Dan Snell
| Date and Place of Birth: | July 19, 1913 Erie, PA |
| Date and Place of Death: | March 11, 1945 Bad Neunahr, Germany |
| Baseball Experience: | Minor League |
| Position: | Third Base/Second Base |
| Rank: | Sergeant |
| Military Unit: | Company C, 299th Engineer Combat Battalion US Army |
| Area Served: | European Theater of Operations |
Daniel W. Snell, the son of Herbert and Lillian Snell, was born on
July 19, 1913 in Erie, Pennsylvania. He attended Academy High School in
Erie, then Howard College (now Samford University) in Homewood, Alabama,
where he was an outstanding three-sport star. Snell was an All-Dixie
Conference selection as an end in football in 1935 and 1937, a second
baseman on the Bulldogs nine and forward in basketball. In 1936, he was
awarded the Alabama Theater Cup as best all-around athlete at Howard.
Snell signed with the Troy Trojans of the Class D Alabama-Florida League
in 1936 and batted .295 in 93 games at second base. He remained with the
Trojans for the following two seasons, batting .247 in 1937 and .261 in
1938. In 1939, he became head coach of the Howard College baseball team,
a move that saw him receive his release from the Troy Trojans, but he
joined the Dothan Browns, another Alabama-Florida League team, for the
remainder of the season and batted .235 in 87 games.
Snell was with four different teams in 1940. He started the year with
the Gadsden Pilots of the Class B Southeastern League, before joining
the Jacksonville Jax of the Class C East Texas League, where he batted
.299 in 29 games. He played 15 games with the Wilmington Blue Rocks of
the Class B Interstate League and finished the year with the Saginaw
Athletics of the Class C Michigan State League.
At the age of 27, Snell turned his hand to professional football in the
winter of 1940, playing end for the Buffalo Indians of the American
Football League. He returned to baseball in 1941 and played 41 games
with Saginaw, batting .238.
Snell entered military service in February 1943 and served in Europe
with Company C, 299th Engineer Combat Battalion, attached to the 9th
Armored Division. On March 10, 1945, Sergeant Snell was building a ferry
landing on the western shore of the Rhine River in the vicinity of Bad
Neunahr, when an artillery shell exploded nearby. Five men of Company C
were wounded. Daniel Snell died of wounds the following day. He was 31
years old. He is buried at the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and
Memorial in Liège, Belgium.
|
Year |
Team |
League |
Class |
G |
AB |
R |
H |
2B |
3B |
HR |
RBI |
AVG |
| 1936 | Troy | Alabama-Florida | D | 93 | 390 | - | 115 | 16 | 9 | 1 | - | .295 |
| 1937 | Troy | Alabama-Florida | D | 122 | 503 | - | 124 | 24 | 8 | 0 | - | .247 |
| 1938 | Troy | Alabama-Florida | D | 131 | 544 | - | 142 | 27 | 6 | 2 | - | .261 |
| 1939 | Montgomery | Southeastern | B | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1939 | Dothan | Alabam-Florida | D | 87 | 361 | - | 85 | 17 | 6 | 2 | - | .235 |
| 1940 | Gadsden | Southeastern | B | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1940 | Jacksonville | East Texas | C | 29 | 107 | - | 32 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | .299 |
| 1940 | Wilmington | Interstate | B | 15 | 53 | - | 14 | 5 | 0 | 0 | - | .264 |
| 1940 | Saginaw | Michigan State | C | 17 | 78 | - | 26 | 7 | 1 | 1 | - | .333 |
| 1941 | Saginaw | Michigan State | C | 41 | 164 | - | 39 | 7 | 2 | 1 | - | .238 |
Date Added: May 4, 2021
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