During a press conference on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, Mark Snyder, a 37-year coaching veteran, was introduced as the first-ever head football coach at Shawnee State University.
Snyder is a South Point, Ohio native, Ironton High School graduate, and honorary Kentucky Colonel. He began his football coaching career in 1988, shortly after graduating from Marshall University. He has been called one of the best defensive minds in college football and is author of the book "101 Defensive Line Drills" published in 2000. As Shawnee State Football's first head coach, Snyder said he plans to build a winning competitive program from the start — while also building a community around SSU Athletics.
Snyder was head coach at Marshall University from 2005 to 2009. He was a part of Ohio State's coaching staff under Jim Tressel during OSU's national championship season in 2002 and has coached at Florida State, Michigan State, Texas A&M, Minnesota and Youngstown State. In 2022, Snyder joined the United Football League, coaching the Houston Gamblers and Orlando Guardians.
Shawnee State University made the move from NAIA to NCAA Division II last month after being accepted as a two-year provisional member (2026-2028) before being eligible for full membership. During this time, Snyder and SSU will continue to hire staff, recruit students and build facilities needed for its new football program. Construction to historic Spartan Stadium, once home to the Portsmouth Spartans, one of the original eight NFL teams, is slated to begin next spring.
