Earlier Thursday, Florida Atlantic University announced that head coach Howard Schnellenberger would making an announcement this afternoon concerning future of football program. Given the rumors that have been floating around for the past few months, it was widely assumed that announcement would concern Schnellenberger’s future as FAU’s head coach.
Unfortunately for those fans of the Great Mustachioed Suspendered One, those assumptions appear to be correct.
While the school has yet to confirm anything on the record, Bret McMurphy of CBS Sports.com is reporting that Schnellenberger will announce that he will be retiring from coaching at the end of the 2011 season. The press conference making the decision official is expected to begin at 4 p.m. ET.
Schnellenberger was named FAU’s director of football operations in 1998 as the university began the process of building a brand-new program from the ground up. The Owls debuted in 2001 as a 1-AA program, with Schnellenberger serving as the head coach from the first game through its transition and into the 1-A level it competes at today.
The 77-year-old coach, though, is likely more well-known for his stints at Louisville, Oklahoma and Miami. He won a national championship at the latter school in 1983.