Phil Snow Named EMU Football Assistant Coach
- March 8, 2010
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — Eastern Michigan University Head Football Coach Ron English announced today, that Phil Snow will join the football staff as an assistant coach. Snow will serve as the defensive coordinator.
Snow joins the EMU football staff with a wealth of experience in both the collegiate and professional coaching ranks.
Most recently, the 54-year-old Snow (12-22-55) spent four seasons, from 2005-08, as an assistant coach with the NFL’s Detroit Lions as the linebackers coach.
Prior to his NFL stint in Detroit, Snow served as an assistant football coach at the University of Washington, UCLA, Arizona State University, the University of California, Boise State University, and Laney College.
A 1978 graduate of Cal State Hayward, Snow began his coaching career on the high school level, coaching at Berkeley (Calif.) H.S. in 1976, and at his high school alma mater, Winters (Calif.) in 1977-78.
From there, Snow joined the Laney (Calif.) College football staff in 1979 as a defensive backs coach before taking over as the defensive coordinator in 1980 and 1981.
His next stop was Boise State University where he was an assistant coach from 1982-86. He was a defensive backs coach in his first season at Boise before becoming the defensive coordinator in 1983 and holding that position through the 1986 season. In addition, he was the top assistant to the head coach from 1984-86. His Boise State defensive was ranked sixth in the nation in 1986.
From Boise, Snow became an assistant coach in charge of the defensive backs at the University of California from 1987-91 where he mentored current EMU Head Coach English who was a four-year letterman for the Golden Bears. The 1990 California team played in the Copper Bowl and the 1991 edition participated in the Citrus Bowl.
After his California experience, Snow became the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Arizona State University from 1992-2000 and saw the 1996 team play in the Rose Bowl, the 1997 team make the Sun Bowl while the 1999 and 2000 squads would play in the Aloha Bowl.
Snow left California to become the defensive coordinator at UCLA from 2001-2002, with the 2002 team making the Las Vegas Bowl.
The University of Washington called next and Snow spent the 2003 and 2004 seasons as first the co-defensive coordinator and then the coordinator for the Huskies before moving to the NFL in 2005.
Snow is a native of Woodland, Calif. and graduated from Winters H.S. in Winters, Calif. He went on to earn an associate’s degree at Sacramento City College in 1975 before completing his bachelor’s at Cal-State Hayward.
Snow and his wife, Debra, have two sons, Phillip (12-27-88) and Jacob (3-23-92).
The Phil Snow File
Name: Phil John Snow
Born: Dec. 22, 1955 - Woodland, Calif.
High School: Winters H.S. (Winters, Calif.)
College: Sacramento City College - Associate’s degree - 1975
Cal-State Hayward - Bachelor’s degree in physical education - 1978
Family: Wife: Debra; Two sons: Phillip (12-27-88) and Jacob )(3-23-92)
Other Family: Nephew: Dustin Pedroia (MLB Boston Red Sox)
Coaching/Professional Playing Experience
Year School-Team Position Record-Highlights
2008 Detroit Lions - NFL Asst. Coach-Linebackers
2007 Detroit Lions - NFL Asst. Coach-Linebackers
2006 Detroit Lions - NFL Asst. Coach-Linebackers
2005 Detroit Lions - NFL Asst. Coach-Defense
2004 University of Washington Asst. Coach-Defensive Coor./DBs
2003 University of Washington Asst. Coach-Co-Defensive DBs
2002 UCLA Asst. Coach-Defensive Coor. Las Vegas Bowl
2001 UCLA Asst. Coach-Defensive Coor.
2000 Arizona State University Asst. Coach-Defensive Coor./DBs Aloha Bowl
1999 Arizona State University Asst. Coach-Defensive Coor./DBs Aloha Bowl
1998 Arizona State University Asst. Coach-Defensive Coor./DBs
1997 Arizona State University Asst. Coach-Defensive Coor./DBs Sun Bowl
1996 Arizona State University Asst. Coach-Defensive Coor./DBs Rose Bowl
1995 Arizona State University Asst. Coach-Defensive Coor./DBs
1994 Arizona State University Asst. Coach-Defensive Coor./DBs
1993 Arizona State University Asst. Coach-Defensive DBs
1992 Arizona State University Asst. Coach-Defensive Coor./DBs
1991 University of California Asst. Coach-DBs Citrus Bowl
1990 University of California Asst. Coach-DBs Copper Bowl
1989 University of California Asst. Coach-DBs
1988 University of California Asst. Coach-DBs
1987 University of California Asst. Coach-DBs
1986 Boise State University Asst. Coach-Asst. to H.C./Def. Coor. 6th in nation in total def.
1985 Boise State University Asst. Coach-Asst. to H.C./Def. Coor.
1984 Boise State University Asst. Coach-Asst. to H.C./Def. Coor.
1983 Boise State University Asst. Coach-Def. Coor.
1982 Boise State University Asst. Coach-DBs
1981 Laney College Asst. Coach-Co-Defensive Coor.
1980 Laney College Asst. Coach-Co-Defensive Coor.
1979 Laney College Asst. Coach-DBs
1978 Winters High School Asst. Coach-DBs
1977 Winters High School Asst. Coach-DBs
1976 Berkeley High School Asst. Coach-Head J.V. Coach/Varsity DBs