The son of a successful grocery-store chain owner, Snider was born on January 6, 1933, in Washington, DC. After earning a bachelor’s degree at the University of Maryland, he became a partner at Edge Ltd., a successful record company. In 1964, after selling the record company, Snider, builder Jerry Wolman, and attorney Earl Foreman, who had married Snider's sister, bought the Philadelphia Eagles. Mr. Snider, as he is called by friend and competitor alike, owned seven percent of the team and became its treasurer.

Although he was not an avid hockey fan, Snider became intrigued by the sport while attending a Philadelphia 76ers-Boston Celtics basketball game at the Boston Garden in 1964. A crowd of Bruins fans were lined up to buy the remaining 1,000 tickets for a last-place team. Soon thereafter, he found out that the NHL was planning to expand from six to 12 teams. Snider made plans for a new arena to house a hockey team and the 76ers. He pitched the idea to the NHL and the league awarded Philadelphia a conditional franchise on February 9, 1966. On October 19, 1967, the Flyers played their first game ever at the Spectrum, defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins, 1-0, in front of a crowd of 7,812.

Snider could not guarantee that an NHL franchise would succeed in Philadelphia, but he liked its chances. "I just had the belief that if you're a regular guy and know what regular guys like, you can't be wrong,"' he said.

The Flyers won the West Division in their inaugural campaign. The following season, however, the St. Louis Blues swept them in the first round of the playoffs in four games marked by fighting. Not liking the idea of being physically dominated, Snider instructed General Manager Bud Polie to acquire big, tough players. Five years later, the Broad Street Bullies became the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup in 1974 and repeating as champions in 1975.

In 1971, Snider assumed control of the Spectrum. In 1974, he created Spectacor, a management company to oversee the Flyers and Spectrum. Under his leadership, Spectacor founded or acquired additional businesses, including PRISM, a regional premium cable channel, and WIP radio, which became the country’s first all-sports radio station. In 1988, Spectacor began its most ambitious undertaking when Snider decided that the Flyers needed a new home to remain competitive in the NHL. It took eight years from conception to completion, but today the Wachovia Center stands as a tribute to Snider’s perseverance and foresight.

Time and age have not tamed Snider’s lofty aspirations. In March 1996, he gave up majority ownership of the Flyers by entering into a merger agreement with the Comcast Corporation to create Comcast-Spectacor. Comcast acquired 66 percent of the Flyers, the 76ers, the Philadelphia Phantoms, and the First Union Complex. As chairman of this venture, Snider owns 34 percent of the entire package and oversees the operations of the Flyers and 76ers.

Widely regarded as one of the most influential owners in all of professional sports, fans and peers have recognized Snider’s accomplishments. In 1980, he was a co-recipient of the Lester Patrick Trophy for outstanding service to hockey in the United States. He is a member of the Hockey (1988) and Flyers (1989) Hall of Fame. In a 1999 Philadelphia Daily News poll, Snider was selected as the city’s greatest sports mover and shaker, beating out legends such as Connie Mack, Sonny Hill, Bert Bell, and Roger Penske.

source: Philadelphia Flyers.com