| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1940-03-14)March 14, 1940 Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Died | April 13, 2009(2009-04-13) (aged 69) Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1960–1963 | Oregon |
| Position | Fullback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1966–1972 | Oregon (assistant) |
| 1973 | Utah State (assistant) |
| 1974–1975 | USC (assistant) |
| 1976–1982 | Utah State |
| 1983–1986 | Los Angeles Rams (assistant) |
| 1987–1991 | California |
| 1992–2000 | Arizona State |
| 2003 | UNLV (assistant) |
| 2004 | UNLV (OC) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 125–106–6 |
| Bowls | 3–3 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 2PCAA (1978–1979) 1Pac-10 (1996) | |
| Awards | |
| AFCA Coach of the Year (1996) Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year (1996) George Munger Award (1996) Paul "Bear" Bryant Award (1996) Sporting News College Football COY (1996) Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award (1996) 2×Pac-10 Coach of the Year (1990, 1996) | |
Bruce Fletcher Snyder (March 14, 1940 – April 13, 2009) was an Americanfootball player and coach. After playingcollege football at theUniversity of Oregon in the early 1960s as afullback, Snyder embarked on a coaching career. He was the head football coach atUtah State University (1976–1982),[1][2]University of California, Berkeley (1987–1991), andArizona State University (1992–2000), compiling a record of 125–106–6 (.540) at the three schools.
Snyder's 58 wins and nine-year tenure as head coach at Arizona State each rank second in school history to marks set byFrank Kush, who coached the Sun Devils from 1958 to 1979 and won 173 games. Snyder led ASU to fourbowl games including a win in the1997 Sun Bowl. More than 40 ASU players coached by Snyder were selected in theNational Football League Draft, including seven in the first round, and more than 40 others signed free agent contracts in theNational Football League (NFL). After his stint at Arizona State, Snyder assisted long-time friendJohn Robinson atUNLV for two seasons, in 2003 and 2004. He also served under Robinson as an assistant coach from 1983 to 1986 for theLos Angeles Rams of theNational Football League (NFL).
Snyder was twice namedPac-10 Coach of the Year, in 1990 with Cal and in 1996 with Arizona State. He is a member of the Arizona State Hall of Fame. His best Sun Devil team was the 1996 unit. WithJake Plummer at quarterback, Snyder led ASU to an 11–1 record. The Sun Devils stunned the top-ranked and two-time defending national championNebraska Cornhuskers in the season's second game. Arizona State reeled off the third undefeated regular season in school history en route1997 Rose Bowl, where they came within 19 seconds of a victory overOhio State. Had they won, the Sun Devils would have likely won at least a share of thenational championship, as they would have been the only undefeated major-conference team in the nation. For his efforts that season, Snyder won a number of national coaching awards, including thePaul "Bear" Bryant Award and theWalter Camp Coach of the Year Award.
Snyder was diagnosed withStage IVmelanoma in June 2008. He died less than a year later on April 13, 2009, at his home inPhoenix.[3]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utah State Aggies(Independent)(1976–1977) | |||||||||
| 1976 | Utah State | 3–8 | |||||||
| 1977 | Utah State | 4–7 | |||||||
| Utah State Aggies(Pacific Coast Athletic Association)(1978–1982) | |||||||||
| 1978 | Utah State | 7–4 | 4–1 | T–1st | |||||
| 1979 | Utah State | 8–2–1 | 4–0–1 | 1st | |||||
| 1980 | Utah State | 6–5 | 4–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1981 | Utah State | 5–5–1 | 4–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1982 | Utah State | 5–6 | 2–3 | 4th | |||||
| Utah State: | 38–37–2 | 18–6–1 | |||||||
| California Golden Bears(Pacific-10 Conference)(1987–1991) | |||||||||
| 1987 | California | 3–6–2 | 2–3–2 | 8th | |||||
| 1988 | California | 5–5–1 | 1–5–1 | 10th | |||||
| 1989 | California | 4–7 | 2–6 | 10th | |||||
| 1990 | California | 7–4–1 | 4–3–1 | 4th | WCopper | ||||
| 1991 | California | 10–2 | 6–2 | T–2nd | WFlorida Citrus | 7 | 8 | ||
| California: | 29–24–4 | 15–19–4 | |||||||
| Arizona State Sun Devils(Pacific-10 Conference)(1992–2000) | |||||||||
| 1992 | Arizona State | 6–5 | 4–4 | T–6th | |||||
| 1993 | Arizona State | 6–5 | 4–4 | T–5th | |||||
| 1994 | Arizona State | 3–8 | 2–6 | T–8th | |||||
| 1995 | Arizona State | 6–5 | 4–4 | T–5th | |||||
| 1996 | Arizona State | 11–1 | 8–0 | 1st | LRose | 4 | 4 | ||
| 1997 | Arizona State | 9–3 | 6–2 | 3rd | WSun | 14 | 14 | ||
| 1998 | Arizona State | 5–6 | 4–4 | T–5th | |||||
| 1999 | Arizona State | 6–6 | 5–3 | 4th | LAloha | ||||
| 2000 | Arizona State | 6–6 | 3–5 | T–5th | LAloha | ||||
| Arizona State: | 58–45 | 40–32 | |||||||
| Total: | 125–106–6 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
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| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
