Kenneth Snow (June 23, 1969 – June 21, 2020) was an American

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

forward who was a two-time winner of the

Hermann Trophy The Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the United States's top men's and women's college soccer players. History In 1967, Bob Hermann, the president of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) and th ...

as the outstanding college soccer player in 1988 and 1990. He had an eight-year professional career playing indoor soccer in the United States.

High school and college

Ken Snow was born in

Arlington Heights, Illinois Arlington Heights is a village in Cook County, Illinois, Cook County Illinois, United States. A northwestern Chicago metropolitan area, suburb of Chicago, it lies about northwest of the city's downtown. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

. He grew up in Illinois and attended Hoffman Estates High School from 1983 to 1986 where he played soccer. While at Hoffman, Snow scored in 47 consecutive games, ranking him second, after his brother Steve Snow, on the Illinois High School Association's list of consecutive matches scored in. Ken also ranks #9 on the Illinois state career goals list with 128 goals and #16 on the season (1985) goal scoring list with 49 goals. After graduating from high school, Snow attended

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

, where he played

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

soccer. He was a four-time, first-team

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

and a two-time winner of the

in 1988, the same year Indiana won the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship, and again in 1990. He finished his college playing career with 84 goals and 28 assists and a school record 196 points.

Professional career

Like many minor league ball players in any sport, Ken Snow's career is difficult to follow at times as he bounced between a half dozen teams in five leagues over his career. After leaving Indiana, Snow signed with the

Miami Freedom The Miami Sharks were an inaugural franchise of the third incarnation of the American Soccer League (1988–89), American Soccer League in 1988. The team was renamed the Miami Freedom and joined the American Professional Soccer League in 1990 when ...

of the

American Professional Soccer League The American Professional Soccer League (APSL) was a professional men's soccer league with teams from the United States and later Canada. It was formed in 1990 by the merger of the third American Soccer League with the Western Soccer League. ...

where he scored five goals in eleven games. He was then drafted by the Chicago Power of the indoor National Professional Soccer League (NPSL). Snow played four seasons with the Power, his most productive coming during the 1994–1995 season when he led his team in scoring with 56 goals in 40 games. The next leading scorer, Tony Sanneh, had 27 goals. This led to his selection as an NPSL All Star at the February 1995 All Star game. At the end of the 1994–1995 season, Snow moved to the Detroit Neon of the

Continental Indoor Soccer League The Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL) was a professional indoor soccer league that played from 1993 to 1997. History In the summer of 1989 Dr Jerry Buss, the owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and California Sports, told his executive Vice ...

(CISL). The CISL played indoor soccer during the summer and Snow spent at least two seasons with the Neon, 1995 and 1996. In the fall of 1995, he joined the Tampa Bay Terror of the NPSL playing only sixteen games with them. Snow continued to play with Detroit through at least the 1997 season when he was selected as a CISL All Star. The Detroit club, renamed the Safari for the 1997 season, and the CISL folded at the end of the 1997 season. Snow moved on to play with the St. Louis Steamers of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) for the first part of the 1998–1999 season. In January 1999, he played in the MISL All Star game, but the Steamers traded Snow to the Philadelphia KiXX for Lee Tschantret and cash on February 18, 1999.

MLS

In 1996, the Kansas City Wizards of the

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

(MLS) drafted Snow in the 16th round of the league's Inaugural Draft (156) overall. The team waived Snow during the pre-season, on March 25, 1996. In March 1998, he tried out with the MLS expansion club Chicago Fire, even scoring in a March 6, 1998 exhibition victory over Mexican club Bachilleras.
However, he was waived by the Fire on March 19, 1998.

National team

Snow played two games with the

United States men's national soccer team The United States men's national soccer team (USMNT), officially recognized as USA by FIFA, represents the United States in men's international Association football, soccer. The team is governed by the United States Soccer Federation, which is ...

in 1988, but scored no goals. His first cap came in a 1–0 win over

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

on January 13, 1988. He came on for Joey Kirk. His second cap came six months later in another 1–0 win. This time, it was over

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

on June 14, 1988. He started and played the entire game.

Death

On June 21, 2020, Snow died at 50, in a hotel room in

Port Huron, Michigan Port Huron is a city in and seat of government of St. Clair County, Michigan, United States. The population was 28,983 at the 2020 census. The city is bordered on the west by Port Huron Township, but the two are administered autonomously. Po ...

, from complications possibly brought on by

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

during the COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan.

References

External links

Indiana University history
{{DEFAULTSORT:Snow, Ken 1969 births 2020 deaths All-American college men's soccer players American Professional Soccer League players Chicago Power players Continental Indoor Soccer League players Detroit Neon players Men's association football forwards Indiana Hoosiers men's soccer players Major Indoor Soccer League (2001–2008) players Miami Freedom players National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players Philadelphia KiXX (NPSL) players St. Louis Steamers (WISL) players Tampa Bay Terror players United States men's international soccer players World Indoor Soccer League players People from Hoffman Estates, Illinois Sportspeople from Arlington Heights, Illinois Soccer players from Cook County, Illinois Hermann Trophy men's winners Hoffman Estates High School alumni American men's soccer players Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan 20th-century American sportsmen