Norm Snead

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Norm Snead
refer to caption
Snead in 1961
No. 16
Position:Quarterback
Personal information
Born:(1939-07-31)July 31, 1939
Halifax County, Virginia, U.S.
Died:January 14, 2024(2024-01-14) (aged 84)
Naples, Florida, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school:Warwick
(Newport News, Virginia)
College:Wake Forest (1957–1960)
NFL draft:1961 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2
AFL draft:1961 / Round: 5 / Pick: 35
(by the Buffalo Bills)
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Passing attempts:4,353
Passing completions:2,276
Completion percentage:52.3%
TD–INT:196–257
Passing yards:30,797
Passer rating:65.5
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Norman Bailey Snead (July 31, 1939 – January 14, 2024) was an American professional

1961 NFL Draft
with the second overall pick.

Early life

Snead grew up in Newport News, Virginia, the son of Hugh, a farmer, and Louise Snead.[1] He attended Warwick High School, where he was a star three-sport (basketball, football, and baseball) athlete. Snead won all six pitching decisions as a sophomore and junior, and he averaged 23 points in basketball as a senior, scoring 41 in one game. He split time as starting quarterback as a junior, then as a senior he passed for nearly 1,000 yards and 13 touchdowns. In a game against Hampton, Snead threw what would be the game-winning touchdown pass, then intercepted a pass on Hampton's next series to seal the outcome. He was named second-team all-state.[2] He graduated in 1957.[3]

College career

Snead attended Wake Forest University, where he set 15 conference single-games, season and career passing records.[4] His passing statistics with the Demon Deacons included:

  • 1958: 67-151 for 1,003 yards.[5]
  • 1959: 82-191 for 1,361 yards.
  • 1960: 123-259 for 1,676 yards.

In 1958, Snead was named the second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference quarterback, and in 1959 and 1960 he earned first-team All-ACC honors. In 1960, Snead was named second-team All-American as a quarterback by

UPI
and the Football Writers Association of America.

In 1984, he was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.

NFL career

Snead was named to the Pro Bowl on four occasions: in 1962, 1963, 1965, and in 1972, during the last of which he led the NFL in completion percentage and was second in passer rating.[6]

Snead was drafted by both the National Football League and the American Football League, and Snead elected to join the Redskins, who drafted him as the 2nd overall pick. Unfortunately, the team was in the middle of a Dark Age, as they had not had a winning season since 1956 nor made a playoff game since 1946. Starting with a new coach in Bill McPeak, Snead would start in each game for 1961, which proved to a miserable one. Snead would have three games with at least three interceptions as the team did not win a game until the season finale against the up-start Dallas Cowboys. Snead threw eleven touchdowns to 22 interceptions for 2,337 yards. He was in the top ten for pass attempts, completions, yards, and interceptions (3rd, 4th, 6th , and 3rd, respectively). Snead would improve slightly for the next season, as he would throw for 2,926 yards with 22 touchdowns and interceptions as he won five games for the Redskins, and it was good enough for a selection to the Pro Bowl. The next season was his last with the Redskins, and it was a miserable one. In a 3–11 season, he threw for 3,043 yards (the first of two 3,000-yard seasons) while throwing 13 touchdowns and 27 interceptions (a league high), but he was nevertheless selected to the Pro Bowl once again. His highlight game in yards came against the Pittsburgh Steelers, as he threw for 424 yards for the only 400-yard game of his career in a 34–28 loss.[7] After the season, he was moved to the Philadelphia Eagles for Sonny Jurgensen and Claude Crabb.

In seven seasons with the Eagles, Snead was the primary starter for each season (starting 81 of 98 possible games), although the result would be that Snead was part of another team in a decades-long slump. Snead started the first nine games of his first season with the team before starting one of the final five games. He threw for 1,096 yards while throwing fourteen touchdowns to twelve interceptions as the Eagles won six games. The Eagles continued their spin in 1965, as Snead started ten games and won four while throwing 2,346 yards for fifteen touchdowns to thirteen interceptions and garnered a Pro Bowl selection.

