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Jack Snow (American football)

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Jack Snow
No. 84
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born:(1943-01-25)January 25, 1943
Rock Springs, Wyoming, U.S.
Died:January 9, 2006(2006-01-09) (aged 62)
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school:St. Anthony's (Long Beach, California)
College:Notre Dame
NFL draft:1965 / round: 1 / pick: 8
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:340
Receiving yards:6,012
Receiving average:17.7
Receiving touchdowns:45
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Jack Thomas Snow (January 25, 1943 – January 9, 2006) was an American professional football player who played wide receiver with the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL from 1965 to 1975. He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish from 1962 through 1964.

Early life

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Snow was born on January 25, 1943 in Rock Springs, Wyoming, and grew up in Long Beach, California. He was a three-sport star at St. Anthony Boys' High School, Long Beach, California who totaled 10 varsity letters in football, baseball and basketball, graduating in 1961. He was an All-state football player in his senior year, playing offensive and defensive end, and had a .458 batting average as a baseball player. He was named captain of the 1960 Catholic League Championship team in baseball, and in 1960 was chosen City of Long Beach Lineman of the Year. As a senior, he was also All-CIF, All-City and All-Catholic League in football; and All-City and All-Catholic League in baseball. In 2013, he was in the inaugural class inducted into St. Anthony's Sports Hall of Fame.[1][2][3][4][5]

College football career

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Snow attended Notre Dame University and played on the football team from 1962-1964.[6] His most memorable college football year was his senior year,1964.

In his senior year at Notre Dame, he was a consensus All-American and finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting behind the winner, Notre Dame quarterback John Huarte.[7] It was also future college football hall of fame coach Ara Parseghian's first season with Notre Dame.[1] During the 11 year "Era of Ara", the Fighting Irish would win two national championships, with a 95-17-4 record.[1]

Parseghian made several key position switches that year. Snow had been a flanker playing out of the backfield. In 1962, he had only four receptions and in 1963, he had six receptions and three rushing attempts. In 1964, Parseghian moved him to split end. Snow lost 15 pounds to compete more effectively as a split receiver.[1][8]

Notre Dame's passing offense in Parseghian's first season helped produce 27 team and individual records. Snow set Notre Dame season records for receptions (60), receiving yards (1,114) and touchdown catches (9).[1] In the first game of the year, he set a record against Wisconsin with 217 receiving yards (also catching two touchdowns);[9] breaking the previous record of 208 receiving yards in a game, set in 1955 by Jim Morse in a game against the University of Southern California (on only five catches).[10] By the end of the year, Snow also had the school's career receiving yards record (1,242).[1] Snow's record breaking efforts more than doubled the old record for receiving yards in a season, and was 19 more than the previous reception record in a season.[1] Snow also averaged nearly 37 yards per kick as the 1964 team's punter.[1]

He was selected to the 1965 College All Star team.[9]

NFL career

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The Minnesota Vikings selected Snow in the first round (he was the eighth pick overall) in the 1965 NFL draft,[11] but soon traded him to the Rams.[12][7] Snow broke into the Rams' starting lineup in his rookie season of 1965[1] and remained there. In 1967, he averaged a career-high 26.3 yards per reception and scored eight touchdowns on his 28 receptions.[9] He was named to the West squad in the NFL Pro Bowl in 1967,[1][13] but did not appear in the game.

Snow gained a reputation for catching the long pass from quarterback Roman Gabriel. In an important division game against the Baltimore Colts in October 1967, Snow caught touchdown passes of 53 and 80 yards.[14][15] His teammate, hall of fame defensive end Deacon Jones, said Snow was a tough player, and one of the few receivers willing go across the middle of the field to make receptions.[7] He remained a Rams' starter through 1974, when he started all 14 games alongside Harold Jackson (at wide receiver),[16] and did not start any games in 1975.[17] In these last two years, he divided time with fellow receivers Lance Rentzel, Jackson, and Ron Jessie (who started 14 games in 1975 alongside Jackson).[17] Snow finished his professional career with 340 receptions and 45 touchdowns; his 6012 career receiving yards[9] ranked 30th in NFL history.[18]

