Fred Snowden

Frederick Snowden (c. 1936 – January 17, 1994) was an American businessman and men's basketball coach at the University of Arizona. Nicknamed "The Fox" for his cool demeanor, he was the first African-American head coach at a major university. Following his coaching career Snowden became an executive with Baskin-Robbins and the Food 4 Less foundation.

Background Snowden was born in Brewton, Alabama, the son of a sharecropper. At age 6 he moved to Detroit, Michigan with his mother and two brothers while his father remained in Alabama. He graduated from Detroit's Northwestern High School. Snowden met his wife, Maya, at Wayne State University and was married in 1962. The couple had two children: a son, Charles Anthony, and a daughter, Stacey Shannon. At the time of the announcement there were allegations that he had been involved with the improper use of a university slush fund, a charge that Snowden denied. A later NCAA investigation found no evidence Snowden had acted improperly.

Post-coaching career Following the end of his coaching career, Snowden became a management consultant and operated his own business. In 1985 he was hired by Baskin-Robbins as vice president overseeing the company's National Metropolitan Franchise Expansion Program. Snowden later left Baskin-Robbins and became executive director of the Food 4 Less foundation.

Snowden's death came on January 17, 1994. While traveling to Washington, D.C. to attend a White House ceremony, he suffered a heart attack while at a convenience store and died at George Washington Hospital.

Head coaching record