Longtime Washington sports writer Rick Snider passed away on Tuesday after suffering a stroke on August 11.
Snider began covering sports in Washington, D.C., in 1978, most notably writing about the Washington Commanders, as well as every local professional and college team, high school sports, and horse racing, which he said was his favorite sport to cover.
While he’d stepped away from the Washington Post Express in 2019, writing for SI.com in 2020, and 106.7 The Fan in 2024, he was still penning columns and offering insight on the Commanders through earlier this month at Yardbarker. He’d also previously spent 20 years at The Washington Times, which he called the “best part of my career.”
“I can’t pick my favorite person or game or whatever. They’ve all melted over the years into one general experience,” he wrote last year. “Oh, Len Bias’ death was the biggest story I covered. Not even close. Maybe No. 2 was Dan Snyder buying the Redskins. Who knew what a nightmare that would become. No. 3 was the Redskins’ final Super Bowl run while No. 4 was 20 Kentucky Derbies. And, maybe George Mason’s Final Four run was No. 5.”
Along with his sports work, Snider was an author, became a licensed tour guide of the Washington area, and taught classes on the history of Washington, among other varied interests.
As news of Snider’s passing made the rounds this week, tributes poured in from friends, co-workers, and even the Commanders organization.
“On behalf of the entire Commanders organization, we want to offer our condolences to the family and friends of Rick Snider, who passed away today,” read the Commanders statement. “Rick was a consummate professional who covered the franchise with class for over 40 years. His combination of tremendous knowledge of the game, understanding of the franchise’s history, ability to connect with people from different backgrounds and his quick wit made his coverage unique and compelling. Rick was a great man and an absolute joy to be around. His presence on the Commanders beat will be sorely missed.”
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.