Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Howard Schnellenberger on Florida Atlantic to a BCS Conference

By Dan Harralson

The man that began "The U", Howard Schnellenberger, is loving coaching the Owls of Florida Atlantic. Right after we talked to Coach Tuberville regarding the 2004 National Championship, I had the privilege of talking to Coach Schnellenberger. I sat in coaches' office shooting the breeze and talking football for over an hour. I talked to him about coaching alongside Bear Bryant and Gene Stallings to his Louisville and Miami days. There were two statements that stood out to me the most. One was his statement regarding legendary Rams coach, George Allen. I asked him why did you leave the offensive coordinator position under Bear Bryant (coaching Joe Namath and Kenny Stabler.) He looked me in the eyes and told me in his pipe-smoking voice, "You ever heard of George Allen?" (and then quickly changed the subject right back to coaching football.) It is definitely a conversation I will never forget. I told him he has achieved success everywhere he has coached and he is still doing a great job in the coaching profession. There was one question I still wanted answered, why is Coach Schnellenberger coaching a program like Florida Atlantic? His answer speaks volumes and solidifies his college football ambition he has learned since his Bear Bryant days. Here is the clip of coaches' response and his plan to lay a blueprint towards FAU being a member of a BCS conference: