Photo by Jim Rassol/TNS/Newscom
Football coaching legend Howard Schnellenberger is being remembered this week following his death this past Saturday, just 11 days after his 87th birthday.
Known for his gravelly voice and trademark bushy mustache, Schnellenberger touched lives throughout the South Florida football community as he coached on staff for teams such as the Miami Dolphins, University of Miami and our beloved Florida Atlantic University.
His death was announced by FAU, however a cause of death was not indicated.
Of his most notable successes was his recruitment of the great Joe Namath while with the Alabama Crimson Tide under head coach Bear Bryant. His time with Alabama proved fruitful as he used his talents to help bring the team three national championships during the five seasons he spent with them. His eye for the game was quickly spotted by professionals in the NFL and in the early 1970’s he found himself working with the Miami Dolphins, a position he left briefly in 1973 to take a job with the Baltimore Colts. However, like many people, Schnellenberger missed the South Florida way of life and returned to the Dolphins in 1975, a choice that would come to define his career path from that point forward.
Towards the end of the ‘70s, Schnellenberger decided a change of pace was in order and took a job with the University of Miami football program. Upon his arrival the team was struggling. In fact, they had such a poor performance record that the university threatened to cut funding and eliminate the program if things didn’t turn around quickly. Luckily, they had hired just the man for the job.
With his revolutionary recruiting strategy, Schnellenberger, not only put Miami back on the map, but ended up coaching them all the way to the program’s first national championship. His out-of-the-box game plan was built from a playbook relying heavily on passing, a style he had first seen while coaching in the NFL. He quickly found that college teams weren’t prepared for this style of play and found early success with this strategy.
“The loss of Coach Schnellenberger is immeasurable in so many ways for the University of Miami family,” Blake James, athletic director for the University of Miami, tweeted this weekend. “He will be remembered as much more than a coach. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, former colleagues and players. He will forever be a Hurricane.”
Known nationally for his “State of Miami” recruiting strategy, Schnellenberger had an unmatched eye for talent and brought national attention to the previously skipped over high school football talent in South Florida. His method of recruiting quickly became a norm throughout other competitive programs and has forever changed the ways coaches find the talent for their teams.
In 1993, Schnellenberger was inducted into the University of Miami’s Sports Hall of Fame. Additionally, he was honored in the ESPN documentary “The U” where he speaks on camera about his time coaching at the university.
After his retirement, Schnellenberger remained quiet for some time. However, in 1998 he came back onto the scene as the director of football operations for FAU. After raising $13 million and building the team up from the ground, he announced himself as head coach and spent two years helping the team get into the Sun Belt Conference. He was instrumental in the construction of the FAU Stadium, the field of which is named in his honor.
In 2011, he decided it was time to enjoy the more relaxing side of South Florida from his Boynton Beach home and announced his retirement. In the years following this announcement, FAU honored his legacy by inducting him into the university’s Hall of Fame in 2019.
This week, we honor Schnellenberger for his intensity, grit and ability to positively impact all of the players he coached during his time. His impact on the South Florida community will continue to live on in the programs he built and in the legacy he leaves behind.