C
| Bobby Bowden |
Full Name: Robert Cleckler Bowden
Born: November 8, 1929, Birmingham, Ala.
Died: August 8, 2021, Tallahassee, Fla.
Awards: 1979 ABC Coach of the Year
1980 Dodd Trophy
1991 Walter Camp Coach of the Year
1992 Amos Alonzo Stagg Coaching Award
1996 Home Depot Coach of the Year
2006 College Football Hall of Fame
Legacy Bricks: Legacy Walk Map Link
2012 Coach HOF - Loc 41
|
| FSU Career |
| Coaches & Administrators | |
C
|
|
| Conference Awards |
| Football |
Year Award 1979 All-South Independent - Coach of the Year 1993 Atlantic Coast Conference - Coach of the Year 1997 Atlantic Coast Conference - Coach of the Year |
| Member of the FSU Hall of Fame |
| Elected into the FSU Hall of Fame in 2012 |
|
Florida State Head Football Coach for 34 years from 1976-2009 and the Wide Receivers Coach from 1963-65...his record at Florida State was 316-97-4 including a record of 85-60-1 against ranked
teams...took his team to 31 bowl games and complied a 22-8-1 record...Florida State has enjoyed a trip to a bowl game his last 28 years, since 1982...had a bowl record of 13-0-1 from 1982 through
1995...won two national championships in 1993 and wire-to-wire #1 in 1999...coached 153 All-Americans including 25 NCAA Consensus All-Americans...coached award winners: Paul McGowan (Butkus), Deion
Sanders (Thorpe), Terrell Buckley (Thorpe), Casey Weldon (Unitas), Marvin Jones (Lombardi, Butkus), Charlie Ward (Heisman, Maxwell, Camp, O'Brien, Unitas), Sebastian Janikowski (Groza-twice), Chris
Weinke (Heisman, O'Brien, Unitas), Jamal Reynolds (Lombardi) and Graham Gano (Groza)...one of his players, Myron Rolle, earned a Rhodes Scholarship...177 of his players were drafted by NFL teams, 32
in the first round, and because of free agents, 197 played in the NFL...from 1987 through 2000 FSU won at least 10 games a year and finished in the top five in the polls...the NCAA designated Florida
State as a Dynasty from 1987-2000...second winningest coach in major college football history...Bowden was named National Coach of the Year six times and in 2004 the National Citizenship Award from
the Fellowship of Christian Athletes was named after him...he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006...words to describe him include respect, sincerity, class, honesty, charisma,
charm and humor...he is a man of faith, strength and integrity. Bobby Bowden dies: Legendary coach built Florida State into college football powerhouse Jim Henry, Tallahassee Democrat Published Aug. 8, 2021 Bobby Bowden, who built Florida State football into a national powerhouse and directed the program with a folksy, southern charm, died early Sunday morning. He was 91. On July 23, Terry Bowden - son of the Hall of Fame coach - revealed his father was suffering from pancreatic cancer. This came a day after his family released a statement through the Democrat indicating he had been diagnosed with a terminal medical condition. Bowden was surrounded by his family - wife Ann and their six children - when he passed away peacefully at 5:08 a.m. at his Killearn Estates home, daughter Ginger Bowden told the Democrat Sunday morning. "He passed peacefully," Ginger said. "His family was with him during the night." "We've been preparing for this," Terry Bowden, the first-year coach at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, said when he shared his father's condition to reporters at Sun Belt media day last month in New Orleans. "We just think we've got some more good days ahead, and we're going to enjoy those together." Bowden was being treated at his Killearn Estates home by caretakers and family. Upbeat and optimistic, he also felt well enough at times during his final weeks to welcome visitors and take telephone calls. "I feel fine but I can't do much," Bowden told the Democrat in early July. Bowden - a devout Baptist - made his last public appearance on stage in early June as the guest speaker at the Send Luncheon, hosted by the North American Mission Board (NAMB), in Nashville. Bowden's health had deteriorated after he tested positive for COVID-19 in October 2020. He was hospitalized in late June for five days for fatigue and additional medical tests. Bobby Bowden won two national championships and built FSU into a national power Bowden arrived in Tallahassee in 1976, never to leave and becoming one of college football's most successful coaches and patriarch of a well-known football family. Bowden posted a 316-97-4 record with two national titles (1993 and 1999) in 34 years at FSU. He had one losing season - 5-6 during his first year at the school in 1976 - and was forced into retirement following a 7-6 record in 2009. Bowden ended his career with a 33-21 victory in the Gator Bowl over West Virginia on Jan. 1, 2010. Bowden boasted an overall coaching record of 377-129-4 to rank second all-time in major college football history behind Joe Paterno (409 wins). He ranks fourth all-time across all divisions in college football. Between 1987 and 2000, Bowden