Schnellenberger, architect of Canes’ rise, dies at 87

Howard Schnellenberger, who coached the University of Miami football team to prominence and won the program’s first of five national championships, died Saturday. He was 87.

Schnellenberger’s family announced his death through a statement issued to Florida Atlantic, where he was head coach from 2001-11 and which named its field after him. That capped off a coaching career that spanned 52 years.

As Alabama’s offensive coordinator under the legendary Bear Bryant from 1961-65, Schnellenberger recruited Joe Namath to Tuscaloosa.

Though best known for his success in the college ranks — he coached Louisville and Oklahoma in between Miami and Florida Atlantic and compiled a 158-151-3 record — Schnellenberger spent nearly a decade in the NFL before most of it.

The offensive coordinator under Don Shula for the only undefeated Super Bowl champion in NFL history? That was Schnellenberger, who parlayed his success with the 1972 Dolphins into the head coaching job with the Baltimore Colts in 1973.

After a three-game losing streak to start his second season, Schnellenberger was fired by owner Bob Irsay over a dispute on who should be starting at quarterback. Irsay infamously told the general manager and the locker room of the firing before he informed Schnellenberger.

Schnellenberger slipped back into his role as Dolphins offensive coordinator in 1975, remaining there until taking over the Hurricanes in 1979.

Miami almost dropped its football program before Schnellenberger arrived with the recruiting plan to “build a fence around South Florida” — the model for modern instate recruiting — and a passoriented playbook when most national powers were still ground-and-pound.

“Without him, there is no Miami Football,” the program said in a statement.

His Hurricanes teams were built around speed and athleticism, and the top Florida high schoolers started staying home to play together.

With the program thriving, Schnellenberger, who had coached quarterbacks Jim Kelly, Vinny Testaverde and Bernie Kosar at Miami, handed it off to the soonto-be great Jimmy Johnson. Schnellenberger left to become part-owner, team president, general manager and head coach of a USFL franchise in Miami, but “The Spirit of Miami” never actually came to fruition.

Schnellenberger was rumored to be a candidate for Giants head coach after Big Blue went 3-12-1 in 1983. General manager George Young, though he reportedly spoke to Schnellenberger, ultimately decided to stick with the coach who led the Giants to that 1983 flop: Bill Parcells.

Schnellenberger suffered a subdural hematoma after a fall at his home last August. It is unknown if that is related to the cause of death.