Upcoming Event: Football at Florida on September 5, 2026 at 7:45 p.m.
7:45 p.m.
Football
at Florida
Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Photo by: USA Today Sports Images
FAU Hall of Fame Member Howard Schnellenberger Receives “Bear” Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award
6/26/2020 1:09:00 PM | Football
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Howard Schnellenberger, Florida Atlantic University's inaugural head football coach, will receive the 2021 Paul "Bear" Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by Marathon Oil Corporation, as announced by the American Heart Association (AHA).
Schnellenberger will accept the award, presented annually by Memorial Hermann Health System, at an annual awards dinner, on Wednesday, January 13, 2021, in Houston Texas. His name will be inscribed alongside those who have dedicated their lives to football including Bill Snyder (2020), Frank Beamer (2019) and Steve Spurrier (2018), to name the most recent.
That inscription identifies a man whose coaching tenure spanned more than 50 years, included four National Collegiate Football Championships and an unmatched perfect 6-0 bowl record. He coached in seven NFL playoff and Super Bowl games, including as the offensive coordinator for the 1972 undefeated Miami Dolphins, another accomplishment that stands to this day.
"I am truly honored to receive the Paul "Bear" Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award," replied Schellenberger upon hearing the news. "It is an even greater honor to be placed with past honorees, most of whom have been friends and colleagues at one time or another. I am reflecting on the five years we were with Coach Bryant at Alabama and the three national championships. Coach Bryant was always a mentor and friend, and one of my favorite memories is being tasked by Coach Bryant to recruit Joe Namath. We look forward to celebrating this Lifetime Achievement Award with everyone."
Schnellenberger first lent his legendary status to the Owls in 1998 as a consultant, hired to explore the option of FAU starting football. That 1998 relationship began in an "upward spiral" that only someone with Schnellenberger's breadth of experience could fathom.
On December 4, 2011, Schnellenberger coached his final game in the newly opened Florida Atlantic University (football) Stadium. He rounded out his historic coaching career with a collegiate record of 158-151-3, a record tallied as both an architect of resurrecting near-defunct programs such as the University of Miami, which he led to its first national championship; the University Louisville, who he guided to a top-10 national rank; and in the case of FAU as its founding father.
During his four collegiate head coaching stops, including one season at Oklahoma, he recruited more than 100 players drafted by the NFL and that number only soars when adding the CFL or NFL free agents. The coaching footprint laid by his mentors, including "Bear," Don Shula, Blanton Collier, and George Allen has been carried on by his former players and those who assisted Schnellenberger on the sidelines.
Now in its 35th year, the Paul "Bear" Bryant Award name is also bestowed to the country's top college football coach. The Coach of the Year Award – presented each January – is the only college coaching honor selected after all bowl games and National Championship are concluded.
Behind the scenes, both the Coach of the Year and the Lifetime Achievement Awards are much bigger than a season or career success. These are opportunities to shine a spotlight on heart disease and stroke – the nation's No. 1 and No. 5 health threats. Since the adoption of the name, the Bryant Awards have raised millions of dollars for the American Heart Association, funding research, education and advocacy efforts and saving countless lives. Before dying of a heart attack in 1983, "Bear" talked about being bigger than something other than himself. The Bryant Awards offer an opportunity to do just that – to join the American Heart Association in the fight against heart disease and stroke.
Marathon Oil has served as the presenting sponsor of the Bryant Awards for over 10 years, underscoring the Company's commitment to the health and well-being of their employees, families, and communities. The Company partners with leading community organizations that share their core values, like the AHA, to advance important public health initiatives that promote the common good and protect the public.
View the complete Schnellenberger FAU bio HERE.
Coaching Legend Howard Schnellenberger to receive 2021 Paul "Bear" Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award Full Release
Schnellenberger will accept the award, presented annually by Memorial Hermann Health System, at an annual awards dinner, on Wednesday, January 13, 2021, in Houston Texas. His name will be inscribed alongside those who have dedicated their lives to football including Bill Snyder (2020), Frank Beamer (2019) and Steve Spurrier (2018), to name the most recent.
That inscription identifies a man whose coaching tenure spanned more than 50 years, included four National Collegiate Football Championships and an unmatched perfect 6-0 bowl record. He coached in seven NFL playoff and Super Bowl games, including as the offensive coordinator for the 1972 undefeated Miami Dolphins, another accomplishment that stands to this day.
"I am truly honored to receive the Paul "Bear" Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award," replied Schellenberger upon hearing the news. "It is an even greater honor to be placed with past honorees, most of whom have been friends and colleagues at one time or another. I am reflecting on the five years we were with Coach Bryant at Alabama and the three national championships. Coach Bryant was always a mentor and friend, and one of my favorite memories is being tasked by Coach Bryant to recruit Joe Namath. We look forward to celebrating this Lifetime Achievement Award with everyone."
Schnellenberger first lent his legendary status to the Owls in 1998 as a consultant, hired to explore the option of FAU starting football. That 1998 relationship began in an "upward spiral" that only someone with Schnellenberger's breadth of experience could fathom.
On December 4, 2011, Schnellenberger coached his final game in the newly opened Florida Atlantic University (football) Stadium. He rounded out his historic coaching career with a collegiate record of 158-151-3, a record tallied as both an architect of resurrecting near-defunct programs such as the University of Miami, which he led to its first national championship; the University Louisville, who he guided to a top-10 national rank; and in the case of FAU as its founding father.
During his four collegiate head coaching stops, including one season at Oklahoma, he recruited more than 100 players drafted by the NFL and that number only soars when adding the CFL or NFL free agents. The coaching footprint laid by his mentors, including "Bear," Don Shula, Blanton Collier, and George Allen has been carried on by his former players and those who assisted Schnellenberger on the sidelines.
Now in its 35th year, the Paul "Bear" Bryant Award name is also bestowed to the country's top college football coach. The Coach of the Year Award – presented each January – is the only college coaching honor selected after all bowl games and National Championship are concluded.
Behind the scenes, both the Coach of the Year and the Lifetime Achievement Awards are much bigger than a season or career success. These are opportunities to shine a spotlight on heart disease and stroke – the nation's No. 1 and No. 5 health threats. Since the adoption of the name, the Bryant Awards have raised millions of dollars for the American Heart Association, funding research, education and advocacy efforts and saving countless lives. Before dying of a heart attack in 1983, "Bear" talked about being bigger than something other than himself. The Bryant Awards offer an opportunity to do just that – to join the American Heart Association in the fight against heart disease and stroke.
Marathon Oil has served as the presenting sponsor of the Bryant Awards for over 10 years, underscoring the Company's commitment to the health and well-being of their employees, families, and communities. The Company partners with leading community organizations that share their core values, like the AHA, to advance important public health initiatives that promote the common good and protect the public.
View the complete Schnellenberger FAU bio HERE.
Coaching Legend Howard Schnellenberger to receive 2021 Paul "Bear" Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award Full Release
Inside the Owls Burrow 2025-26 Spring Show #10
Tuesday, May 12
Kyle Boylston Two-Sport Athlete 2026
Sunday, May 10
Inside the Owls Burrow 2025-26 Spring Show #9
Tuesday, May 05
Ladies Night 2026
Friday, May 01