Jim Snyder (coach)

This article is about the former coach. For other people named Jim Snyder, see James Snyder (disambiguation).

Jim Snyder

Snyder in 1960
Biographical details
Born	(1919-06-29)June 29, 1919 Canton, Ohio, U.S.
Died	April 27, 1994(1994-04-27) (aged 74) Palatine, Illinois, U.S.
Alma mater	Ohio University
Playing career
193?–1941	Ohio
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1946–1949	Ohio (assist.)
1949–1974	Ohio
Head coaching record
Overall	354–245

James E. Snyder (June 29, 1919 – April 27, 1994) was a college basketball head coach and former player. He attended Ohio University where he played basketball under head coach Dutch Trautwein. He was an assistant coach under Trautwein for three seasons beginning in 1946. After Trautwein's retirement he became the head coach of the Ohio Bobcats men's basketball team where he remained for 26 years (1949–1974). He amassed 20 winning seasons and led his teams to 7 NCAA tournament appearances (1960, 1961, 1964, 1965, 1970, 1972, and 1974) and one National Invitation Tournament appearance (1969). Snyder's teams compiled a 355-255 record, good for a .581 winning percentage. He is the all time leader in coaching wins at Ohio. He was also an Ohio graduate (Class of 1941), and was a football and basketball star as an undergraduate in the late 1930s and early 1940s. He played for and was an assistant under Dutch Trautwein. He was inducted the Ohio Athletics Hall of Fame in 1967 and the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007. One of his most memorable wins came against the University of Kentucky in the 1964 NCAA tournament, advancing the Ohio Bobcats to the Elite 8. One interesting aspect of this game was that Ohio had an integrated team while Kentucky had one of its last all white teams. Snyder was widely admired throughout the college basketball coaching fraternity as being a coach with great integrity and an engaging personality; he was often referred to as "Gentleman Jim." When he retired he was replaced by his long time assistant Dale Bandy.

Head coaching record

Statistics overview

Season	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
Ohio Bobcats (Mid–American Conference) (1949–1974)
1949–50	Ohio	6–14	3–7	T–4th
1950–51	Ohio	13–11	4–4	T–2nd
1951–52	Ohio	12–12	6–6	4th
1952–53	Ohio	9–13	4–8	5th
1953–54	Ohio	12–10	5–7	6th
1954–55	Ohio	16–5	9–5	T–3rd
1955–56	Ohio	13–11	5–7	T–5th
1956–57	Ohio	15–8	7–5	T–3rd
1957–58	Ohio	16–8	7–5	3rd
1958–59	Ohio	14–10	6–6	T–3rd
1959–60	Ohio	16–8	10–2	1st	NCAA Sweet Sixteen
1960–61	Ohio	17–7	10–2	1st	NCAA first round
1961–62	Ohio	13–10	9–4	2nd
1962–63	Ohio	13–11	8–4	T–2nd
1963–64	Ohio	21–6	10–2	1st	NCAA Elite Eight
1964–65	Ohio	19–7	11–1	T–1st	NCAA first round
1965–66	Ohio	13–10	6–6	T–3rd
1966–67	Ohio	8–15	4–8	T–5th
1967–68	Ohio	7–16	3–9	T–6th
1968–69	Ohio	17–9	9–3	2nd	NIT Quarterfinal
1969–70	Ohio	20–5	9–1	1st	NCAA first round
1970–71	Ohio	17–7	6–4	2nd
1971–72	Ohio	15–11	7–3	T–1st	NCAA first round
1972–73	Ohio	16–10	6–5	4th
1973–74	Ohio	16–11	9–3	1st	NCAA first round
Ohio:		354–245	173–117
Total:		354–245
National champion         Postseason invitational champion         Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion       Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion       Conference tournament champion

Source