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BUFFALO, NY – Graduate defensive end Max Michel and graduate quarterback Cole Snyder were each awarded the Lambert Cup Team Football Legacy Scholarship in a ceremony following Thursday's practice.
The Lambert Cup Team Football Legacy Scholarship was established by members of the 1958 UB football team in 2009. The scholarship is awarded annually to a football student-athlete who has distinguished himself amongst his peers. The recipient, through his actions both in the classroom and on the field of play, exemplifies the characteristics and spirit of the men who came before him.
Both Michel and Snyder have been standouts on the field and in the community.
Michel, in his sixth year with the program, is enjoying his best season with the Bulls. He has a team-best 2.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss to go along with 16 tackles and three pass breakups. Earlier this month, he was awarded the 1-MAC Award given to a student-athlete in the Mid-American Conference for achievements in impact and excellence in inclusion efforts.
Snyder is in his second season as UB's starting quarterback. He currently leads the MAC in passing and is already closing in on 4,000 career passing yards - looking to become just the 10th quarterback in program to accomplish the feat. Off the field, he created a non-profit, Dare to Be Great, with the goal of supporting high school athletes from Western New York achieve their dreams of playing at a higher level.
Joe Oliverio and Charles Tirone, two members of UB's 1958 team, were in attendance on Thursday to present the awards to Michel and Snyder.
The 1958 University at Buffalo football team will be remembered as much for its dominance on the football field as for its unity off it. Following an 8-1 regular season, the Bulls were honored on "The Ed Sullivan Show" for winning the Lambert Cup — a trophy given to the best small school program in the East. The honor came with an invitation to play Florida State in the Tangerine Bowl — UB's first bowl invitation.
However, in a time of civil rights unrest, the invitation came with one condition: that Buffalo's two African-American players, Willie Evans and Mike Wilson, not attend the game. Without hesitation, the team unanimously voted not to play the game, refusing to leave their teammates behind.
The 1958 team's unified stance against racism was a great and principled action, inspiring to others, and dignified themselves, the university, and all of Buffalo in the eyes of the entire nation.