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[Coach]

Kansas State coach Ron Prince, who had a 16-18 record in two-plus seasons for the Wildcats, will not return for the 2009 season.

"We are in a performance-based profession and have made this decision in the best long-term interest of both the university and its football program," KSU athletic director Bob Krause said. "Our goal remains the same: to build a winning program that is positioned to consistently compete for championships."

Prince met with team members Wednesday afternoon to inform them of his decision to resign.

"The reality is that all coaches want to compete and win championships," Prince said. "That's why we came here and that's why we do what we do, and ultimately educate these kids along the way. We're disappointed, but we're in a position to accept the decision that's been made."

The Wildcats are 4-5 this season, but have lost three games in a row after beating Texas A&M in College Station for their only conference win of the season. In the five losses, the Wildcats have allowed 220 points, including a 52-21 blowout loss at Kansas last week.

After that game, Kansas fans at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence were chanting "Save Ron Prince" in the wake of the Jayhawks' third consecutive victory over their cross-state rivals.

"It's a decision that we arrived at in the best interest in the institution and the program," Krause said during a conference call. "All along I've looked at understanding we're in a performance-based profession and in the final analysis we're at a point that while our goal remains the same, a change is necessary."

Prince had a difficult challenge replacing legendary former coach Bill Snyder, who turned around the KSU program after years of struggles. Prince had some big upsets along the way -- most notably a 2-0 record against Texas -- but struggled in the North Division with a combined 0-7 record against primary rivals Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri.

His first team finished 7-6 and qualified for the Texas Bowl, and Prince became the first first-year KSU coach to qualify for a bowl game. Rutgers won that game 37-10.

In August, Kansas State signed Prince to a contract that runs through 2012, paying him a base salary of $143,00 with a total guaranteed package of $1.1 million. The deal included a larger buyout, meaning Prince will receive $1.2 million, along with a prorated longevity bonus of about $150,000.

"There's a plan in place and there's some consultation I want to have with some individuals," Krause said. "It's coming down to the point where you have a list of folks you think have the ability to take the program and accomplish the things we want to accomplish."

Prince's teams never had trouble generating offense, with a wide-open attack and strong-armed quarterback Josh Freeman piling up yards and points.

Defense has been a problem, though.

Kansas State had one of the nation's worst last season, allowing 30.8 points and 400.6 yards per game, and the Wildcats have been even worse this year. They rank 107th in scoring defense at 33.7 points per game and 108th in total defense at 444.67 yards per game.

Kansas State allowed 110 points in its past two games, and more than 50 three times this season.

"Our objective in coming to Kansas State in December of 2005 was to establish a program that was built to last, a team that would consistently compete for championships," Prince said. "Today, we ran out of time to accomplish that."

Tim Griffin covers college football for ESPN.com. You may contact him at espntimgriff@yahoo.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

http://sports.espn.g...tory?id=3684640

[Dom]

Seems like a smart move

[Jaydaholmes31]

Smart move but I wouldn't have done it mid-season and if the rumor I'm hearing that their apparently trying to get Snyder to come back is true how desperate can you get?

[Dom]

Well Snyder is the only proven K-State coach... so maybe it would be a smart move if he WILL come back