Chris Snyder, an assistant coach for the Kansas Wesleyan football program, has been named the university’s flag football coach. He replaces Melinda Nguyen, who has accepted a Division I head coaching job in a southern state.
Snyder was passing game coordinator, recruiting coordinator, quarterbacks coach and developmental team head coach this fall. The Coyotes finished 7-4 in first-year head coach Matt Middleton’s first year.
Snyder has been at KWU for nearly four years in his second stint. He was co-interim head coach for the final six games of the 2024 season and helped the Coyotes win the Kansas Conference’s Gene Bissell Division with a 5-0 record and gain a berth in the NAIA National Championships. He also served as interim bowling coach and was associate director of admissions from 2022-24.
He was assistant head coach and offensive coordinator for coach Dave Dallas from 2009-12 during his first tour of duty at KWU.
Snyder has considerable college coaching experience. He has coached quarterbacks for 22 years, spent 17 as a recruiting coordinator, 16 as an offensive coordinator and 12 as a receivers coach, with stops at Bethany twice, Saint Mary, Independence Community College and Doane. He was head coach at Mendocino College (Calif.) during the 2014 season and was the school’s offensive and recruiting coordinator from 2004-09.
“Coach Snyder’s experience, leadership and proven record of success on the field make him an outstanding fit for this position,” Athletic Director Miguel Paredes said. “We look forward to the continued growth of our program under his direction.”
Snyder said it was an offer he couldn’t refuse.
“I’ve always had an interest in flag football and, in the last few years, it has been a growing sport,” he said. “Having daughters that play sports – one’s in college now and one’s in junior high – the more opportunities the better. So, it was very appealing and staying in athletics was also key.
“It’s good for the school. There isn’t much turnover, and we can kind of keep things rolling. It’s already a very established program so putting all those together, it was definitely a no-brainer.”
The Coyotes were 49-17 (27-5 in the KCAC) during Nguyen’s three seasons.
Snyder will continue to assist Middleton.
“I’m still the recruiting coordinator for football,” he said. “Not much is going to change other than I’ll bounce around from office to office. I’ll recruit for both sports; I’ll just be a little busier. Middleton and I will figure out what’s best for both programs with practicing and things like that.”
There are similarities between flag and tackle football, Snyder said.
“I’ve been on the offensive side for 24 years and there is easily a correlation. A hitch route doesn’t matter if it’s flag or Division I or NAIA, you run route concepts. There are a lot of correlations that people probably don’t think about,” he said.
“You don’t have five or six guys rushing you and stunting and stuff like that. But when you’re looking at concepts, and you’re teaching your players routes or quarterbacks about anticipation, there’s going to be a lot of similarities. That’s just something I’m going to have to show the team in practice.”
Snyder said he will handle the offense and assistant coach Alexa Mansur will work with the defense.
“Change is hard, but it’s the world you live in whether it’s coaching or the real world,” he said. “Things change pretty quickly, and you’ve got to be able to adapt. I just hope in the next few weeks, the ladies learn that I care about this program and it’s my priority. I’m going to care about them and the winning culture, and that’s the expectation and standard. Nothing changes there.
“I’ve seen the ladies play. They’re extremely talented, so we’re not coming in and blowing anything up. We’re not changing the offensive playbook. We’ve got three quarterbacks, so it’s going to be a collaborative effort. Maybe we can find some things to do better that come with listening to some of the players…You listen and do what’s best for the program.”
