Legendary college football coach Howard Schnellenberger dies at the age of 87

by

Howard Schnellenberger, who led Miami to its first national championship and turned a once-struggling football program into a dynasty in the process, died Saturday, his family announced. He was 87.

What Schnellenberger did in Miami remains one of the greatest transformations in the history of college football. Before arriving in 1979, Miami drivers considered dropping the sport as losses increased and morale dropped.

But after helping win the 1983 national championship, Miami won three more national titles over the next six seasons. Although he was only there for the ’83 title, the speed and athletics that the Hurricanes first showed under Schnellenberger became a blueprint for programs across the country.

“The loss of coach Schnellenberger is immeasurable to the University of Miami family in so many ways,” Miami AD Blake James said in a prepared statement. “He helped our university grow during a critical period and laid a foundation for future success, on the football field and beyond. Our thoughts are with his family, friend, former colleagues and players. He will be a hurricane forever.”

Its impact extended beyond Miami. Schnellenberger later revitalized his hometown Louisville Cardinals and built Florida Atlantic football from scratch, leaving an indelible mark on three college football programs over three decades.

His baritone voice, bushy mustache and ever-present pipe made him seem more of a businessman than a football coach, but they became as synonymous with Schnellenberger as his penchant for embracing reclamation projects.

He did that first with Miami, a job that friends urged him to avoid because it looked like a dead end. Schnellenberger saw otherwise and stated that Miami would win a national championship within five years. He strengthened discipline within the program, focusing his recruitment efforts primarily on the untapped potential in South Florida, calling the area the “ State of Miami. ”

It didn’t take long for Miami to rise to national importance, culminating in the 1984 Orange Bowl against Nebraska, a game that is one of the biggest setbacks in the sport.

Miami entered as the underdog on his home field. But when Kenny Calhoun hit Turner Gill’s 2-point conversion pass, the Hurricanes sealed the 31-30 upset and the first national championship in school history.

In an interview after the game, Schnellenberger said, “This is a love affair that has been developing for five years, and tonight was the fulfillment of a dream. I say fulfillment. It could well be the beginning of a dream.”

It was, but Schnellenberger wasn’t there to see it firsthand. Schnellenberger left the Hurricanes after that championship season to take a job with a USFL team scheduled for Miami. At the time, he told The Miami Herald that he was leaving because he felt constrained by Miami’s athletic budget and couldn’t pass up the $ 3 million contract offer.

But the team never materialized and Schnellenberger ended the 1984 football season.

In 2011, Schnellenberger said of leaving Miami, “If you look at it objectively, it’s the dumbest thing a human can do.”

But a year without coaching gave him the opportunity to move to Louisville, where he became head coach in 1985. He also promised national championships there, and while he didn’t win any, he revitalized a program that was in worse shape. than Miami was when he took over. During his 10 years as a head coach, Louisville won a Fiesta Bowl and Schnellenberger led the construction of a stadium on campus. The current football complex bears his name.

He left in 1995 to become a head coach at Oklahoma, another decision he regretted. After a miserable season with 5-5-1, Schnellenberger resigned under pressure.

Schnellenberger would get another chance to coach, in the state where he made a name for himself. In 1998, a commuter school in Boca Raton, Florida, wanted to start a football program. Schnellenberger was chosen as Florida Atlantic’s football operations director and later decided to coach the team. He had a quick vision for the owls: After spending three years at the FCS level, they would become an FBS program.

He’d ditched the pipe by now for health reasons, but still wore his signature sports coat, suspenders, and tie on the sidelines. During his time as head coach, FAU went to two bowl games and had a stadium built on campus there as well. When he retired in 2011, Schnellenberger had amassed an overall record of 158-151-3. The field at the stadium also bears his name.

His resume includes not only championship rings (three won as an assistant in Alabama, one with the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins, and one with 1983’s Miami), but also the quarterbacks he coached or recruited. As an Alabama assistant in 1962, Schnellenberger convinced top recruit Joe Namath to sign with the Tide of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania.

With the Hurricanes, he coached Jim Kelly, Bernie Kosar and Vinny Testaverde, the foundation for the “Quarterback U” name that Miami once owned.

Then there are the coaches he learned from. Schnellenberger played for Paul “Bear” Bryant in Kentucky and later coached with him in Alabama; he also coached under NFL Hall of Famers George Allen and Don Shula. Schnellenberger had his chance as NFL head coach, leaving the Dolphins after the 1972 season to take over the Baltimore Colts. But his tenure lasted 17 games – he was fired after a dispute with the owner after a 0-3 start in 1974.

Schnellenberger was born March 16, 1934 in Louisville and played tight end in Kentucky from 1952 to ’55, earning All-America honors in his senior year. After a brief stint in the CFL, he began his coaching career with his alma mater before joining Bryant in Alabama.

After retiring from FAU, he served as an ambassador for the school and stayed in the South Florida area. When Miami and FAU first played against each other in 2013, Schnellenberger was named an honorary co-captain.

Survivors include his wife Beverlee, sons Stuart and Tim, and three grandchildren. He had been predeceased by his son Stephen.

Source