Longtime Texas men's tennis coach Dave Snyder dies at 88
Longtime Texas men’s tennis coach Dave Snyder died early Saturday morning after a long bout with heart disease. He was 88.
Snyder, a native of Wichita, Kan., left a terrific legacy at UT, where he not only played on three consecutive Southwest Conference tennis championship teams from 1954 to 1956 but ranked No. 2 in all-time victories with 697 career wins in college tennis.
He coached 16 All-Americans at Texas, including three-time All-American and later Wimbledon finalist Kevin Curren, Steve Denton, Gary Plock and Steve Bryan. Curren, who won the NCAA singles championship in 1979 before turning pro, beat both world No. 1 John McEnroe and No. 3 Jimmy Connors to reach the Wimbledon finals in 1985.
“The thing I loved so much about my dad was the way he lived his life with such integrity and kindness,” his daughter, Allison Snyder Daily, told the American-Statesman on Sunday. “He had his sense of humor to the very end, and it was really beautiful. He was an amazing dad and a beautiful human being who was loved by so many.”
Daily said her father was looking forward to watching the Kansas State-Texas football game Saturday but died a few hours before kickoff. After the Longhorns hung on for a 33-30 win in overtime, a number of Snyder's players started a text chain and knew exactly whom to credit for the victory. "THAT was coach," several wrote.
Snyder is survived by his wife, Nancy; son, Doug; Daily and her two sons, Burke and Rider Daily.
Snyder served as Texas' head coach from 1973, when he succeeded the legendary Wilmer Allison, until his retirement in 2000. He coached for 28 seasons at Texas and 14 at Arizona. He was inducted into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Hall of Fame in 2001.
Snyder’s teams claimed nine conference championships, including the first three in the Big 12, and reached NCAA championship play in 22 of his 28 seasons. The Longhorns won 75% of their dual matches under Snyder.
"I was very fortunate to get to talk to him 10 days ago," Curren said from Durban, South Africa. "I had the opportunity to share what an impact he had on my life. He took a chance on a young, skinny kid from South Africa, and he changed the entire course of my life. He was only the third head coach ever at the school. He was a true icon of the Texas tennis program."
Snyder also was inducted into the UT Hall of Honor, the Texas Tennis Hall of Fame and the Missouri Valley Hall of Fame.
Snyder was alert enough to speak with great friend Eddie Reese, the UT men’s swimming coach, the night before he died at the Arbour at Westminster Manor Nursing Home in Austin.
“He lived with grace and honor,” Daily said. “He had been ill for a while, and he was ready to go.”
Funeral arrangements are pending.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Longhorns men's tennis coach Dave Snyder dies at 88
