The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) is greatly saddened to hear about the passing of legendary University of Texas (1973-2000) and University of Arizona (1959-72) men’s tennis coach, Dave Snyder.
During his 28 seasons leading the Texas men’s tennis program, Snyder guided the Longhorns to nine conference titles and finished his time in Austin with a 536-178 (.751) dual-match record. Spanning over his three decades at Texas, Snyder developed 27 All-Americans and two NCAA Singles National Champions, Kevin Curren (1979) and Steve Bryan (1990).
Snyder earned the ITA National Coach of the Year honors in 1985, ITCA at the time, when he led the Longhorns to a 26-5 overall record and the NCAA quarterfinals. Snyder concluded his career with nine consecutive NCAA tournament berths, including a semifinal appearance in 1993. When stepping down as head coach at Texas in 2000, Snyder did so as the winningest active collegiate tennis coach in NCAA Division I men’s tennis.
Before his time in Austin, Snyder served as the head coach at the University of Arizona, posting a 161-48 (.770) record, which combined with his Texas dual-match record, brings his career win-loss record to 697-266 (.755) over his 41 year career.
A Longhorn through and through, Snyder competed on the Texas men’s tennis team from 1952-1956, winning three Southwest Conference titles and finishing as the National Finalist at the 1955 NCAA Championships. In 1956, Snyder captured the Southwest Conference doubles title alongside partner Sammy Giammalva.
In 1988, Snyder was inducted into the Longhorn Hall of Honor and the Texas Tennis Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Texas Tennis Coaches Association Hall of Fame, Missouri Valley Tennis Hall of Fame, and the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. In 2001, Snyder was inducted into the ITA Men’s Tennis Hall of Fame.
Snyder leaves behind an undeniable legacy and his presence within college tennis and the tennis community will be greatly missed.
