25 years of FAU football and role Howard Schnellenberger played

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FAU football is celebrating its 25th anniversary, tracing its origins back to a meeting between then-president Anthony Catanese and legendary coach Howard Schnellenberger.

Florida Atlantic University will celebrate 25 years of football this season with many significant memories.

And it all started at Uncle Tai’s.

When choosing one seminal moment, it would be hard to top a lunch held at the now-defunct Chinese restaurant in Boca Raton between then-president Anthony Catanese and Howard Schnellenberger.

Because that meeting Catanese set up 1998 to seek advice from Schnellenberger on how to start a football program, ended with the legendary coach being named director of football operations of the fledgling program. Later, he added the title of head coach to his letterhead.

And the perception of a then-little known university tucked away in the southeast corner of Palm Beach County was changed forever.

According to Catanese, retired and now living in Melbourne, Schnellenberger asked him how much money he had to start the program.

“None,” the president answered.

“OK, so how many players do you have?” the national champion football coach asked.

“None,” Catanese repeated.

Catanese told Schnellenberger he was looking for someone to “build something from the ground up and do this the way they entirely want to do it.”

Schnellenberger, who built dormant programs at Miami and Louisville into national contenders with the Hurricanes stunning the college football world in 1983 by winning the national championship, simply said, “I’ll take the job.”

“I was asking for his advice and he said I’ll take the job,” Catanese said…

Source link : https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/sports/college/football/2025/08/20/howard-schnellenberger-florida-atlantic-owls-football/85403203007/

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Publish date : 2025-08-20 16:12:00

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