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Jack Snow (football)
Encyclopedia
Jack Thomas Snow was an American football
player who played wide receiver
at the University of Notre Dame
from 1962 through 1964 and with the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL
from 1965 to 1975.
in Long Beach, California
who totaled 10 varsity letters while competing in football, baseball and basketball. He was an All-state football lineman during his senior season and went on to post a .458 batting average as an All-city baseball performer.
and finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy
voting in 1964 behind the winner, Notre Dame quarterback John Huarte
. 1964 was coach Ara Parseghian
's first season with Notre Dame, and Parseghian made several key position switches in 1964, including moving Snow from flanker to split end. Snow lost 15 pounds to comprte more effectively as a split receiver. Notre Dame's passing offense in Parseghian's first season helped produce 27 team and individual records, including five set by Snow for receptions (60), receiving yards (1,114) and touchdown catches (9) in a season; receiving yards in a game (217, vs. Wisconsin); and career receiving yards (1,242). He broke the previous record for receiving yards in a game (208, by Jim Morse in a 1955 game vs. USC), more than doubled the old record for receiving yards in a season and scored 19 more receptions in one season than any previous Notre Dame player. Snow also averaged nearly 37 yards per kick as the 1964 team's punter.
selected Snow in the first round (he was the number 8 pick overall) in the 1965 NFL Draft
but shortly traded him to the Rams. Snow broke into the Rams's starting lineup in his rookie 1965 season and remained there. In 1967 he averaged a career-high 26.3 yards per reception and scored eight touchdowns on his 28 receptions. He was named to the West squad in the NFL Pro Bowl
, but did not appear in the game. Snow gained a reputation for catching the long pass--in that era's vernacular, "the bomb"--from quarterback Roman Gabriel
. Perhaps his best seasons were 1969, when he and Gabriel, that year's NFL MVP
, combined for 49 catches, and 1970, when his 51 receptions totaled 859 yards and seven touchdowns, earning him as a honorable mention place on the Associated Press's All-NFC team. Snow remained the Rams's starter at split end until 1974-1975, when he divided time with fellow receivers Lance Rentzel
, Harold Jackson
, and Ron Jessie
. He finished his professional career with 340 receptions and 45 touchdowns; his 6012 career receiving yards ranked 30th in NFL history.
(starring Gregory Peck
). He appeared as himself in the 1969 episode "Samantha's Shopping Spree" of the television series Bewitched
. He played Cassidy in the comedy Heaven Can Wait
.
Following his NFL career, Snow went into the real-estate business with college roommate Bob Arboit, in Newport Beach, Calif. He returned to the Rams as a receivers coach in 1982 under Ray Malavasi
. In 1992 he joined Los Angeles sports-talk radio station KMPC (now KSPN
} as an analyst for Rams radio broadcasts and a daily program host. He followed the team to St. Louis in 1995, and was one of a handful of old L.A. Rams still employed by the Rams in the 2005 season, 11 years after their departure from southern California.
.
player J.T. Snow. After the senior Snow's death, the junior Snow changed his uniform number in his father's memory.
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...
player who played wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
at the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
from 1962 through 1964 and with the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
from 1965 to 1975.
Early years
Snow was a three-sport star at St. Anthony High SchoolSt. Anthony High School (California)
St. Anthony High School, commonly referred to as SA, is a private, Roman Catholic high school located in the downtown area of Long Beach, California. As of the 2010-2011 school year, the school had 375 students enrolled in grades 9 through 12. It is served by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los...
in Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
who totaled 10 varsity letters while competing in football, baseball and basketball. He was an All-state football lineman during his senior season and went on to post a .458 batting average as an All-city baseball performer.
College
In his senior year at Notre Dame, he was a consensus All-American1964 College Football All-America Team
The 1964 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers...
and finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
voting in 1964 behind the winner, Notre Dame quarterback John Huarte
John Huarte
John Gregory Huarte is a former American football quarterback and the 1964 Heisman Trophy winner.-Early years:Huarte played for the University of Notre Dame after graduating from Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California. During his sophomore and junior years at Notre Dame, he played for...
. 1964 was coach Ara Parseghian
Ara Parseghian
Ara Raoul Parseghian is a former American football player and coach of Armenian descent. He served as the head football coach at Miami University , Northwestern University , and the University of Notre Dame , compiling a career college football record of 170–58–6...
's first season with Notre Dame, and Parseghian made several key position switches in 1964, including moving Snow from flanker to split end. Snow lost 15 pounds to comprte more effectively as a split receiver. Notre Dame's passing offense in Parseghian's first season helped produce 27 team and individual records, including five set by Snow for receptions (60), receiving yards (1,114) and touchdown catches (9) in a season; receiving yards in a game (217, vs. Wisconsin); and career receiving yards (1,242). He broke the previous record for receiving yards in a game (208, by Jim Morse in a 1955 game vs. USC), more than doubled the old record for receiving yards in a season and scored 19 more receptions in one season than any previous Notre Dame player. Snow also averaged nearly 37 yards per kick as the 1964 team's punter.
