Skip to content

Ad Disclosure

Legendary CFB coach Howard Schnellenberger has passed away

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

The college football world has lost one of the legendary figures of the game in head coach Howard Schnellenberger. Florida Atlantic announced his passing Saturday morning.

Schnellenberger played collegiately at Kentucky from 1952-56. He would go on to begin his coaching career with the Wildcats as an assistant from 1959-60.

His first big break came in 1961 when Schnellenberger joined Bear Bryant’s Alabama staff as offensive coordinator. From ’61-’65, Schnellenberger was a part of three national championships with the Crimson Tide and helped recruit legendary quarterback Joe Namath to Tuscaloosa.

Schnellenberger’s first shot as a head coach came in 1973 with the Baltimore Colts in the NFL. He was fired during the middle of the 1974 season after posting a 4-13 overall record.

From there, he would serve on the Miami Dolphins staff as OC, his second stint with the Dolphins. He was eventually hired by the Miami Hurricanes in 1979.

Schnellenberger is widely credited for turning Miami into a powerhouse. He led the Hurricanes to the 1983 National Championship, the first of three for Miami in the 1980s.

Schnellenberger would also go on to coach at Louisville, Oklahoma, and Florida Atlantic. He finished his coaching career with a 158-151-3 record in the collegiate ranks.

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.