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Also naming South 11th Street, between Pattison Avenue and South Darien Street, “Ed Snider Way” to honor the memory of Ed Snider and to recognize his many contributions to the City of Philadelphia.
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WHEREAS, Edward Malcolm Snider was born in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 1933 to Sol and Lillian Snider, owners of a local grocery store who instilled in their son the importance of hard work; and
WHEREAS, Ed Snider graduated from Calvin Coolidge High School in 1951 and went on to earn an accounting degree in 1955 from the University of Maryland. Upon moving to the City of Philadelphia, Mr. Snider worked his way up the Philadelphia Eagles’ front office, being named the team’s Vice President for business affairs in 1964; and
WHEREAS, When the National Hockey League (NHL) announced its plans to expand its league into 6 new markets, Ed Snider helped lead the partnership team that secured Philadelphia’s hockey franchise. In October 1967, the Philadelphia Flyers began their inaugural season and ignited a passion for hockey within the City of Philadelphia that had never been seen before; and
WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia had little previous experience with professional hockey, but under the leadership of Ed Snider, the Philadelphia Flyers would alter the City’s sports landscape forever. By 1973, the Flyers’ trademark hard-nosed style of play would be immortalized with the team’s beloved nickname: “The Broad Street Bullies”; and
WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia’s transformation into a hockey town was permanently cemented in 1974 and 1975, when the Flyers won consecutive Stanley Cup Championships. With 38 playoff appearances and 6 additional trips to the Stanley Cup Finals, the Philadelphia Flyers have been this City’s most consistently successful sports franchise; and
WHEREAS, Ed Snider’s accomplishments throughout the course of his career with the Philadelphia Flyers have earned him a place in four different Halls of Fame. Ed was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988, the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1997, the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame in 2005, and the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001; and
WHEREAS, Ed Snider helped to shape the urban landscape of the City of Philadelphia. The Spectrum, the arena that Mr. Snider built in 1967 to host the Flyers, became a Philadelphia landmark famous for sporting events and other live entertainment. The Wells Fargo Center, Mr. Snider’s later stadium venture which was completed in 1996 to replace the Spectrum, remains a centerpiece of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex to this day; and
WHEREAS, In addition to his endeavors in the world of professional sports, Ed Snider was also remarkably generous in giving his time and money to philanthropic ventures across the Greater Philadelphia area. The Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation promotes athletic achievement and personal development through after-school recreation and education programs. The Foundation partnered with the City of Philadelphia on a $14.5 million project to renovate Philadelphia ice rinks and ensure that the City’s next generation of hockey players have world-class facilities; and
WHEREAS, Ed Snider helped to shape the culture of the City of Philadelphia over the course of his nearly 50-year tenure with the Philadelphia Flyers. Mr. Snider’s contribution to the City was truly inestimable, and we will continue to celebrate his legacy with every thrilling Flyers game; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That South 11th Street, between Pattison Avenue and South Darien Street, also be named “Ed Snider Way,” to honor the memory of Ed Snider and to recognize his many contributions to the City of Philadelphia.
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