Former Utah State Football Coach Bruce Snyder Dies

Former Utah State [University] head football coach Bruce Snyder died Monday [April 13, 2009] after a 10-month fight against cancer. Snyder was 69.

Snyder was the Aggies' head coach from 1976 to 1982, compiling a 37-38-2 (.494) record, leading USU to a pair of co-Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA) titles in 1978 and 1979, including an unbeaten conference record of 4-0-1 in 1979. Snyder was named the PCAA Coach of the Year in 1978.

 

Under Snyder, the 1978 Aggies opened the season 5-0, the best start to a season since 1965 when USU began 7-0 and the third-best all-time start in the program's history behind 1965 and the 9-0 start to the 1960 season. The Aggies have not had a 5-0 start since 1978 under Snyder.

 

A total of 20 Utah State players coached by Snyder were selected to the NFL Draft. Snyder also coached a total of 28 all-conference honorees while at the helm of the Aggie program, highlighted by 1979 Defensive Player of the Year Rulon Jones, while also mentoring Mike Perko and Shawn Miller to the same honor in 1981 and `82, respectively.

 

Snyder was also head coach at California (1987-1991) and Arizona State (1992-2000), earning the NCAA Coach of the Year award in 1996, the same season the Sun Devils played in the 1997 Rose Bowl losing to Ohio State, 20-17. His career record stands at 126-106-5. Snyder was twice named Pac-10 Coach of the Year (1990 with Cal and 1996 with ASU) and is a member of the Arizona State Hall of Fame.