Legendary Football Coach Howard Schnellenberger dies at 87
Legendary college football coach and former Alabama offensive coordinator Howard Schnellenberger passed away Saturday, according to Florida Atlantic University.
Schnellenberger joined the Crimson Tide staff as an offensive coordinator during the 1961 season, a move that reunited him with his old coach at Kentucky, legendary Alabama football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant.
Schnellenberger stayed in Tuscaloosa for five seasons, helping the Crimson Tide win three national championships in that timeframe. In 1966, he would leave Alabama and spend 12 seasons coaching with various teams in the NFL.
Arguably Schnellenberger’s most famous achievement came when he took the head coach position with the University of Miami Hurricanes in 1979, spending five seasons at the school.
Upon the retirement of Bryant in 1982, Schnellenberger was considered a top candidate for the head coaching job at Alabama, however former assistant Ray Perkins would get the job instead. This decision paid off, as Schnellenberger revitalized Miami’s football program by winning the school’s first national championship in 1983. His time with Miami is widely considered to be the starting point of Miami’s 80’s dynasty.
The rest of Schnellenberger’s coaching career included notable stops at Louisville, where he brought the Cardinals to the 1990 Fiesta Bowl and Florida Atlantic, where he helped the Owls jump from the FCS to the FBS. He ended his coaching career with Florida Atlantic, retiring in 2011.
Schnellenberger posted a total win-loss record of 141-133 with a perfect 6-0 bowl record in his career. Despite his 50+ years in coaching and national championship title, he has still not been admitted to the College Football Hall of Fame.
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