By Rebeca Lazo
PISD Communications
Since 2012, the Pasadena ISD Athletics Hall of Fame has been honoring some of the most celebrated names in sports history. The Hall of Fame will make history once again as it inducts its first Memorial High School honoree.
Bo Snelson, a graduate of Memorial’s Class of 2009, will be recognized for his outstanding performance in football and track.
“My father informed me that I was the first inductee in our school’s short history. It’s an awesome sense of pride that there are people in the area that still remember and think so highly of me,” says Snelson.
After high school, Snelson joined the United States Naval Academy, where he played football all four years. He took part in three bowl games and averaged 273 yards on 42 carries his senior year, earning the role of team captain, where he was known for his leadership skills and statistical contributions.
“The amount of success that you are able to achieve is directly related to how much work you are willing to put in...Focus on your goals and chase them relentlessly,” says Snelson.
During his time at Memorial, Snelson played football his junior and senior year, scoring a total of 57 touchdowns. After his senior season of football, he was named one of 50 Old Spice Red Zone national players of the year.
Snelson also ran track where he completed 4,078 yards and averaged 7.6 yards a carry. He has the highest total of yards ever compiled by a Pasadena ISD player. He placed third in a state track meet in the 4x100 relay and his team set a school record that still stands in a 4x200 relay.
“There were many individuals that encouraged and motivated me. My coaches and teammates were always a constant source of pride and motivation as well as the teachers and my family,” says Snelson. “The environment at Memorial was very tight knit and it really felt like everyone was pulling for the team’s success.”
Snelson now resides in San Diego, California, where he serves as a series commander and infantry officer for the Marine Corps.
“After heading to the Naval Academy to play football, the men that I came to respect the most and wanted to emulate as players, and as men, were almost all heading into the Marine Corps,” says Snelson. “I knew that if those types of men were continuing to join an organization like that then it was bound to be something special.”