Former ASU coach Bruce Snyder dies

Bruce Snyder, Arizona State’s football coach during the magical 1996 Rose Bowl season, died Monday after a 10-month battle with cancer. He was 69.

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Snyder was the Pac-10 Coach of the Year twice — for California in 1990 and Arizona State in 1996 — and had a career coaching record of 126-106-5. He coached at ASU from 1992-2000, guiding the Sun Devils to a 58-47 mark.

He led Arizona State to an 11-1 record and the Rose Bowl berth in 1996, coming just minutes away from a national championship.

But to those who knew him, his on-field accomplishments paled in comparison to the type of man he was.

“We suffered a humongous loss,” said Juan Roque, an offensive tackle under Snyder from 1994-96. “This is a bigger loss than any season, any bowl game. This leaves a tremendous void in the Sun Devil family.”

Snyder was diagnosed with melanoma in June.

“I know he had been battling hard,” former Arizona State basketball coach Bill Frieder said. “That’s too bad. He was a great guy.”

Frieder said Snyder would go out of his way to help others. Like the time when, with the basketball team low on bodies due to injuries in the early 1990s, Snyder volunteered defensive end Shante Carver to play on the hardwood.

“He was a great football coach; everyone knows that,” Frieder said. “But even more importantly, he was a good person.”

In a world full of fast-talking, win-at-all-costs coaches, former players painted Snyder in a much different light.

Roque was originally committed to USC but altered his choice when ASU hired Snyder.

“He never seemed like a person that would lie to you,” Roque said. “That was important to me, that my coach wouldn’t be a con artist or a salesman. I got that from other coaches, that they were hustling me. Coach was never like that. He was very honest.”

Kyle Murphy, an offensive guard under Snyder from 1994-97, saw similar characteristics.

“He was a guy that cared about the kids he coached,” Murphy said. “He wanted them to be successful. In a day and age where there are coaches out there that make it about themselves and how to advance their careers, ultimately he wanted his kids to be successful whether in football or life.”

Snyder coached more than 40 players at Arizona State who were drafted into the NFL, including Jake Plummer and Pat Tillman, who were both members of that 1996 team.

Snyder’s 58 wins is second-most in the program’s history, and he is one of three coaches to lead the Sun Devils to a Pac-10 title.

He was recently enshrined into the ASU Athletic Hall of Distinction, joining Tillman in the class of 2008.

“We have lost one of the great coaches in college football,” Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson said in a statement.

Snyder is survived by his wife, three daughters, two grandchildren, four sisters, two brothers and — in his family’s words — his “beloved” dog, Ella.

Service arrangements will be private.

BRUCE SNYDER

Born: March 14, 1940
Died: April 13, 2009

Playing Career
1960-1963 Oregon (linebacker/fullback)

Head Coaching Career
Utah State (38-37-2)
1976 3-8
1977 4-7
1978 7-4 (won Big West Conference)
1979 8-2-1 (won Big West Conference)
1980 6-5
1981 5-5-1
1982 5-6

California (29-24-4)
1987 3-6-2
1988 5-5-1
1989 4-7
1990 7-4-1 (won Copper Bowl)
1991 10-2 (won Citrus Bowl)

Arizona State (58-45)
1992 6-5
1993 6-5
1994 3-8
1995 6-5
1996 11-1 (won Pac-10 Conference; lost Rose Bowl)
1997 9-3 (won Sun Bowl)
1998 5-6
1999 6-6 (lost Aloha Bowl)
2000 6-6 (lost Aloha Bowl)

Total: 125-106-6 (21 seasons)

Highlights
1990 Pac-10 Coach of the Year
1996 Pac-10 Coach of the Year
1996 Paul “Bear” Bryant NCAA coach of the year
• Snyder’s players produced more than 100 All-Pac-10 citations, including one Offensive Player of the Year (Jake Plummer in 1996), two Defensive Players of the Year (Pat Tillman in 1997 and Adam Archuleta in 2000) and one Freshman of the Year (Terrell Suggs in 2000).
• Directed ASU to its fourth undefeated regular season (11-0) in history in 1996, and second Pac-10 title and Rose Bowl appearance. Also behind one of biggest upsets in college football history when the Sun Devils shut out No. 1-ranked and two-time defending national champion Nebraska, 19-0, at Sun Devil Stadium.
• Coached 42 players at ASU who were drafted by NFL teams, including seven first-round draft choices.
• Coached 18 All-Americans.
• Also worked as an assistant at USC, UNLV, the Los Angeles Rams, and as a college football radio analyst.
• Member of Pat Tillman Foundation Board of Directors.