guided the Seminoles to 14 consecutive 10-win seasons and top-five finishes in the Associated Press poll. That streak earned the program Dynasty status by the NCAA. Two of his FSU players (quarterbacks Charlie Ward and Chris Weinke) won the Heisman Trophy and three (cornerback Deion Sanders, linebacker Derrick Brooks and offensive lineman Walter Jones) went onto NFL greatness and are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Twenty-six Seminoles were named consensus All-Americans under Bowden and his players also earned major awards. When he received the inaugural Governor's Medal of Freedom from Gov. Ron DeSantis in April, Bowden was quick to share the success. "I get the credit, the head coach gets the credit, but it's the coaches who do all the coaching," Bowden said. "I had great coaches and I had some great players... They get you there." Bobby Bowden was married 72 years to his wife, Ann Bowden, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, was married 72 years to childhood sweetheart Ann Estock. Bowden was 19, Ann 16 when they married at the home of the Justice of the Peace in Rising Fawn, Georgia. They lived in the same Killearn Estates home they moved into when Bowden was hired by FSU from West Virginia 45 years ago. Bowden was such a fixture in the community that his phone number was even listed in the phone book. He also allowed fans to drop off memorabilia in his carport that he'd sign and leave for pickup. The couple raised six children - four boys and two girls - and their family reunion at their beach home on Panama City Beach in the spring of 2020 featured more than 40 family members. Sons Tommy, Terry and Jeff each coached at the collegiate level. Tommy was previously the head coach at Tulane and Clemson; Terry was the head coach at Salem, Samford, Auburn, North Alabama, Akron and last December was hired by Louisiana-Monroe. Bowden left his team Friday. Jeff was an assistant at FSU under his father for 13 seasons. Steve Bowden has worked most of his career in academia. Daughter Ginger Bowden Madden is the state attorney for the First Judicial Circuit of Florida. Robyn - the oldest child - was a school teacher for many years but retired early to help her parents. Bobby Bowden credited his success to strong Christian faith Bowden credited his football success to his strong faith, often sharing his Christian testimony from the church pulpit over the years. Bowden was a creature of habit - early to bed, early to rise. He often arose at 4 a.m., reading the Bible, skimming through a book and the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper with his coffee. Bowden also loved to golf - his home is off the seventh hole at Killearn Country Club - and watch World War II documentaries. He also had a noted sweet tooth and was diagnosed later in life with Type 2 diabetes. Bobby Bowden's late health issues included cancer, COVID The past few years Bowden was slowed by lingering, painful back and hip issues that kept him off the golf course and from walking his neighborhood. At one time he was one of the country's most sought-after motivational speakers, sharing football stories and his faith. Bowden's health issues were magnified in mid-September 2020, when he was hospitalized at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare for nearly 10 days with a leg infection following the removal of skin cancer spots. Bowden was informed he tested positive for COVID-19 - the infectious disease caused by the coronavirus - on Oct. 3, two days after his release from the hospital's rehab facility. Bowden was readmitted to the hospital for fatigue on Oct. 6. He underwent treatment for COVID-19 for 10 days before being released on Thursday, Oct. 15. Regaining his strength proved to be a difficult challenge for Bowden during his final months, which included the announcement that he was fighting pancreatic cancer. As family gathered by his side, an outpouring of well-wishes flooded social media and the airwaves, including from FSU football coach Mike Norvell. Norvell, 39, is entering his second season and trying build his own legacy with the Seminoles' once-mighty program. "They played for something bigger than themselves. It's not just about who they were and the jersey number that they wore, it's about the impact that they made," Norvell said of FSU players coached by Bowden. "That was the standard and that was the expectation from coach Bowden and his staff. It came down to work and it came down to relationships. "That's why they were able to play to the level that they did and that's what we're working to build here with our program." Funeral arrangements for Bowden are being finalized for next weekend in Tallahassee and Birmingham. Some of the memorial services will be open to the public. Bobby Bowden called his last play Sunday morning. Published in the Palatka Daily News, Aug. 9, 2021 by Kerry Dunning Surrounded by his wife Ann and his six children, the 91-year-old legendary football