By: Pedro Heizer
Howard Schnellenberger has been to the FAU Owls what his mentor, Don Shula was for the Miami Dolphins. Schnellenberger has devoted his time and passion to get the FAU Football program off the ground.
He spent two years as the school’s director of football operations, though there was no football team, and has since been the only coach the program has ever known.
Schnellenberger was the driving force behind getting an on-campus stadium and made FAU a common name in both the state and the country.
When Schnellenberger came to FAU in 1998, one of the first things he proposed was an on-campus stadium. He had made a similar proposal during his tenures at the University of Miami, and Louisville.
Schnellenberger understands the importance of an on-campus stadium, from his days with The University of Miami in the late 70s and early 80s.
The Hurricanes played at the Orange Bowl and Schnellenberger said one of his first games (a game versus Notre Dame) had to be moved because fans wouldn’t travel to the Orange Bowl despite the Irish being one of the most recognizable teams in college football.
He said he didn’t want FAU to have the same problems.
“I’ve been right in the middle of this thing for all these years and can see the significance of playing their home games on campus,” Schnellenberger said. “It was absolutely obvious to us that a stadium needed to be built on our campus because no college football team wants to be off their own campus. The ones that off-campus certainly wish that they were on campus and that is true of the great teams as well.”
According to Schnellenberger, a school becomes recognizable after its football program becomes important in the national eyes. UCLA, FSU, UF, UCF, Auburn, LSU, Alabama, all were small schools at one point. These schools grew once the school invested in a football stadium. Once a football program becomes seen in the national media, not only will it be easier for the school to sign recruits, but the school will grow along with the football program.
“With this football stadium, FAU will now be a major player when it comes to recruitment, and being noticed by bigger conferences.” an enthusiastic Schnellenberger in his office explained the importance of a football stadium in a University.
Not only is the stadium a huge boost for the College Life at FAU, but it will also be a huge boost for the city of Boca Raton. The new 30,000 seat stadium will attract fans from all over Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, and other neighboring cities. All these people will come to the heart of Boca Raton and will end up eating at the local restaurants, go to bars, clubs, or any form of entertainment after the games, much like FSU has right now.
Seeing his dream of an on-campus stadium realized is one of the highlights of Schnellenberger’s career, and in spite of feeling the pull of retirement that is just around the corner (Schnellenberger will retire after the season), Schnellenberger hasn’t lost his passion for the game.
FAU found the ultimate builder and the ultimate dreamer; Schnellenberger is the type of guy who is able to look at a pile of junk and see gold.
As for what Schnellenberger sees in the future for FAU, “I can see them in 15 years being parts of the Big East Conference and competing for a national title or a meaningful bowl game.”