Since 2013, Assistant General Manager Jeremy Snyder has been instrumental in shaping the Ottawa REDBLACKS’ strategic direction.

Hired originally as the Director of Football Administration and Pro College Scout, Snyder was promoted to his current title in 2017, rewarding his dedication to the franchise. Today, he’s an important figure for the club, helping make critical decisions daily.

“My day-to-day kind of varies,” Snyder said. “It’s basically a lot of roster management with General Manager Shawn Burke and the rest of the team, and that can be anything from signing new players and bringing them into our organization, to sending a player home. It just depends on what’s going on that day.”

Though the club began play in 2014, the early days of the REDBLACKS laid the foundation for what they would become. Through the first CFL Drafts in 2013 and 2014, the expansion draft, and the signing of legendary quarterback Henry Burris.

“It’s a privilege to be a part of something you’ve built literally from the ground up,” Snyder said. “It was a lot of unknown, but it was a ton of fun, and that’s the one thing I always take from it. I’ll probably never get to do that again, and it’s something that you can always hang your hat on and be proud of, especially when everything’s grown into what it is today.”

That 2014 season began with the triumphant claim that the REDBLACKS weren’t just an expansion team, and they planned on being competitive right out of the gate. It didn’t quite work out that way, finishing the season with a 2-16 record, but Snyder has no regrets, even today.

“I think we needed that mindset, because we didn’t want to let anybody down,” Snyder said. “We had a big responsibility to bring football back to Ottawa and bring it back the right way. You can’t be 100 percent on all the decisions that you make, and I think that the biggest thing is that we were able to reassess and make the necessary changes that we needed to make.”

With wanting to win right away, Snyder and company were tasked with a near-impossible mission: make a two-win football team a Grey Cup contender in one offseason.

“It’s probably something that will go down in history as one of the best free agency hauls,” Snyder said. “Everything worked out and was planned properly, but it was a big collaboration with everybody. When (the players) they got here, they took off, and everything snowballed really quickly.”

Immediately, it was special. The REDBLACKS won 12 games in 2015 and made it all the way to the Grey Cup, where they eventually lost. For the fans, it was a massive success, and a feeling unlike any other, but for Snyder and the rest of the front office, they knew they needed to double down, and finish the job in 2016.

Flash forward to the 104th Grey Cup game in Toronto, Snyder is standing on the sideline throwing the ball around with Burris, hoping and praying that his star quarterback would be healthy enough to play.

The nerves were flying around.

“That’s every game, to be honest with you,” Snyder said. “Every second takes forever, and every play is agonizing. You’re kind of willing them to do it, because in our position, we have no control of anything at that point.”

Think of any moment in that game that you’d like, whether it’s the Patrick Lavoie touchdown, the shoe-string tackle by Adbul Kanneh, or the bobbled catch by Ernest Jackson, Snyder’s favourite of them all was seeing the confetti rain down after the franchise’s single biggest win.

“Nothing will ever top that,” Snyder said. “When you’re the team at the end of the year that finishes the way that you set out at the beginning, that’ll always top everything.”

There have been tough times between then and now, but once again, the REDBLACKS have their arrow pointed up, much like they did in 2015.

“We’re still young, and that’s part of it,” Snyder said. “It’s why we needed to bring some of those veterans who had winning mindsets, who came from winning programs inside the CFL.”

Like the team on the field continues to learn and grow, so does Snyder.

“Anytime you get an opportunity to do something that you love and do something that you really have a passion for, you run with it as far as you can,” he said. “I was lucky enough to work in the Chicago Bears organization for my first pro job, and we went to the Super Bowl. We didn’t win, unfortunately, thanks to Peyton Manning, but you keep building and growing, and make those moves wherever they lead you. You grab that opportunity by the horns and go for it.”

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be living in Ottawa, Canada for 10 years. You know, 10 plus years in one place isn’t going to work very often in pro sports.”

With another season in the books, the word on his lips is “thankful.”

“I appreciate everything from the ownership down,” Snyder said, “The friendships that have been gained, and the opportunity to be here in the city and feel like a part of it as an American coming up here have been amazing. It’s just been one heck of a ride.”