Cameron Crockett Snyder was an American sportswriter for The Baltimore Sun

The Baltimore Sun

The Baltimore Sun is the U.S. state of Maryland’s largest general circulation daily newspaper and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries....

. He was awarded the Dick McCann Memorial Award

Dick McCann Memorial Award

The Dick McCann Memorial Award is bestowed annually by the Pro Football Hall of Fame "for long and distinguished reporting on professional football". The award was created in 1969 and is named for Dick McCann, who was the first director of the Hall of Fame...

 in 1982.

Background

Snyder was born in Rippon, West Virginia

Rippon, West Virginia

Rippon is an unincorporated hamlet in Jefferson County, West Virginia south of Charles Town. The village of Rippon developed in the mid-19th century at the crossroads of the Berryville and Charles Town Turnpike , Withers-LaRue Road, and Myerstown Road. The town was named after nearby Ripon Lodge,...

 to Burnell C. and Evelyne M. Snyder. He was raised in Baltimore where he attended Calvert Hall College

Calvert Hall College High School

Calvert Hall College High School is a Catholic college preparatory high school for boys located in Towson, Maryland, United States...

.

Snyder was a college football player

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 at Drexel University

Drexel University

Drexel University is a private research university with the main campus located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a noted financier and philanthropist. Drexel offers 70 full-time undergraduate programs and accelerated degrees...

, graduating in 1941. In August of that year he was drafted into the army, serving in the China Burma India Theater

China Burma India Theater of World War II

China Burma India Theater was the name used by the United States Army for its forces operating in conjunction with British and Chinese Allied air and land forces in China, Burma, and India during World War II...

.

Career

When he finished college in 1941, Snyder was offered a tryout with the Chicago Bears but was drafted into the Army. He served five years, in a mountain infantry unit that served in India, China and Burma, rising from private to captain.

Snyder was originally hired by The Baltimore Sun

The Baltimore Sun

The Baltimore Sun is the U.S. state of Maryland’s largest general circulation daily newspaper and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries....

in 1953 where he covered the Baltimore Colts until his retirement in 1986. In 1982 he was admitted into the "writer's wing" of the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Pro Football Hall of Fame

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...

 by the Pro Football Writers Association

Pro Football Writers Association

Technically known as the Pro Football Writers of America, this organization purports to be "The official voice of pro football writers, promoting and fighting for access to NFL personnel to best serve the public." Goals of the organization include improving access to practices and locker rooms,...

.