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SPORTSTuesday 12 April 2016
Ed Snider, founder of Philadelphia Flyers, dies at 83
DAN GELSTON
AP Sports Writer
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Ed
Snider was weakened by
cancer, the disease that
kept him from his beloved
Philadelphia Flyers.
General manager Ron Hex-
tall went to Snider’s home in
California in December be-
fore a scouting trip, watch-
ing what would be their last
Flyers game together on
TV.
The St. Louis Blues led 3-0 in ica” on FaceTime as the
the second period, souring
the mood.
“He looked at me 3-zip and
said, ‘We didn’t plan this,’”
Hextall said, smiling.
Snider high-fived Hextall,
though, when the Flyers
scored one goal, then two
and three.
“He was in pain, a lot of
pain,” Hextall said. “But
when we scored that fourth
goal, he got right out of his
seat. I couldn’t believe it.”
Snider, the Philadelphia Fly-
ers founder whose Bullies
became the first expansion
team to win the Stanley
Cup, died Monday after a
two-year battle with blad-
der cancer. He was 83.
“Despite his considerable
business achievements
and public profile, he was
first and foremost a fam-
ily man,” the Snider family
said in a statement. “Un-
rivaled, however, was his
love for the Philadelphia
Flyers Hockey Club, the
team he created 50 years
ago and to which he re-
mained fiercely devoted
IAAF to allow women to compete in 50K walk for 1st time
MONACO (AP) — The last
male-only event in track
and field is opening up to
women.
The IAAF said Monday that
female athletes will be al-
lowed to compete for the
first time in 50-kilometer
race walk events, a deci-
sion that followed a petition
by American race walker
Erin Taylor-Talcott.
“This such a huge and
amazing step for women’s
rights and for female race
walkers all over the world,”
she said.
The IAAF’s ruling council
amended its rules to allow
women to compete along
This is a July 9, 2013, file photo showing Philadelphia Flyers
chairman Ed Snider during a news conference in Philadelphia.
through his final days.”
With Snider ailing, the Flyers Comcast-Spectacor, was
clinched a playoff spot Sat-
urday and dedicated the
playoff push to him. Phila-
delphia plays Washington
in the first round.
Snider watched Lauren
Hart sing “God Bless Amer-
team’s longtime anthem
singer held out her phone
during her performance.
She blew kisses after the
song.
“He is the Philadelphia Fly-
ers,” captain Claude Gir-
oux said Monday.
Snider was arguably the
most influential executive in
Philadelphia sports. He was
chairman of the 76ers, was
once a part-owner of the
Eagles and had a hand in
founding both Comcast’s
local sports channel and
the city’s largest sports-talk Snider was confident hock-
radio station.
Snider, chairman of the
with men in the 50K at the
World Race Walking Team
Championships in Rome
from May 7-8. The results
will count equally with the
men’s toward the overall
team result.
The decision covers partici-
pation of female athletes in
future mixed races until the
IAAF introduces a separate
50K for women.
IAAF President Sebas-
tian Coe said the change
“marks one of the last im-
portant steps to ensure
equal competition oppor-
tunities for male and fe-
male athletes at IAAF com-
petitions.”
After being swept out of
the playoffs in the first round the minority share and had
in 1969, Snider directed his
Associated Press general manager to ac-
quire bigger, tougher play-
Flyers’ parent company, ers.
Five seasons later, the
elected to the Hockey Hall Broad Street Bullies beat
of Fame in 1988. the Boston Bruins for the
“Ed Snider was the soul and Stanley Cup. The Flyers re-
the spirit of the Flyers, who peated as champions in
have reflected his com- 1975 — the team’s last title.
petitiveness, his passion for “We were the best thing
hockey and his love for the that happened to the Na-
fans,” NHL Commissioner tional Hockey League,” for-
Gary Bettman said. mer Flyers enforcer Dave
Snider built his fortune with “The Hammer” Schultz said.
a record company and ar- “Some might disagree. But
rived in Philadelphia in 1964 we created a lot of excite-
as a part owner of the Phil- ment in the franchises that
adelphia Eagles, serving as were existing then.”
the team’s treasurer. Snider reveled in that ex-
Upon hearing that the Na- citement — and controver-
tional Hockey League was sy — created by the Bullies
going to expand from its at the ol’ Spectrum.
original six teams to 12, “When the officials made
Snider was awarded an a bad call in my mind, ev-
expansion club in 1966. erybody would look back
The Flyers played their first and I’d be standing up
game in October 1967 in screaming, so they’d all be
front of 7,800 people. standing up and scream-
ing,” Snider said. “I had a
ey would be a hit in blue- great connection with the
collar Philadelphia. fans and I miss that tremen-
dously.”
Snider assumed control of
the Spectrum, the now-
demolished home arena
for the Flyers and Sixers, in
1971. Three years later, he
established Spectacor, a
management company
that controlled the Flyers
and Spectrum, where the
team had enjoyed its most
success.
Comcast-Spectacor owns
about three-quarters of
In recent decades, the man Chris Turner.
IAAF has introduced pole “Olympics are not orga-
vault and hammer throw nized by the IAAF, so this
competitions for women. amendment is currently
“The 50K race walk un- only for IAAF champs,”
til now remained the last Turner said in an email.
event solely open to men,” Taylor-Talcott reached the
Coe said. qualifying time for the 50K
The 20K race walk became in 2011 but was initially de-
an Olympic event for wom- nied entry to the U.S. Olym-
en in 1992. pic trials. She was eventu-
The IAAF world champion- ally allowed to compete
ships and the Olympics cur- as a “guest” as long as she
rently feature 20K walks for agreed not to compete
men and women, and 50K in the men’s event at the
for men. 2012 London Olympics.
The new change will not In 2014, Taylor-Talcott
apply to the Olympics in reached a settlement
Rio de Janeiro in August, with USA Track and Field
according to IAAF spokes- on equal prize money for
the Flyers while Snider held
day-to-day control.
“We absolutely intend to
continue to own the Fly-
ers,” Comcast CEO Brian
Roberts told The Associat-
ed Press.
“Ed wanted nothing to
change. Of course, ev-
erything changes. But we
were ready for this.”
Spectacor went on to es-
tablish or buy other busi-
nesses, including Philadel-
phia-area cable channel
Prism and WIP-AM. Snider’s
company picked up the ra-
dio station around the time
it was one of the first in the
country to transition to an
all-sports format.
He also developed what is
now the Wells Fargo Cen-
ter, which opened as the
new home of the Flyers and
Sixers in 1996. That same
year, Snider merged Spec-
tacor with Comcast Corp.,
bringing together the Fly-
ers, Sixers, Philadelphia
Phantoms of the American
Hockey League, the Wa-
chovia Center and Spec-
trum.
The company joined with
the Philadelphia Phil-
lies to form the region-
al sports channel Com-
cast SportsNet, and now
runs arenas and stadiums
around the country.
Under Snider, the Sixers
drafted Allen Iverson and
the team reached the NBA
Finals in 2001. Comcast-
Spectacor sold the team in
2011.q
women at USATF’s 50K
events.
She and fellow American
Susan Randall competed
in the first international 50K
walk for women in Chile last
May.
Taylor-Talcott then peti-
tioned the IAAF to allow
women to compete in its
events.
“I’m feeling so many emo-
tions right now, but the
main one is excitement to
get out on the course ready
to race my hardest against
the best in the world,” Tay-
lor-Talcott said in a state-
ment issued by U.S. law firm
Winston & Strawn.q