Dick Snyder
Birthdate: February 1, 1944
Birthplace: Canton, Ohio
High School: North Canton Hoover (1962)
College: Davidson College (1966), Davidson, NC
Year Inducted: 2011
Dick Snyder’s super-soft jump shot enabled the 6-foot-5 guard to have a 13-year National Basketball Association career.
Dick Snyder was a three-sport star at North Canton Hoover High School. He was an All-American quarterback, recruited very heavily, even by Ohio State’s Woody Hayes, who spoke at his high school football banquet. Dick was an All-State baseball player and MVP at the Ohio All-Star game and an honorable mention All-State basketball player.
During his four year tenure at Davidson College he played both basketball and baseball. Snyder led Davidson College to its first Southern Conference championship and NCAA Tournament berth in 1966. He was Southern Conference player of the year and an All-America selection. Snyder was selected by St. Louis in the second round of the 1966 NBA draft and played for the Hawks, Phoenix, Seattle and Cleveland. His greatest success came with Seattle. With the SuperSonics in 1970-71, he averaged 19.4 points per game and was fifth in the league in both field goal and free throw percentage. After 4 ½ years in Seattle, Snyder was traded to Cleveland and spent four seasons playing near his hometown of Canton, three of those years as a starter. He was a great part of the “Miracle of Richfield” when the Cavaliers won the Central Division Championship and lost to Boston in the sixth game of the Eastern Conference finals. Snyder hit the winning basket in the seventh game against the Washington Bullets to send the team into the Boston series. He returned to Seattle for his final season in 1978-79 and played on his first NBA championship team. He ranked 17th in NBA career scoring when he retired in 1979.
Watch Dick Snyder’s Enshrinement Speech:
