geopfert said at his press conference, “coach Klieman I know you're on vacation right now as you should be as you prep for the season, but you have a fan in our son Jax, that's for sure, and you have a fan in me.
“You know, I've always admired what you've done with your programs over the years and what you've done here at Kansas State and you're just such a genuine person and I appreciate your time and the conversations that you've had in explaining what Kansas State is all about, for me and my family. And it's no wonder that athletes want to come play for you, you're a genuine person that have others best interests at heart and Chris I just want to say thank you.”
Geopfert, a native of Panora, Iowa, has 22 years of coaching experience, including 12 with Arkansas, where he was a part of two NCAA Championship teams (2013 men's indoor and 2023 men's indoor), 21 top-10 NCAA team finishes and 25 SEC Championships as an assistant men's track and field and cross country coach (2009-18) and associate head coach of the men's track and field and cross country teams (2021-24).
Klieman and Geopfert’s got to know each other when they were both at Northern Iowa.
“We shared a facility, in the UNI-Dome at Northern Iowa the turf rolls out over the flat indoor track,” Geopfert said. “And so, when the turf was down, track didn't really have a place to go and so we would run up and down the sidelines or whatever we could makeshift do. And coach Klieman was always awesome, 'hey Chris, can we just do some strides right here,' and he was just always so gracious and approachable.”
David Boyce is a contributing writer to K-State On SI. He can be reached at davidboyce95@gmail.com.
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DAVID BOYCE