Snyder was born on August 6, 1905, in
Windber, Pennsylvania, and attended high school at the
Bellefonte Academy in
Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. He attended college at the
University of Maryland, where he played football and
lacrosse. In
Tales from the Maryland Terrapins, author David Ungrady credits Snyder with popularizing the
fake reverse. 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. 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. 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. In 1931, Snyder received an
M.A. from the University of Maryland. In 1933, he served as an assistant coach with the professional football franchise, the Frankford Legion. Snyder served in the
United States Army in the
Second World War and
Korean War, and attained the rank of
major. He died on June 28, 1983, and is interred at
Arlington National Cemetery in
Arlington, Virginia. ==References==