LONDON, Ont. – Western Mustangs Football is pleased to announce the newest addition to their coaching staff with Steve Snyder joining the purple and white as the team's offensive coordinator.
"Steve is an outstanding young football coach, and he has done a great job coordinating the offence at St. Francis Xavier," said Mustangs head coach Greg Marshall. "Hiring Steve was about finding the best available coach. Steve knows our coaches and will be a great fit with our staff. I'm looking forward to working with him."
"I'm really excited to become a Mustang, Western University and the football program here are steeped in tradition," said Snyder. "I believe the city of London is the best university football city in Canada and I'm excited to return home. Coach Marshall is a tremendous football coach and I'm very much looking forward to joining the staff and contributing to the strong program that is in place at Western. I'm excited to meet with the players and coaches, many of whom I have relationships with and have a great deal of respect for."
A London native, Snyder joins his hometown Mustangs after serving as the offensive coordinator with the St. Francis Xavier X-Men for the past three seasons, including helping lead the team to the Atlantic University Sport title in both 2015 and 2016.
This past season, StFX was one of the highest scoring teams in the country, ranking fifth in both points per game (37.4) and passing yards per game (323.6), while also finishing eighth in total yards per game (484.5).
Along with his experience coaching at StFX, Snyder spent the 2012 and 2013 seasons as the special teams and recruiting coordinator as well as the receivers coach for the Windsor Lancers while also stepping in as the interim head coach of the Essex Ravens in 2013, leading the team to a division title. Snyder also has experience at the national and international level, with experience as both the offensive coordinator and head coach with the Nova Scotia U18 team, as well as the offensive coordinator for the Canadian U18 team.
Snyder is no stranger to coaching in London, having served as an assistant coach at H.B. Beal, quarterbacks coach at St. Thomas Aqunias, and he was also the assistant coach with the 2012 London Junior Mustangs team that went undefeated on their way to capturing the OVFL title.
"This is a great opportunity to return to the city I was born and raised in and coach at a premier program in the country," said Snyder. "There are so many great things in place at the university, athletics compete for national championships, the academics are world class, the campus and facilities here are top notch and the brand is recognized nationally and as strong as ever.
"I'm grateful for the opportunity to be a Mustang and look forward to working as hard as possible to help continue the great tradition of excellence we have here. I'm looking forward to recruiting the best student-athletes in the country that fit the Western values and culture. Studying at and playing for Western is an elite experience, and I believe we have a bright future ahead."
Prior to beginning his coaching career, Snyder suited up for H.B. Beal and the London Beefeaters before heading east to play for the X-Men throughout university. Snyder had a distinguished career with StFX, serving as team captain and winning the team's most valuable player and most dedicated player awards while also being named an AUS All-Star. He then moved on to play professionally for the Osnabrück Tigers in Germany, eventually taking over as the team's offensive coordinator.
Snyder will begin his duties immediately, with the Mustangs set to return to the field for the 2017 season this coming August.
