Fun fact:
As a youngster,
Bill Snyder got the exact opportunity he is now denying others.
While Snyder joked that his initial failure at MU was because his IQ was probably “single-digit” and acknowledged there had been some “goofing around,” he soon offered what he believes was the most telling reason: Without a strong academic support system at the time, without “all those things that they have now,” he was “just lost.”
When Snyder, who has previously referred to himself as the “10th-string” quarterback on the [1958 Mizzou] freshman team, returned to his home in St. Joseph, he was heavy with guilt because of how his mother, a single parent who worked at a department store, had sacrificed for him.
That’s when then-William Jewell football coach Norris Patterson offered Snyder fresh hope in the form of financial aid if Snyder would “do right,” “take care of business” and perform in the classroom.
With that offer, which included a chance to play football again and work as a custodian at the athletic complex, Snyder was revived and wasn’t going to squander the opportunity.
“It just kind of put me back on my feet as much as anything. Dr. Patterson had an impact on my life,” said Snyder, who said his sense of debt to Patterson made him strive to be as good as he could be in the classroom and everywhere else.
