Percy Snow

Percy Lee Snow (born November 5, 1967) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans from 1986 to 1989. As a senior, he was a consensus All-American and won both the Butkus Award and the Lombardi Award. He was a first-round draft pick of the Kansas City Chiefs and played three seasons in the National Football League (NFL), and one season in the World League of American Football (WLAF). He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2013.

Early life Snow was born in Canton, Ohio, and attended Canton McKinley High School. He grew up 10 minutes from the Pro Football Hall of Fame where Jack Lambert, Dick Butkus, and Mean Joe Greene were enshrined. Snow recalled: "They were my idols, my boyhood heroes, and I always wanted to be like them."

Michigan State Snow accepted a scholarship to Michigan State University. He played college football as a middle linebacker for the Michigan State Spartans football teams from 1986 to 1989. Spartan head coach George Perles said of Snow: "He's as good as there is in the Big Ten. It's not just that he makes the tackles, but when he gets there, he hits with such great thunder, he's going to cause fumbles."

1988 season As a junior in 1988, Snow recorded 150 tackles, ranking second in the Big Ten. He also received first-team honors from The Sporting News on the 1988 All-America college football team. Perles said at the end of the 1988 season: "Percy Snow is as good a linebacker as you will see. You'd have to go a long ways to find someone as good as him. He gets to the ball; he makes things happen, and he plays the pass exceptionally well."

1989 season As a senior in 1989, Snow led the Spartans with 183 tackles—the third consecutive seasons he led the Spartans in tackles.

Snow was a consensus selection on the 1989 College Football All-America Team. He also won both the Butkus Award (best college linebacker) and Lombardi Award. He was the first player to win the Butkus and Lombardi Awards in the same season.

Professional football Snow was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round (13 overall pick) of the 1990 NFL draft. As a rookie, he appeared in 15 games for the Chiefs, 14 as a starter, and earned all-rookie honors from the UPI, Pro Football Weekly, and Football Digest.

Prior to the 1991 season, Snow broke an ankle in a motor-scooter accident during training camp. He missed the entire 1991 season as a result of the accident.

Snow returned to the Chiefs in 1992, but never fully recovered from the accident. His career ended after only three active seasons with just one start in his final two. During the 1993 season, he appeared in 10 games as a backup for the Chicago Bears.

After leaving the NFL, Snow signed a free-agent contract with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1995, George Perles recalled: "Offenses simply dreaded playing against him because he didn't just make the tackle; he damaged people. Percy was the hardest-hitting kid that played at Michigan State in many, many years. He was the nucleus of those great defensive units in the late 1980s." and the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2013. In 2015, the Lansing State Journal rated Snow at No. 8 on its list of the 50 greatest Michigan State football players of all time.

Snow's wife, Tyra, ran track at Michigan State. Their daughters Tyonna and Bry Snow both played basketball at Missouri State.