BRUCE SNYDER, R.I.P.

by Orson on Apr 14, 2009 9:42 AM EDT

Bruce Snyder passed away yesterday. He won at Cal, Arizona State, and Utah State, but we'll remember him for coaching in the 1997 Rose Bowl, one of the better games we've ever seen. The neurochemical magic wrought by a great game erases any memories of winners or losers; at the end, there's simply a spectacle exploding before the eyes, and in the end, for one rare instance, the outcome is largely irrelevant. That game was one of those, and for that we're grateful.

Bruce Snyder, R.I.P.

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From a Gator fan, it’s pretty high praise to say that outcome didn’t matter.

by Jams on Apr 14, 2009 10:01 AM EDT reply actions

RIP Bruce Snyder. ASU hasn’t been back to the Rose Bowl since.

The real game that mattered was lost several weeks earlier 13-9. Yes I’m bitter, why do you ask? Thanks to Joe Germaine, John Cooper finally won a game of some importance. 2-10-1 vs. Michigan and 3-8 in bowl games, losing the last two games of the season 6 times. And you wonder why he was fired with a .746 winning percentage.

Florida won the MNC when ASU lost that game, but tOSU losing to Michigan lost the MNC for us. I would have loved to play the Gators that year.

by Crabapple Buck on Apr 14, 2009 11:02 AM EDT reply actions

I echo Jams sentiments. I remember sitting in a bar at the New Orleans airport with hundreds of fellow Gators – wanting to head to the French Quarter while at the same time glued to the tv – waiting for the miracle to happen.

by hobeg8r on Apr 14, 2009 11:58 AM EDT reply actions

The outcome didn’t matter — except that I wretch every time I think of David Boston, and worse, ASU “CB” Courtney Jackson, and it ruined what was otherwise a dream season for this then-college freshman. No, it didn’t matter, except for the fact that it was the most painful loss I imagine I’ll ever experience as a fan.

And as I always tell my Gator wife, “For ASU’s decision to go into soft coverage, you’re welcome.”

by SanDiegoDevil on Apr 14, 2009 12:46 PM EDT reply actions

Wow—-Snyder was too young to die, no doubt.

Definitely one of the better games I’ve ever been to, despite the rain and the surprisingly crappy confines of the Rose Bowl. I put it this way-that game was already a classic when ASU scored, and Boston’s score only put the cherry on top.

by Expat Ohioan on Apr 14, 2009 4:16 PM EDT reply actions