Frederick Snowden (c. 1936 – January 17, 1994) was an American businessman and men's
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
at the
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory.
T ...
. Nicknamed "The Fox" for his cool demeanor,
he was the first
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...
head coach at a major university.
Following his coaching career Snowden became an executive with
Baskin-Robbins
Baskin-Robbins is an American multinational chain of ice cream and cake speciality shops owned by Inspire Brands. Based in Canton, Massachusetts, Baskin-Robbins was founded in 1945 by Burt Baskin (1913–1967) and Irv Robbins (1917–2008) in ...
and the
Food 4 Less
Food 4 Less is the name of several grocery store chains, the largest of which is currently owned by Kroger. It is a no-frills grocery store where the customers bag their own groceries at the checkout. Kroger operates Food 4 Less stores in the ...
foundation.
Background
Snowden was born in
Brewton, Alabama, the son of a
sharecropper. At age 6 he moved to
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...
with his mother and two brothers while his father remained in Alabama.
He graduated from Detroit's Northwestern High School. Snowden met his wife, Maya, at
Wayne State University
Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...
and was married in 1962. The couple had two children: a son, Charles Anthony, and a daughter, Stacey Shannon.
Following college, Snowden worked as a basketball coach at his old high school. During his five-year tenure, the school's
junior varsity team
Junior varsity (often called "JV") players are the members of a team who are not the main players in a competition (such as any football, basketball, or baseball game), usually at the high school level–– and formerly at the collegiate levelâ ...
compiled a record of 90 wins to no losses while the
varsity squad had a record of 87 wins and 7 losses. Snowden then worked as a
sportscaster on local radio and television before becoming an assistant coach at the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
under
Dave Strack
David H. Strack (March 2, 1923 – January 25, 2014) was an American athletic director for the University of Arizona and head basketball coach of the University of Michigan. He was inducted to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.
Early life
Stra ...
and
Johnny Orr.
University of Arizona
In 1972, Snowden became the first African-American head coach at a major university and the second black head coach at a
Division I school, following
Illinois State
Illinois State University (ISU) is a public university in Normal, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University, it is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching and is recognized as one of th ...
's
Will Robinson, when he was hired at the
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory.
T ...
in
Tucson
, "(at the) base of the black ill
, nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town"
, image_map =
, mapsize = 260px
, map_caption = Interactive map ...
.
The year before Snowden's arrival, Arizona was and drew about 1,000 fans to each game. In his first year as head coach, the Wildcats were and average attendance increased to 5,000; following the opening of
McKale Center, up to 14,000 attended home games.
Following his first season, he was also named
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, and Texas.
Due to mos ...
(WAC) Coach of the Year, Tucson's Man of the Year, and hosted two television shows.
Under Snowden's tutelage, the Arizona program continued to succeed for several years, making the
NCAA tournament twice, reaching the
Elite Eight
In the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship or the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship, the "Elite Eight" comprises the final eight teams, representing the regional finals, or national quarterfinals. In Division I and Divis ...
in
1976
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 ...
.
Arizona's success under Snowden faded following their move to the
Pacific-10 Conference in 1978, with his final three seasons resulting in losing records. In January 1982, he announced his resignation, effective at the end of the season.
At the time of the announcement there were allegations that he had been involved with the improper use of a university
slush fund, a charge that Snowden denied. A later NCAA investigation found no evidence Snowden had acted improperly.
He was inducted into the University of Arizona
hall of fame in 1988.
Post-coaching career
Following the end of his coaching career, Snowden became a
management consultant
Management consulting is the practice of providing consulting services to organizations to improve their performance or in any way to assist in achieving organizational objectives. Organizations may draw upon the services of management consultants ...
and operated his own business. In 1985 he was hired by
Baskin-Robbins
Baskin-Robbins is an American multinational chain of ice cream and cake speciality shops owned by Inspire Brands. Based in Canton, Massachusetts, Baskin-Robbins was founded in 1945 by Burt Baskin (1913–1967) and Irv Robbins (1917–2008) in ...
as
vice president
A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...
overseeing the company's National Metropolitan Franchise Expansion Program.
Snowden later left Baskin-Robbins and became
executive director
Executive director is commonly the title of the chief executive officer of a non-profit organization, government agency or international organization.
The title is widely used in North American and European not-for-profit organizations, though ...
of the Food 4 Less foundation.
Snowden's death came on January 17, 1994. While traveling to Washington, D.C. to attend a
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...
ceremony, he suffered a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...
while at a
convenience store and died at George Washington Hospital.
Head coaching record
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Snowden, Fred
1936 births
1994 deaths
American men's basketball coaches
American men's basketball players
Arizona Wildcats men's basketball coaches
Basketball coaches from Alabama
Basketball coaches from Michigan
Basketball players from Alabama
Basketball players from Detroit
High school basketball coaches in the United States
Michigan Wolverines men's basketball coaches
People from Brewton, Alabama
Northwestern High School (Michigan) alumni
Wayne State Warriors men's basketball players
Year of birth uncertain