No one would ever consider Louisville and Miami to be major college football rivals, but the two ACC programs are about to start playing for an awesome rivalry trophy.
On Monday, the Louisville Sports Commission announced the creation of The Schnellenberger Trophy, which will go to the winner of their annual matchup.
The trophy is named for Howard Schnellenberger, who served as the head coach at both schools and features his actual western dress boots, which have now been preserved and bronzed.
The Louisville Sports Commission announces Louisville and Miami will play annually for The Schnellenberger Trophy: “Which features the actual western dress boots, now bronzed, worn by Coach Howard Schnellenberger when he led both programs to national prominence.” pic.twitter.com/khBoFZOpHQ
— Mark Ennis (@MarkEnnis) July 24, 2023
Schnellenberger, who passed away in 2021 at the age of 87, was the head coach at the University of Miami from 1979-83. In his five seasons, he led the Hurricanes to an overall record of 41-16, capped off by an 11-1 campaign and the program’s first national championship in 1983.
From there, Schnellenberger coached for 10 seasons at Louisville from 1985-94. In that time, Schellenberger produced a 54-56-2 record with five winning seasons, including a 10-1-1 showing in 1990 and a 9-3 finish in 1993.
Schnellenberger would later go on to be the head coach of Oklahoma (1995) and Florida Atlantic (2001-11).
All-time, Miami and Louisville have met 14 times on the gridiron, with the Hurricanes holding an 11-3 lead in the series.