Acting and broadcasting career

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Snow appeared in the 1969 motion picture Marooned. 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.[1][19]

Following his NFL career, Snow went into the real-estate business with college roommate Bob Arboit in Newport Beach, California.[1] He returned to the Rams as a receivers coach in 1982[1] 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.[20][1][9] He was a radio analyst for Rams games for three seasons in Los Angeles, and then continued in that role after the team moved to St. Louis until November 2005, less than two months before his death.[7] Snow was one of a handful of old L.A. Rams still employed by the Rams in the 2005 season.[1]

Personal Life

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Snow's son, J.T. Snow, was a gold-glove winning first baseman in major league baseball from 1992 to 2008.[9] Snow was involved with a range of charities during his adult life, and in 1970 visited GIs during the war in Viet Nam.[1]

Death

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Snow developed a staph infection in November 2005 and died at age 62 as a result of complications.[21] His wife of 34 years, Merry Carole, had died of cancer in 1998.[2]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Won the NFL championship
Led the league
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Receiving
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD
1965 RAM 14 14 38 559 14.7 60 3
1966 RAM 14 14 34 634 18.6 84 3
1967 RAM 14 14 28 735 26.3 80 8
1968 RAM 14 13 29 500 17.2 54 3
1969 RAM 14 14 49 734 15.0 74 6
1970 RAM 14 14 51 859 16.8 71 7
1971 RAM 14 14 37 666 18.0 68 5
1972 RAM 14 14 30 590 19.7 57 4
1973 RAM 14 14 16 252 15.8 38 2
1974 RAM 14 14 24 397 16.5 44 3
1975 RAM 10 0 4 86 21.5 42 1
Career 150 139 340 6,012 17.7 84 45

Family

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Snow's son J.T. Snow is a retired Major League Baseball first baseman for the San Francisco Giants and Anaheim Angels. Following the senior Snow's death, the junior Snow changed his uniform number in his father's memory while playing for the Boston Red Sox.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Former Notre Dame All-America Receiver Jack Snow Dies At The Age Of 62". Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Official Athletics Website. January 10, 2006. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Morales, Robert (November 6, 2013). "Former St. Anthony High, L.A. Rams star Jack Snow left behind quite a legacy". Press Telegram. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  3. ^ "Athletic Hall of Fame, St. Anthony's High School". www.longbeachsaints.org. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  4. ^ "Jack Snow, 2013 Athletic Hall of Fame Honoree, St. Anthony's High School" (PDF).
  5. ^ "Jack Snow, ASA Member and Voice of the St. Louis Rams, Dies". American Sportscasters Association. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  6. ^ "Jack Snow College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d Goldstein, Richard (January 11, 2006). "Jack Snow, Top Receiver and Broadcaster for the Rams, Dies at 62". New York Times.
  8. ^ "Jack Snow College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Glick, Shav (January 10, 2006). "Jack Snow, 62; All-Pro Split End Had 11-Year Career With L.A. Rams". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  10. ^ "Jim Morse, Former Football Team Captain And University Benefactor, Passes Away". Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Official Athletics Website. October 2, 2023. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  11. ^ "1965 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  12. ^ Craig, Mark (April 25, 2012). "Worst draft pick in Vikings' history? An easy call". www.startribune.com. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  13. ^ "Jack Snow Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  14. ^ Maule, Tex (October 23, 1967). "A Pair Fit To Be Tied". Sports Illustrated.
  15. ^ "Los Angeles Rams at Baltimore Colts - October 15th, 1967". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  16. ^ "1974 Los Angeles Rams Roster & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  17. ^ a b "1975 Los Angeles Rams Roster & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  18. ^ "NFL Career Receiving Yards Leaders Through 1975". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  19. ^ "Samantha's Shopping Spree - Bewitched (Season 5, Episode 29) - Apple TV". tv.apple.com. April 15, 1969. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  20. ^ Kawakami, Tim (June 18, 1992). "Rams Will Find Snow in Broadcast Booth This Fall : NFL: Former receiver returns to team after 16-year hiatus, this time as a radio analyst". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  21. ^ "Notre Dame Athletics | The Fighting Irish". Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Official Athletics Website. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
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