Longtime Belleville football coach and ‘mentor’ dies from complications of COVID-19
A longtime coach and teacher in Belleville School District 201 and positive role model for countless student-athletes, Dennis Snep died Sunday.
Snep’s son, Gary Snep, confirmed Monday that his dad died of complications related to Covid-19.
“He would do anything for anybody,” Gary Snep said Monday. “He loved being a mentor and a role model and making a positive impact on people.’’
Snep, 74, was a football coach in Belleville School District 201 for nearly four decades. A longtime assistant coach at Belleville East who would later become the Lancers athletic director from 1995-98, Snep eventually moved across town to become head coach at Belleville West from 1999-2007.
Snep was inducted into the St. Louis Metropolitan Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2009 and spent 10 years as a member of the Washington University coaching staff in St. Louis.
The news of Snep’s death drew thoughts and memories from administrators, former players and coaches.
Belleville East assistant coach Todd Blomberg was a player at Belleville East from 1983-85 and later worked with Snep on the Lancers’ coaching staff.
“Dennis was a tremendous role model and a father figure who believed in doing things the right way, not only on the football field, but in life as well,’’ Blomberg said. “I have had many mentors — people like Mike McGinnis — and Dennis Snep was right at the top with them.’’
Belleville West assistant coach Brian Capell, also a former player at Belleville East, said Snep emphasized five things to those who played for him.
“Never quit, always hustle, block and tackle, be a playmaker, pursue and finish,’’ Capell said. “We learned them on the football field, but used them in life.”
Capell, who worked on Snep’s staff at West, also described the coach as a mentor.
“Since I was working for him I got to see all sorts of other kids in the school get the same treatment and respect as I did when I was in school,” he said. “These kids were lucky to have a teacher or a coach like Dennis. He had tough love and put you in your place when needed. He pushed us to be better coaches and nobody could outwork him.
“He was very loyal to his coaches and his players. He demanded a lot from us as coaches and you did not want to let him down. He got kids out of trouble, helped them with family issues, and was like a father to many of the kids that he coached at West. I realized that’s who he was, he put others first and would do anything for kids to help them.’’
Belleville District 201 issued the following statement about Snep:
“The entire Belleville Township High School District #201 family is deeply saddened by the passing of retired teacher and coach, Dennis Snep. Coach Snep dedicated over 40 years of his life to education, and changed many lives during his time with us. He was a mentor to students and staff, he was a leader. He cared deeply about others, and displayed an energy that was both infectious and incredible! Coach Snep will be dearly missed. Our thoughts are with the school community that knew and loved him, his family and his friends as they experience this tragic loss. Our minds and hearts are filled with the many good ways that Coach Snep positively impacted those around him. ‘’
This story was originally published February 8, 2021 at 6:06 PM.
