| Phil Snow |
|
|
Phil Snow begins his seventh year as defensive coordinator and his ninth at Arizona State. He works with secondary coach Ron English (secondary), Johnny Barr (linebackers) and Kevin Wolthausen (defensive line).
Snow has coached former Sun Devil standouts Craig Newsome (who won a Super Bowl ring with the Green Bay Packers), Lenny McGill, Kevin Miniefield and Jason Simmons, all playing in the NFL.
Last season, Snow's defense finished third in the Pac-10 in scoring defense (25.9 point per game), and featured NFL Draft picks Erik Flowers (first round) and Junior Ioane (fourth round) along the defensive line. In 1997, ASU ranked third in the Pac-10, but first in scoring defense (18.5 ppg). Snow molded a group that won nine games and was led by Moris Trophy and first-team All-American Jeremy Staat and Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year Pat Tillman.
In 1996, Snow's defense finished first in the Pacific-10 Conference in rush defense (98.0), pass defense (104.15) and total defense (306.2). ASU ranked 20th nationally in total defense. The Sun Devil defense went from 10th in the Pac-10 in 1995 to first in '96.
A five-year veteran of Bruce Snyder's staff at California, Snow, 45 (12/22/55), tutored the secondary in each of his five seasons at Cal, improving the unit each year. His philosophy of man-to-man coverage was a key ingredient in the Golden Bear defensive success.
Snow spent five previous seasons (1982-86) at Boise State University, where he was defensive coordinator for four years (1983-86). He was the secondary coach there in 1982. In 1986, the Broncos were ranked sixth nationally in total defense, allowing just 269.4 yards per game. They were also fourth in the country in rushing defense, yielding a mere 80.3 yards per outing in 1986.
In his final three seasons at Boise State, he served as assistant to the head coach in addition to his duties as defensive coordinator. Among the players he helped groom for the NFL there include linebacker John Rade of the Atlanta Falcons and lineman Marcus Cook of the Washington Redskins.
Before arriving at Boise State, Snow spent three years at Laney Community College in Oakland, Calif., where he served as secondary coach in 1979 and as co-defensive coordinator in 1980 and '81. He worked at Berkeley High School as secondary coach in 1976 and was the defensive coordinator at Winters High School in 1977 and '78.
A native of Winters, Calif., Snow graduated from California State-Hayward in 1978 with a degree in physical education. He lists golf as a hobby. He and his wife, Debbie, have two sons, Philip (11) and Jacob (8).
Born: December 22, 1955 in Woodland, Calif.
High School Education: Winters High School, Winters, Calif., 1972
College Education: Sacramento City College, 1974-75; Cal State-Hayward, 1977-78
College Football: Sacramento City College, 1974-75; Cal State-Hayward, 1977-78
Coaching Career: Berkeley High School, Berkeley, Calif., 1976; Winters High School, Winters, Calif., 1977-78; Laney Community College, Oakland, Calif., 1979-81; Boise State University, 1982-86; University of California, 1986-91; Arizona State University, 1992-present
Recruiting Area: Northern California
Family: Wife Debbie and sons Philip and Jacob
