Schnellenberger was known for his gravelly baritone voice and was known for smoking a trademark pipe, but gave it up after he found out his son was diagnosed with cancer. During his time at Miami and Louisville he was well known for wearing a distinctive suede jacket and a conservative striped tie, echoing the dress of his mentors such as Bear Bryant, though he more often wore golf shirts as coach of FAU. He was also known for his colorful press conference quotes, such that a Louisville weekly newspaper, the "Louisville Eccentric Observer", ran a feature called "SchnellSpeak of the Week".