Bring On The Cats · Jun 6, 2022
SLATE: Passing of a Legend
Photo courtesy K-State AthleticsVeryl Switzer
A charter member of the Kansas State Athletics Hall of Fame (1990) and K-State Football Ring of Honor (2002), former Wildcat halfback Veryl Switzer passed away on Saturday at the age of 89. Switzer, a native of Nicodemus, KS, joined the Wildcats in 1950 as the first scholarship black football player at both K-State and the Big 7/8 conference. After helping to break the color barrier in the Big 7 conference, he went on to earn Second Team All-American honors in 1951 at cornerback and in 1952 at running back, before capturing First Team All-American honors in 1953 at running back, becoming K-State’s first 3-time All-American.