Source: Arizona State fires Snyder, effective at season's end

Wednesday, November 15th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

PHOENIX (AP) _ Arizona State coach Bruce Snyder has been fired after three disappointing seasons dimmed hopes the team could be a national powerhouse, The Associated Press learned Wednesday.

Snyder's dismissal, effective at the end of the season, was to be announced at an early evening news conference, a source close to the program said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Athletic director Gene Smith said a news conference was scheduled but did not disclose the subject.

Snyder will coach the Sun Devils (5-5) in their season finale at Arizona on Nov. 24. A win there would make Arizona State eligible for a bowl game.

Snyder is 57-44 in nine seasons at Arizona State, but just 16-17 in the last three years. He has a 125-105-5 record in 25 years as a head coach, including stints at Utah State and California.

Arizona State would have to pay about $1.5 million to cover the final three years of Snyder's contract.

In 1996, Snyder received several national coach of the year honors after guiding Arizona State to an 11-0 regular season and a berth in the Rose Bowl, where the Sun Devils lost to Ohio State. Arizona State was 9-3 in 1997, including a Sun Bowl appearance, and there was talk the Sun Devils had become a perennial Pac-10 power.

But the team went 5-6 in 1998, and 6-6 last season.

Snyder was under increasing criticism over the past week after Arizona State was routed at Stanford, 29-7.

In Wednesday's Arizona Republic, former Sun Devils and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Danny White said he had talked to Smith about the job should Snyder be dismissed.

White, coach of the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League, said Smith told him that he would be on a short list of candidates if Snyder were fired.

``Gene told me no decision would be made until after the season is over,'' White told the Phoenix newspaper.

Snyder was unhappy with White's comments and the suggestion that Smith was already making moves to hire a new coach.

``That's not right,'' he told The Republic.

Then-athletic director Kevin White gave Snyder a two-year contract extension in 1998.

But White, a strong supporter of Snyder, left last year to become athletic director at Notre Dame. He was replaced by Smith, who played college football and was keeping a close eye on Snyder's performance as the season dragged on.

Snyder's current team was plagued by injuries. Tailback Delvon Flowers went out with a season-ending knee injury in training camp, and quarterback Ryan Kealy, suspended at the start of the season, went down with a knee injury shortly after his return.

Snyder, an Oregon graduate, turned around a California program that had been to just one bowl game since 1958 when he was hired in 1987. His last two Cal teams were 7-4-1 in 1990 and 10-2 in 1991.

In 1992, the Sun Devils dismissed Larry Marmie and hired Snyder, at the time one of the top coaching commodities in the country.