Former Louisville Coach Howard Schnellenberger Passes Away

The former head football coach of the Cardinals who is credited with lifting the program to new heights has died at 87.

(Photo of Howard Schnellenberger: Allen Eyestone via Imagn Content Services, LLC)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Howard Schnellenberger, the legendary former head football coach who injected new life into the Louisville program and helped lay the bedrock for what the Cardinals are today, passed away Saturday morning at his home in Florida. He was 87.

“Howard always allowed me to be a part of his football life," his wife Beverlee said in a prepared statement. "Watching him on the sidelines was an opportunity that gave us a special closeness – win or lose – that not many wives get. Even though he never smiled, he was always smiling in his heart.”

When Louisville hired Schnellenberger in December of 1984, the Cardinals has experienced 10 losing seasons in the last 12. While they had an 8-24-1 overall record through his first three seasons, unprecedented success was soon to follow.

Schnellenberger guided Louisville to an 8-3 record in 1988 and 6-5 in 1989, then followed that up with the best season in school history. Louisville went 10-1-1 in 1990, capped off with a 34-7 win over Alabama in the Fiesta Bowl, and their first appearance in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll at No. 11.

After a pair of down follow up years, the Cardinals rose back to national prominence. Schnellenberger led Louisville to a 9-3 record in 1993, including an 18-7 win over Michigan State in the Liberty Bowl to finish ranked No. 24 in the nation.

Schnellenberger departed the program after the 1994 season due to Louisville’s desire to join Conference-USA, but not before playing a crucial role in the eventual opening of Cardinal Stadium in 1998.

Before his tenure in Louisville, he spent five years at Miami, also lifting the Hurricanes to unprecedented heights. In 1983, he led The U to their first ever national championship, upsetting Nebraska 31-30.

Schnellenberger had a one year stint in Oklahoma in 1995, then helped build the Florida Atlantic program from the ground up, coaching them from 2004 to 2011. In 277 career games as a head coach, he carries a 141-133-3 overall record, with a 54-56-2 mark at Louisville.

Rest In Peace, coach.

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