Florida Atlantic celebrates 2003 football team that won 11 games, almost won a national title

Kevin Fischer, offensive line coach for the soaring Boca High Bobcats, will be at Palm Beach Central Friday night for a second-round regional state playoff game, attempting to achieve current glory.

Fischer’s two nephews, James and Colin Fischer, are on the surprising Cinderella squad.

Saturday afternoon, Fisher will be back in Boca Raton - and going back in time.

An on-field 20th anniversary celebration for arguably Florida Atlantic University football team’s most glorious season will take place. It is another Cinderella Boca story.

During FAU-Tulane’s noon clash, the 2003 Owls, tied for the winningest team in program history with Lane Kifflin’s 2017/2019 squads, will be feted at a halftime ceremony as FAU’s football origins are explored.

There will be a video tribute with 60 former players. A family member of the late Howard Schnellenberger, founding father of FAU football, will also grace Howard Schnellenberger Field.

The memory isn’t just the 11-3 record and run to the Division I-AA Final Four, but the historical significance that marked FAU’s third season playing football.

It turned into the last season in Division I-AA and became the impetus to leaping into full-fledged Division I.

The Sun Belt Conference invited FAU the following season.

“Without that season, there’s no invitation from the Sun Belt,’’ said Fischer, a 6-foot-5, 265-pound offensive tackle on the squad who later played in the Arena Football League with Philadelphia. “We wouldn’t have been a Division I team that quick without that season.’’

Owls' 2003 season opened with upset of Middle Tennessee State

The campaign began on the road with FAU’s first victory over a Division I program as it stunned Middle Tennessee State, 20-19, in the season opener. Two weeks later, the Owls nearly upset Division I Central Florida, losing, 33-29, despite outplaying the Knights in Orlando.

Then came an eight-game winning streak, sweeping through its Division I-AA schedule and earning a first bid to the Division I-AA national playoffs.

“We were the lowest seed – the new team back then,’’ Fischer said. “Instead of FAU, they called us “F A Who.” That’s what people referred to us jokingly.’’

The joke was on the rest of the country – much like the basketball Owls during March Madness, 2023.

FAU upset Bethune Cookman in the first round, then shocked 21-point favorite Northern Arizona in a road stunner, 48-25, in the quarterfinals.

Little FAU had made the semifinals (like its FAU basketball brethren), earning a ESPN 2-televised home game vs. Colgate. The program still played at Fort Lauderdale’s ancient Lockhart Stadium.

The remarkable journey happened after FAU had posted a dreadful 2-9 record in 2002 in its second season of competition.

As FAU rolled through 2003, rumors circulated this would be the last season of Division I-AA, that Division I conferences were interested. (FAU moved this year to the American Athletic Conference).

“The significance of it was it was our last year we had the opportunity to win the national championship,’’ former star linebacker Chris Laskowski said. “We knew the next year would be a transition and not be eligible for a bowl. It was our fourth year of existence. There were a class of guys who signed up in 2000 and practiced for a whole year without playing a game.

“We were seasoned - a lot of guys had been through a lot of fire,’’ Laskowsi added. “We galvanized as a team in the offseason and developed the leadership we needed. We were a national championship-caliber team.’’

Howard Schnellenberger had built programs at Miami and Louisville

The FAU’s football architect, Schnellenberger, a stud coach at the University of Miami, Louisville and on the staff of the perfect 1972 Miami Dolphins, saw his profile rise even higher. The current shiny on-campus stadium, which opened in 2011, bears his statue, the field his name. He died in 2021.

“Playing for him and the staff he put together was a blessing,’’ Laskowski said. “We had access to old-school vintage American football. Some guys came out of retirement, salt-of-the-earth tough guys. Before social media and transfer possibilities. It was a rite of passage. Not a lot of people came and finished.’’

Schellenberger’s imperial demeanor ruled.

“Schellenberger was deceptively hands on,’’ said Fischer, who played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2006 preseason before a back injury. “He would stand in the middle of the field, arms folded. He wouldn’t talk to players individually a whole lot on the field. But he coached his coaches. He kept his finger on the pulse of the program without running around yelling, screaming and teaching technique.’’

Fischer remembers a couple of times Schnellenberger got overruled by his players who wanted to go for it on fourth down. The coach gave in and it backfired – once leading directly to an opponent touchdown with seconds left in the first half.

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“He was always right,’’ Fischer mused. “He knew so much about football. He got more out of us than anyone probably could.’’

The championship dream ended at Lockhart Stadium as Colgate prevailed, 36-24, in the semis.

“It wasn’t a great environment most of the time - except that last game,’’ said Laskowski, a longtime assistant coach at UNC-Charlotte. “It was packed, a nationally televised game. We were a little tired. We were on the road the week before in Arizona and had an emotional-high win. We came back to town a little fatigued.’’

The quarterback was Jared Allen, who played for NFL Europe. Linebacker Quentin Swain and receiver Anthony Crissinger-Hill were key components.

“We got a little overconfident,” Fischer said. “It’s a game that still leaves painful memories for me and guys I played with.’’

FAU administration brought the old Owls together in early August for a reunion. They watched practice and staged a private party at the stadium. Now comes the public honor.

“What team was best the last 20 years can be debated all day, but the 2003 team really kicked it off and made believers of everybody,’’ Fischer said. “I don’t know if they’d say it’s the best team we had, but people will say it was my favorite team dear to their hearts.’’Saturday's gameNo. 17 Tulane at FAUNoon, ESPN+

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: FAU Owls 2003 football team was last in Division I-AA before jump to Division I