The college football community has lost a legend. Howard Schnellenberger has passed away, Florida Atlantic announced Saturday morning.

Schnellenberger, who won a national championship with Miami in 1983, got his start coaching at Kentucky, where he was an All-American end in 1955. Schnellenberger was on Blanton Collier’s UK staff for the 1959 and ’60 seasons.

In 1961, Schnellenberger reunited with his college coach, Bear Bryant, joining the Alabama staff as offensive coordinator. Schnellenberger recruited Joe Namath to Alabama and was on staff for three Crimson Tide national championships (1961, ’64, ’65).

Schnellenberger coached in the NFL from 1966-78 with the Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Colts. Schnellenberger was an assistant on the Dolphins staff for the team’s 1972 undefeated season. He was head coach of the Colts in 1973 and fired during the ’74 season.

Schnellenberger returned to college coaching in 1979 as the head coach of the Miami Hurricanes. He’s credited with turning “The U” into a powerhouse during his 41-16 tenure. Schnellenberger led the program to its first national title in 1983.

Mark Richt, a Miami alum who coached the Hurricanes after his tenure at Georgia, remembered Schnellenberger.

Following UM’s national title season, Schnellenberger resigned to become part-owner, president, general manager and head coach of The Spirit of Miami of the United States Football League. When the USFL announced its move to a fall schedule, the primary owner of the Miami team backed out, not wanting to compete with the Dolphins. Schnellenberger did not follow the franchise to Orlando.

Schnellenberger returned to college coaching in 1985, taking the job at Louisville, his hometown. Schnellenberger coached the Cardinals through 1994, including a 10-1-1 season in 1990.

Schnellenberger coached Oklahoma for one season in 1995 when the Sooners went 5-5-1.

Schnellenberger stepped away from the game before resurfacing at Florida Atlantic in 1998. Schnellenberger built the FAU program from scratch and coached the Owls from 2001 through 2011, elevating the program from a Division I-AA independent (2001-04) to FBS program in the Sun Belt since 2005. FAU went 58-74 in Schnellenberger’s tenure, winning bowl games in 2007 and ’08 as well as the conference title in ’07.

Ole Miss coach and former FAU head coach Lane Kiffin remembered Schnellenberger after hearing the news of his passing.

Schnellenberger went 158-151-3 as a college coach and 4-13 in the NFL. He was 87.