For 1966, he went 5-5 but the Eagles won four games without him as starter to finish 2nd in their division. It was the first of just three seasons that Snead would play on a team with a winning season. The game against the

1972 third-round pick (76th overall–Bobby Majors) on January 28, 1971.[9][10] He made appearances at quarterback for seven games while starting two of them. While he would throw six interceptions to one touchdown for 470 yards, he ended up winning both of his starts (against the Buffalo Bills
and Philadelphia Eagles). Although the Vikings made the playoffs, Cuozzo was the starter for the playoff game against Dallas while Snead was on the sideline. It was the only time Snead was on a playoff roster.

Snead was dealt along with

1976 (104th overall–Gordon Bell). He dislodged Joe Reed who went from the 49ers to the Detroit Lions and was replaced by Craig Morton who was acquired by the Giants from the Dallas Cowboys.[13][14]

In 1975, he started seven games for the 49ers. Going 2–5, he threw 1,337 yards for nine touchdowns to ten interceptions. After being cut by the 49ers in the 1976 preseason, he re-signed with the Giants to replace the injured

passer rating of zero. It was also his last appearance in the NFL.[16][17]

Snead was the first quarterback to have lost 100 games as a starter. Since then, only seven other quarterbacks (including three Hall of Famers) have lost as many games. Snead appeared or started in 178 games and threw at least one interception in 131 of them.[18]

Coaching career

Snead retired from playing in 1977 and was hired as the head football coach at The Apprentice School in Newport News, Virginia.[19] He served two stints as head football coach, from 1977 to 1984 and 1988 to 1989, compiling a record of 46–41–2.[20]

Death

Snead died in Naples, Florida, on January 14, 2024, at the age of 84.[21]

References

  1. ^ "FamilySearch: Sign In". FamilySearch.
  2. ^ "Daily Press: Hampton Roads News, Virginia News & Videos".
  3. ^ "The Free Lance-Star - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
  4. ^ "Inductee Details - Virginia Sports Hall of Fame & Museum". Archived from the original on December 26, 2014. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  5. ^ "Norm Snead College Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com.
  6. ^ "Norm Snead Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  7. ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Washington Redskins - November 17th, 1963". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  8. ^ "St. Louis Cardinals at Philadelphia Eagles - October 2nd, 1966". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  9. ^ Wallace, William N. "Patriots Choose Plunkett as No. 1 in College Draft, Spurning Trade Offers," The New York Times, Friday, January 29, 1971. Retrieved November 2, 2020
  10. ^ 1971 NFL Draft Pick Transactions, January 28 (Rounds 1–7) & 29 (Rounds 8–17) – Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved November 2, 2020
  11. ^ Koppett, Leonard. "Vikings Get Tarkenton For Snead and 4 Others," The New York Times, Friday, January 28, 1972. Retrieved November 1, 2020
  12. ^ 1972 NFL Draft Pick Transactions, February 1 (Rounds 1–7) & 2 (Rounds 8–17) – Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved November 1, 2020
  13. ^ Sherrill, Robert. "Draft Choices in Cowboy, 49er Dealings," The New York Times, Wednesday, October 23, 1974. Retrieved November 26, 2020
  14. ^ 1975 NFL Draft Pick Transactions, January 28 (Rounds 1–7) & 29 (Rounds 8–17) – Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved November 26, 2020
  15. ^ "Giants Sign Snead Again". The New York Times. September 2, 1976. p. 68. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  16. ^ "Washington Redskins at New York Giants - November 14th, 1976". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  17. ^ "The Free Lance-Star - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
  18. ^ "Norm Snead Career Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  19. Newspapers.com Open access icon
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  20. Newspapers.com Open access icon
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  21. ^ O'Brien, Marty (January 14, 2024). "Warwick High graduate Norm Snead, an NFL quarterback for 17 seasons, dies at 84". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved January 15, 2024.

External links

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