Howard Schnellenberger

I think it's always been a great game.

But Coach Schnellenberger and Coach Bowden – made the decision in the early 80s, late 70s, that they were going to make this game a national game.

It's not a game for the state of Florida.

It's not Miami Flores.

I don't know how much the, I mean-

... how involved is that part of it?

Oh.

The one connection that I have here, I would be curious what an Oklahoma fan would say if I threw this name around.

He is, I would say, the most important football figure in the state of Kentucky ever, and that's Howard Schnellenberger.

Because Schnellenberger, Flagey Haggai from the city of Louisville, All-American for Bear Bryant, but comes back, saves Louisville's football program from folding, essentially, and is successful there.

I mean, wins a Fiesta Bowl, rebuilds them.

Do you know what Florida State and Miami did when they played you in college football when their second-stringers went in? They played like the first-stringers, 'cause they were getting ready for the next year.

And I always applauded, whether it was Jimmy, whether it was Schnellenberger, whether it was, you know, Erickson, whether it was Bowden, that's how you do it.

But again, um, and, and I don't know.

I...

The one connection that I have here, I would be curious what an Oklahoma fan would say if I threw this name around.

He is, I would say, the most important figure, football figure in the State of Kentucky ever, and that's Howard Schnellenberger.

Because Schnellenberger, Flag A high guy from the City of Louisville, All-American for Bear Bryant, but comes back, saves Louisville's football program from folding, essentially, and is successful there.

I mean, wins a Fiesta Bowl, rebuilds them.

They hadn't been around for 100 years the way that Florida was.

These were teams, particularly with Howard Schnellenberger and Bobby Bowden, where they had to go on the road, and they had to play everyone.

No one wanted to go to Coral Gables, no one wanted to go to Tallahassee.

You had to get it done on the road, all right? And this rivalry, especially back at the old Orange Bowl and then at the Doke, was as good as you possibly could have asked for.