Schnellenberger Lore

What better way to break up the summer doldrums than with some of Sonja’s favorite memories of the coach, the pipe, the pontificator, Howard Schnellenberger:

 By Sonja

One of my favorite Howard memories at Cardinal Stadium was Howard driving around the parking lot several hours after a game in a golf cart…pretty sure with Ron Steiner…thanking the remaining tailgaters for coming to the game. We used to tailgate by “Light Pole D” on the north side of the stadium…we’d have people there 4-5 hours before the game to save the 8-10 parking spots we needed for our group. After games, we’d be there until Fairgrounds security forced us to go.Â

When Howard would roll up in his golf cart, we’d always offer him and Ron food and beverages … and they usually took us up on it. Howard became a fan of “Mama Lou’s potato salad”…a special dish one of our tailgaters made from scratch…and in his booming, gravelly voice…Howard would ask if there was any “Mama Lou potato salad” left when they’d roll up on us. We always made sure we had some, and would even have her make a bowl and we’d pick it up if she wasn’t going to attend a game.  This tradition continued until 2007, when “Mama Lou” passed away, but she did pass her recipe on to a daughter in law…we still enjoy it today. Â

Howard wasn’t opposed to having a Lite beer occasionally with us, then would roll off…jokingly telling us he had to get to the midnight mass at St. Stephen Martyr. It was a special time for us…we didn’t bother him with a whole lot of questions about the game…we’d tell him jokes and stories and he’d relax, laugh and tell a few stories himself.  One night, Howard was running very late, and we were wondering if he’d drive over or not when the Fairgrounds Security began pressuring us to leave. Just in the nick of time, Howard rolled up informed the security guards that we were holding his “late dinner” for him and we wouldn’t be going anywhere until “we were damn good and ready.” The guards drove off, Howard hopped out of the golf cart and proceeded to work his way thru the food tables.

 Howard loved to take off his National Championship ring and show it to the young kids. Every little ones eyes would light up when they saw how big and how heavy that ring was….and he’d go into a story about how Miami squeaked by, held on and  won that game.  Besides Beverlee and his children, I do believe the ring is one of his most favorite things in his life. My nephew, at age 4, solemnly offered to buy it from him one evening…holding out a dollar bill.  Instead, Howard signed the dollar bill with his favorite quote…”to believe is to be strong”…and my nephew…now 19, has that dollar bill in a frame with a picture of Howard. Â

 On his occasional return visits to Louisville after taking the Florida Atlantic job, Howard always likes to get together with the guys at the Parrish House, some of his old Flaget buddies are members there, and Al’s always got a “mug” in the freezer with Howard’s name on it.  When FAU came up to play the Cards, though…Beverlee came over to the Parrish House to visit and the security guard didn’t realize who she was and refused to let her in! Finally, one of the members came to the rescue…and she was able to catch up on things with her and Howard’s buddies.