The University of Louisville has named its football complex, located in the north end zone of Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, in honor of former U of L Football Coach Howard Schnellenberger.
The naming honor was unveiled in a ceremony prior to the Cardinals' football game against Florida Atlantic, a team currently coached by Schnellenberger. He was also one of six former Cardinal greats inducted into the U of L Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday night.
"One of the most impressive things about Coach Schnellenberger was the great vision he had for this football program," said U of L Vice President for Athletics Tom Jurich. "He inspired everyone to believe that this university could be competitive on a national level. He has been good to me since I've been at Louisville and we're proud to have this facility named in his honor."
Schnellenberger arrived at Louisville in 1985 just two years after guiding Miami to the 1983 National Championship, providing U of L with immediate national credibility. He had a bold vision for U of L with his statement of "We're on a collision course with the national championship. The only variable is time."
Schnellenberger guided the Cardinals to some of their most impressive seasons in school history. His 1990 U of L team capped a 10-1-1 season with a dominating 34-7 victory over Alabama in the Fiesta Bowl as the Cardinals earned a No. 12 final national ranking. The Cardinals' 1993 team was 9-3 with victories over Arizona State, Texas and a season-ending 18-7 bowl win over Michigan State.
A native of Louisville, Schnellenberger was the driving force behind the construction of Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. He was a huge factor in renewing the annual football rivalry with Kentucky, agreeing to play in Louisville for the first four years while the Cards' new stadium was under construction.
Schnellenberger had a 10-year coaching record of 54-56-2 with the Cardinals, but nearly half of those losses came in his first three season while laying the groundwork for the program (U of L was 8-26-1 his first three years). U of L had endured nine straight losing seasons before his 1988 squad produced an 8-3 record.