It's an interesting question. I prefer Schnellenberger but my dad, a UM alum, insists Saban.
Saban found Kelly but I don't remember him emphasizing national championship. Schnellenberger dared to dream in that regard. He used to have a high profile annual slogan. I think one was, "Reaching Higher." Before that it was, "A Bowl is the Goal." Gad, this is going back. I think I have those correct but I'm not positive. Then in 1982 it was, "Go For It." In other words, the national title. That was the year Kelly got hurt in the second game, out for the year so the season was lost. Miami had dropped an anguishing 14-10 game at Gainesville in the opener, a late falling backwards catch by the fullback in hellish hot conditions. James Jones, or something like that. I can still picture that sickening play. It was almost like a Canes version of the 1974 Clarence Davis play.
No one thought 1983 would be the year. I don't even remember the slogan for that season.
Besides, not only did Schnellenberger create, "The State of Miami," he also was enough of a visionary to campaign for a small expandable 40,000 seat on-campus stadium. That would look fantastic right now although at the time I thought it was unnecessary, given the incredible home impact of the Orange Bowl.
In response to Schnellenberger's stadium proposal, the University of Miami president said, "Win a national championship, then we'll talk," an arrogant reference to Miami's spring 1982 first baseball title. When Schnellenberger delivered a year later, the president sidestepped the issue. I was hardly surprised when Schnellenberger bolted months later.
Of course, even in the early to mid '80s a stadium faced severe hurdles. It needed to be done decades earlier, before spiraling property values and massive influence of the local commission.
