Matt Snell

Matt Snell
Date of birth	August 18, 1941 (1941-08-18) (age 70)
Place of birth	Garfield, Georgia
Position(s)	Running Back
College	Ohio State
AFL Draft	1964 / Round 1 (Jets)
NFL Draft	1964 / Round 4 (Giants)
Jersey Number	41
Career highlights
TSN All-AFL	1969
AFL All-Star	1964, 1966, 1969
Stats
Statistics	Pro Football Reference DatabaseFootball
Teams
1964-1969 1970-1972	AFL New York Jets NFL New York Jets

Matt Snell (born August 18, 1941 in Garfield, Georgia) was the American Football League's New York Jets owner Sonny Werblin's first coup, prior to his 1965 acquisition of Joe Namath. A powerful fullback out of the Ohio State University, Snell's 1964 signing jolted the crosstown Giants, who didn't draft Snell until the fourth round, and offered him a fraction of what the Jets gave him as their first-round choice.

Snell currently lives in New Rochelle, New York with his wife Sharon, son Beau and daughter Jada. He is a partner in DEFCO Securities, Inc. and owns a restaurant in New York City.^[1]

Early career

Snell attended Carle Place High School in the one-square mile town of Carle Place, New York, where his picture resides in the Carle Place High School Athletic Hall of Fame.

Upon graduation, at Ohio State, Snell was a three-year starter and a consummate team player. In 1961 he was a right halfback, with responsibilities typically of blocking for fullback Bob Ferguson or left halfback Paul Warfield. In 1962 he was moved to defensive end. In 1963, his senior year, he was named starting fullback, making him the featured running back in the Ohio State offense. At the end of his senior season, Snell was named his team's most valuable player.

Snell was named to the Ohio State Football All-Century Team in 2000, as a defensive end.

Football career

In his rookie year, Snell rushed for a Jets record 180 yards against the Houston Oilers, on his way to a 945-yard season and AFL Rookie of the Year honors. Snell went on to become an AFL Eastern Division All-Star in 1964 and 1966 and the Sporting News All-AFL fullback in 1969.

His defining moment came in Superbowl III when the AFL Champion Jets played the 1968 NFL Champion Baltimore Colts. Although slowed by knee injuries, Snell was the key player in the Jets ball-control offense during the 16-7 upset of the Colts. He carried 30 times for a then Super Bowl record 121 yards, and in the second quarter, went 4 yards around the left end to score the Jets' only touchdown in super bowl history. It was the first time an AFL team had led in a Super Bowl. He also helped set up a trio of Jim Turner field goals that finally put the game away for the Jets in the second half.

In 1973 Snell was in the first Miller Lite beer commercial. According to the SF Chronicle, "The campaign would feature a collection of middle-aged sports stars and become something of a status symbol for retired athletes for the next 17 years."[1]

See also

• Other American Football League players

References

1. ^ New York Jets player biography

Sources

• Curran, Bob (1965). The $400,000 Quarterback, or: The League That Came in From the Cold. New York, New York: McMillan & Company, Inc. ISBN 0-8118-2276-1. 
• Gruver, Ed (1997). The American Football League: A Year-By-Year History, 1960-1969. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 0-7864-0399-3. 

External links

• Snell's 1965 Topps football card

Preceded by Billy Armstrong	Ohio State Buckeyes Football Season MVP 1963	Succeeded by Ed Orazen
Preceded by Billy Joe	American Football League Rookie of the Year 1964	Succeeded by Joe Namath

Persondata
Name	Snell, Matt
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	August 18, 1941
Place of birth	Garfield, Georgia
Date of death
Place of death