Salute: Inner Drive Taylor Gibson '06 highlights the impact of head volleyball coach Bryan Snyder '95.

W&L Magazine
September 6, 2024

Bryan Snyder’s pride in Washington and Lee University is matched only by his desire to help make it better. A graduate of the Class of 1995 who is currently entering his 25th season as the head volleyball coach, not a day goes by that Bryan (henceforth to be referred to as “Coach”) isn’t making an impact. Whether it’s the players he’s coached, the students in his PE classes, coaches and student-athletes from other teams, we know him for what he is: a cornerstone of the Athletics Department.

Read his biography and you’ll see a laundry list of achievements and milestones. The Hall of Famers he’s coached hold records that may never be broken. His W&L career has seen two athletic directors and four university presidents, yet he’s never gone more than three seasons without his players hoisting the ODAC championship trophy.

Twenty-four seasons and 15 ODAC titles — just let that sink in. Every player he’s coached for four years has left campus a champion at least once. That in itself is a legacy that few can rival, but he is so much more than W’s and L’s on a scoresheet.

Coach would likely attribute his success on the court to one main thing: consistency. His discipline is otherworldly — and occasionally infuriating, as it’s nearly impossible to emulate. But as someone who has known him not just as my coach but also as a boss, mentor and now close friend, I have come to understand that both his life and coaching philosophies derive from the same foundational principle: Time is precious. How you spend it and the choices you make are how you show respect and commitment. It is his drive to be the best coach, father, husband and leader that has taught so many how to find that drive in themselves — and that is where being good turns into being great.

That’s what makes him our “Coach” and a classic in his own right.

Taylor Gibson ’06 spent six seasons as W&L’s assistant volleyball coach and now serves as a volunteer assistant.

Bryan Snyder ’95, volleyball head coach and associate director of athletics for finance, has earned an impressive 11 ODAC Coach of the Year awards.

This article first appeared in the Summer 2024 issue of W&L: The Washington and Lee Magazine.