Snyder was born on August 6, 1905, in Windber, Pennsylvania, and attended high school at the Bellefonte Academy in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania.[1] He attended college at the University of Maryland, where he played football and lacrosse.[2] In Tales from the Maryland Terrapins, author David Ungrady credits Snyder with popularizing the fake reverse.[3] In 1927, Snyder scored Maryland's only touchdown against Yale on a 90-yard punt return, which was the "longest run ever made in the Yale Bowl" at the time.[4] In his senior year in 1928, Snyder was expected to be elected team captain, but had been suspended for off-field behavior by head coach Curley Byrd.[3] Byrd believed the captaincy had become a popularity contest and elected instead to name game captains, a practice which continued for the next 15 years.[3] That season, Snyder was named a second-team All-American in football by the Associated Press, and became just the second Maryland player to be honored as such.[5][6]
In 1929, Snyder went on to play professional football in the NFL. He first played for the New York Giants, where he saw action in 12 games, including two starts, and he rushed for two touchdowns and caught one touchdown reception. In 1930, he played 11 games for the Staten Island Stapletons, including seven starts.[7][8]
^"ACC All-Americans", 2007 Atlantic Coast Conference Media Guide, 2007, retrieved 23 December 2008.
^All-Time HonorsArchived 2011-05-23 at the Wayback Machine, 2001 Maryland Terrapins Football Media Guide, University of Maryland and CBS Sports, retrieved 22 December 2008.
