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At just about any Maryville high school activity, fans can catch a glimpse of a man affectionately known as "The Big Show." Short and slender with a mischievous grin, Paul Snow doesn't have the look of anything big or showy, but in a life that's taken him from Red Oak, Iowa to the NFL, he's seen the big stage and found what he loves.
CW: What was your job with the Indianapolis Colts?
Paul Snow: I was introduced to that job through D.C. Colt when I was in undergrad school at Northwest back in the late '80s. He had known a friend of his that was an assistant trainer for the Colts, and they hire summer help, so D.C. kind of put me in touch with them. I spent two summers in Indianapolis while I was going to school at Northwest. So, it wasn't a full-time gig, it was just during the summers. So, what happened there is I was just a student assistant athletic trainer. So, we traveled with them hung out with the players all day long during the pre-season and stuff like that. After my two summers there, I graduated from Northwest and talked to them about a position, but I decided I was going to go to grad school instead. Looking back, I don't know. Mistake or not, who knows, but I declined that offer and went on to grad school at Iowa State.
CW: Who all was there when you were with the Colts?
PS: Erick Dickerson was there, Jeff George, Andre Rison was a rookie that year. At that time, they weren't a very good team. They had some superstars, but they weren't a very good team.
CW: Are there any stories about some of the players that were there then that you could tell about?
PS: Probably none that I probably should tell. One story I can tell you is, I think we were in the Superdome down in New Orleans, and we were playing the Saints. Both teams went out for pre-game, and this guy was running off the field towards the locker room because he'd forgot something right before kickoff. This guy is running across the field, and he trips right in the end zone and lands right on his face. Everybody in the Superdome just went up in this big roaring cheer.
CW: What was Northwest like whenever you went there?
PS: It was kind of like a small high school - small high school facilities. Since then, things have changed for the better - the way it should be.
CW: How did you meet your wife, Cari?
PS: That's a good question. It was really just from mutual friends.
CW: What's your favorite memory with her?
PS: I'd say going to the national championship games in Alabama with her because we've always had good times, and every day just being good friends with her.
CW: Is there anything else in particular you would like to accomplish?
PS: Not really. I guess I'd like to just keep doing what I'm doing. I enjoy what I do, so it's not really work to me.
CW: And why do they call you "The Big Show?"
PS: I don't know. Some kids here made it up a few years ago. I guess there was a wrestler named "The Big Show" and he's really big and I'm small. I really couldn't tell you though.
Thom Alvarez (friend, assistant principal)
CW: Do your families get together and do stuff together a lot?
TA: Yeah absolutely. We vacation together over the summer and do a lot of stuff together … He's been great with my boys, and now with my daughter. He's got a real way with kids just in general. He interacts well and kids seem to like him, both my little kids and the kids here at the high school.
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