Steve Snyder named new X-Men football assistant coach; Waterman renews head coaching contract

(Antigonish, NS) — StFX football head coach Gary Waterman is pleased to announce the appointment of Steve Snyder as the new full-time assistant coach and offensive coordinator for the X-Men program.  

"Steve Snyder is a great addition to the X-Men football staff and we expect him to make an immediate impact to our program," comments Coach Waterman.

"His passion for football and work ethic are second to none. He is a highly accomplished athlete in his own right and a former X-Men team captain. The hiring of Steve Snyder is another step in our goal of laying the foundation for sustained, long-term success here at StFX."

Coach Waterman, who recently wrapped up his fifth season as head coach and eighth season with the X-Men program, also signed a new coaching contract to remain on as X-Men head coach.

"I am thrilled to be returning as head coach," he relates. "Antigonish is my home, my family loves it here and this is an exciting time for X-Men football. The continued support that our administration has provided gives us every chance of reaching our goals. I truly believe that there is no place that has a better combination of where to live, where to get a great education and where to have a great football experience."

StFX Director of Athletics and Leo MacPherson comments, "Our confidence in Coach Waterman extends beyond game results and recruiting. He is a man of great character and leads our student-athletes and football program with credibility and integrity. He will continue with plans to build a foundation for football success that will be sustainable over the long term."  

"Having Steve Snyder as our new offensive coordinator further upgrades our coaching staff and it is another key piece to the puzzle. Steve's stock has risen considerably in the past few years and he will be a big part of our future success."

Coach Waterman is looking forward to welcoming London, Ont. native and former X-Men quarterback Steve Snyder to his coaching staff. The StFX most valuable player and an Atlantic University Sport (AUS) all-star in 2009, Steve holds several X-Men records from his playing time at StFX from 2005 to 2009. He holds single season records and is second overall in the AUS record book for passing completions (175) and net passing yards (2353) from 2009, and also set a StFX record for the most passing completions in the a single game (30).

Steve's 275 passing attempts from his 2009 season is an X-Men record, and he currently sits second overall and 10th in the AUS in both career passing completions (347) and career passing yards (5151). While at StFX, Steve was team captain for both the 2008 and 2009 seasons. 

He went on to play for the Osnabruck Tigers of the German Football League in 2010-2011 where he was the starting quarterback, helping lead them to the 2011 Nord Regionalliga championship. Snyder was also the Tigers offensive coordinator during that time, in addition to London, Ont. coaching stints with St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary School (quarterbacks/defensive ends coach) in 2010 and H.B. Beal Secondary School (assistant coach) in 2011.

Snyder was a former Ontario area recruiter for the X-Men program, and also went on to coach the London Jr. Mustangs (special teams/running backs), the 2012 OVFL champions, before his most recent coaching job with the University of Windsor Lancers out of the Ontario University Athletics conference.   

As special teams coordinator/recruiting coordinator and receivers coach for both the 2012 and 2013 seasons, Snyder helped guide the Lancers to a 4-4 season that saw his special teams unit lead the OUA in blocked kicks, as well as being second overall in net yards per punt and third in kickoff coverage. The Lancers were also fourth in the country in kickoff return average. 

Snyder is very thankful to Coach Joe D'Amore and the Windsor Lancers for the coaching opportunity and support they provided during his time there and is very excited to be returning to StFX, commenting, "I am grateful for the opportunity to return to my alma mater as the offensive coordinator, this has been a goal of mine since the day I finished my playing career at StFX."

"This program has such a rich tradition of university football and I am honored to be a part of it again," he continues. "I am so excited to meet the players and staff and get started; I can't wait to move back to Antigonish to be a part of the great community here and to help bring X football back to the top of the conference."
 
Touching upon his recruiting experience, Snyder says, "I am really looking forward to recruiting some of the best football players in the country to come play here. StFX is a unique experience that is not only first class, but world class. Being a student-athlete here is special and there really is no other place like it."

"It is one of the most beautiful campuses in the country, and the student and community support for football is amazing. I have been able to experience many of the atmospheres surrounding Canadian university football and StFX is amongst the best. We just have to showcase that to recruits across the country and then let the product speak for itself."
 
Another driving factor for Snyder to return to the Nova Scotia town was the alumni appeal. "The alumni support I've received during this transition has been outstanding," he says. "StFX has one of the strongest alumni groups in the world. Opportunities like this make me realize how lucky we are to have attended such a fine university."

"I am thrilled about working with these players and this staff, I'm ready to get things going and bring new energy to the program - we are going to put a product on the field that our students, our community and our alumni can be proud of. Playing football at StFX enters you into a fraternity whose legacy runs deep not only in Atlantic Canada but across North America. 'Hail and Health' holds meaning from Boston to Montreal, Calgary to Vancouver and being able to help make a difference at StFX again means the world to me."

In addition to his Arts degree from StFX University, Snyder also received an Education degree from the University of Windsor. He is expected to start full-time in his new coaching role in January, 2014.      

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