NFL career
The Minnesota VikingsMinnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
selected Snow in the first round (he was the number 8 pick overall) in the 1965 NFL Draft
1965 NFL Draft
The 1965 National Football League Draft took place on November 28, 1964. The first player selected was Tucker Frederickson, back from Auburn, by the New York Giants. The draft was marked by the failure of the St...
but shortly traded him to the Rams. Snow broke into the Rams's starting lineup in his rookie 1965 season and remained there. In 1967 he averaged a career-high 26.3 yards per reception and scored eight touchdowns on his 28 receptions. He was named to the West squad in the NFL Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
, but did not appear in the game. Snow gained a reputation for catching the long pass--in that era's vernacular, "the bomb"--from quarterback Roman Gabriel
Roman Gabriel
Roman Ildonzo Gabriel, Jr. is a former American football player. The son of a Filipino immigrant, he was the first Asian-American to start as an NFL quarterback and is considered by many to have been one of the best players at that position during the late 1960s and early 70s.Gabriel attended and...
. Perhaps his best seasons were 1969, when he and Gabriel, that year's NFL MVP
NFL Most Valuable Player Award
The National Football League Most Valuable Player Award is given by various entities, most notably the Associated Press , to the player who is considered most valuable in the league. When the award is referred to without mentioning the organization, it generally means the AP award. The AP NFL MVP...
, combined for 49 catches, and 1970, when his 51 receptions totaled 859 yards and seven touchdowns, earning him as a honorable mention place on the Associated Press's All-NFC team. Snow remained the Rams's starter at split end until 1974-1975, when he divided time with fellow receivers Lance Rentzel
Lance Rentzel
Thomas Lance Rentzel is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Rams from 1965 to 1974.-Early years:...
, Harold Jackson
Harold Jackson (American football)
Harold Leon Jackson is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League from 1968 through 1983. Jackson was drafted in the 12th round of the 1968 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams...
, and Ron Jessie
Ron Jessie
Ron Ray Jessie was a professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League from 1971 through 1981. His best season came in 1976 with the Los Angeles Rams, when he was named to the Pro Bowl. Jessie died after suffering a heart attack in his Huntington Beach home.-External...
. He finished his professional career with 340 receptions and 45 touchdowns; his 6012 career receiving yards ranked 30th in NFL history.
Acting and broadcasting career
Snow appeared in the 1969 motion picture MaroonedMarooned (film)
Marooned is a 1969 American film directed by John Sturges and starring Gregory Peck, Richard Crenna, David Janssen, James Franciscus, and Gene Hackman....
(starring Gregory Peck
Gregory Peck
Eldred Gregory Peck was an American actor.One of 20th Century Fox's most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1960s, Peck continued to play important roles well into the 1980s. His notable performances include that of Atticus Finch in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird, for which he won an...
). He appeared as himself in the 1969 episode "Samantha's Shopping Spree" of the television series Bewitched
Bewitched
Bewitched is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972, starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York and Dick Sargent , Agnes Moorehead, and David White. The show is about a witch who marries a mortal and tries to lead the life of a typical suburban...
. He played Cassidy in the comedy Heaven Can Wait
Heaven Can Wait (1978 film)
Heaven Can Wait is a 1978 American comedy film directed by Warren Beatty and Buck Henry. It is the second film adaptation of Harry Segall's stageplay of the same name, preceded by Here Comes Mr. Jordan and followed by Down to Earth...
.
Following his NFL career, Snow went into the real-estate business with college roommate Bob Arboit, in Newport Beach, Calif. He returned to the Rams as a receivers coach in 1982 under Ray Malavasi
Ray Malavasi
Ray Malavasi was a former football coach who served as head coach of two National Football League teams: the Denver Broncos and the Los Angeles Rams....
. In 1992 he joined Los Angeles sports-talk radio station KMPC (now KSPN
KSPN
KSPN may refer to:* KSPN , a radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, United States* KSPN-FM, a radio station licensed to Aspen, Colorado, United States...
} as an analyst for Rams radio broadcasts and a daily program host. He followed the team to St. Louis in 1995, and was one of a handful of old L.A. Rams still employed by the Rams in the 2005 season, 11 years after their departure from southern California.
Death
Snow developed a staph infection in November 2005 and died at age 62 as a result of complications arising from the infection. He is buried at All Souls Cemetery in Long Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
.
Family
Snow's son is former Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player J.T. Snow. After the senior Snow's death, the junior Snow changed his uniform number in his father's memory.