Getty Tanya Snyder pictured in 2011.
Tanya Snyder is Washington NFL franchise owner Dan Snyder’s wife. The couple has three children, two daughters and a son.
Prior to the couple marrying on April 30, 1994, Snyder was a fashion model known as Tanya Ivie. Snyder is a native of Atlanta, Georgia.
Dan Snyder told the Washingtonian in 2006 that he met his wife in 1993 after they were set up on a blind date. The article refers to Snyder as a “former fashion model from Atlanta” who at the time was selling designer clothing. Dan Snyder said of the meeting, “We became instant pals.”
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Tanya Snyder Is a Well-Known & Celebrated Breast Cancer Advocate
Snyder is a spokesperson for breast cancer awareness. Snyder told The New York Times that she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008, saying, “I just remember being in a twilight zone. I felt like I was 2 feet tall. I was very afraid.”
Snyder is described in the article, which was published in September 2009, as being the “delicate face of the NFL’s effort during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.” Snyder did not go into detail regarding her breast cancer treatment during the interview. Snyder said that she had two operations, a year apart, to treat early-stage breast cancer. Snyder said she did not have the breast cancer gene.
Snyder was named the American Cancer Society’s Mother of the Year in 2013. Dan Snyder said of his wife, “She started and deserves all the credit for” the Washington NFL franchise being the first team in the league to wear pink in acknowledgment of Breast Cancer Awareness month in October 1999.
The Washington Post reported in September 2019 that the Snyders helped an employee of their charitable foundation to locate a surgeon for her son who had been diagnosed with a brain tumor.
2. Snyder Has Been Cancer-Free Since 2009
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Synder was asked in a 2013 interview with the NFL’s website about her battle with the disease and being disease-free. Snyder said, “Yes, it’s a very big milestone and I think it’s that first step in that takes a sense of relief off your shoulder. I think breast cancer is never anything you forget about, but it certainly gives you such a sense of relief that it’s a great first milestone.”
In 2006, Dan Snyder told the Washingtonian that the couple’s first child was born at 27 weeks, saying, “My wife lived for three months at George Washington hospital while she was in treatment.”
3. Snyder Donated More Than $500 to Donald Trump’s Presidential Campaign in 2015
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Snyder donated over $500 to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. The Washington City Paper first reported that Snyder had donated $534.86 to the Trump campaign in September 2015. In October 2015, Trump was quoted by The New York Times as saying of the Washington NFL franchise naming controversy, “I know Indians that are extremely proud of that name. They think it’s a positive. Honestly, I don’t think they should change the name, unless the owner wanted to.”
The Hill later reported that Dan Snyder had donated $100,000 to Right to Rise, a pro-Jeb Bush super-PAC.
The Washington City Paper reported in February 2016 that the Snyders had previously donated to former Republican Senator George Allen.
4. Tanya Snyder Was Making ‘Six Figures’ Per Year When She Met Her Husband
GettySnyder of the Washington Redskins wears a pin showcasing Breast Cancer Awareness month before the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at FedExField on October 4, 2009 in Landover, Maryland.
The Washington Post’s Roxanne Roberts wrote a feature on Snyder in October 1999. Snyder is named as a “Southern belle, former cheerleader and model.” Roberts went on to write that she was earning “six figures” at the time she met Dan Snyder.
Roberts reported that Snyder wears dark glasses during Washington games as the glare gives her a headache. Snyder told the newspaper that she grew up in Forest Park, a suburb of Atlanta, and that her father worked in the computer business. In the same interview, Snyder said that she was previously married to a Georgia-based jewelry salesman named Art Foreman at the age of 20. The couple divorced two years later. During the same interview, Snyder said that she abandoned her fashion business after her marriage to Dan Snyder in April 1994.
In 2012, Snyder helped to launch a range of Washington NFL franchise merchandise that was targeted at female fans. Snyder’s passion for footwear was covered by Footwear News in 2011. Snyder told the website, “I’ve invested in some shoes that were so beautiful, but they’re not comfortable at all. I’ll endure anything for beautiful shoes.”
5. Snyder Appeared on TV in 2014 to Defend Her Husband’s Decision to Not Change the Team’s Name
In August 2014, the Snyders appeared in a TV interview on WLJA to defend their decision to stand behind the team’s name. In the interview, Snyder says, “Dan cares more than anybody. He’s the most passionate fan that there is. We care very much.”
According to the Washington City Paper, in November 2010 Snyder spent time that month trying to change the public image of her husband. The newspaper says, “Last week she went on local TV to tell an interviewer that he is now surrounded by “better people,” and that he’s “grown and he’s evolved.”
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