coach and devout Christian succumbed to pancreatic cancer. Diagnosed in July, his final public statement was simply that his wife of 72 years and his family were his greatest blessing, and that he was at peace. Truth is Bowden was the greatest blessing as a person, a coach, a friend, and a mentor. Ask anyone who ever met him, and there is a story. He had the innate ability to make all immediately comfortable talking with him. Well, maybe a few football players along the way can share the doggedly passionate and uncomfortable conversations he had in locker rooms. Nearly 40 years ago, Coach called me into his office to "ask a favor". He wanted to know if it was okay for my children to sit in his office while I finished post-game interviews. And for over a decade that's what they did. I'd head upstairs to find the three of them perched on the couch, watching a football game, and eating from a fruit bowl. He'd made sure they were safe. When I was diagnosed with a Stage IV cancer, he checked up on me routinely. At the first national championship game, as in immediately after the game, Coach saw me on a stairwell post press conference, and he stopped to ask details about my treatment. Not just "hi". Details. On his way to the ESPN set. The first female beat writer at Florida State, I asked him once why he befriended me. He smiled and said, "You brought your family." When he could go anywhere, one of the reasons he took the Florida State job was to be closer to his mother. Forget all the accolades, his love of God and family (mixed with a highly competitive drive) directed his decisions. I walked into his office one time, to see him head in hands sitting at his desk. Without looking up, he said, "Kerry, the game of football just changed." I witnessed in that statement the mind of one of the greatest and most creative college football coaches in history. In one moment of connecting the dots, and not just because of what he saw on the field that night, Coach rearranged recruiting processes and play calling. During the pandemic, I drove to Tallahassee to see him. He'd sit in a chair in the doorway. I pulled out a camping chair and sat by my car. Our conversations always started talking about family, but then the diverged into football and what was going on in life. But the last time I could sit in his living room and talk, several hours later as we were standing by the door. Coach grabbed my shoulders and made me look into his eyes. He said, "we are going to heaven." "Right now?" I asked, my surprise unmistakable. He was so intense my reaction was to look up. He hugged me. My last hug. If I'd had half a brain, I would have said, "let's go!" Who wouldn't want to ride the coattails of Bobby Bowden into heaven? Timeline: Remembering Bowden's influence Published by The Osceola on Aug 8, 2021 Written by Bob Ferrante A coaching legend but also a genuine man who made a friend for life with a simple, "Hey, buddy." It was so simple but that smile and enthusiasm behind two words sparked a conversation and provided life-long memories to all. Bobby Bowden died at 91 on Sunday at 5:08 a.m., a Florida State spokesperson announced. He was surrounded by his wife, Ann, and all six children. "I've always tried to serve God's purpose for my life, on and off the field, and I am prepared for what is to come," Bowden said in a July statement. "My wife, Ann, and our family have been life's greatest blessing. I am at peace." A service for Bowden will be held on Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Doors will open at 9:30 a.m. Bowden battled COVID in 2020 and had been in the hospital a few times this year. In the last few months, a steady group of his players and assistant coaches made visits to the family's Killearn home to spend time with him. Many others called and talked with coach, Ann or his longtime administrative assistant, Sue Hall. Bowden put Florida State on the college football map, arriving in 1976 and going 5-6. It was the first and only losing record he would have before retiring following the 2009 season. He is known for winning two national titles in 1993 and '99 as well as a 14-year run of top-4 finishes from 1987-2001. But he is also viewed as a father figure, and later grandfather figure, to thousands of his players. He was also a mentor to many coaches from his sons to head coaches like Mark Richt, Chuck Amato and Rick Stockstill as well as countless players who went on to become high school coaches. In 2006, Bowden was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
1970sJanuary 1976 - Bowden is hired as head coach. "We have found just the right person we are looking for in Coach Bowden," FSU president Stanley Marshall told the Tallahassee Democrat at the time. "He has all the credentials to lead Florida State to a level of achievement in football that all of us anticipate." It was a four-year deal for $37,500 annually. Fall 1976 - Bowden goes with a youth movement after Miami's 47-0 victory in week 2. FSU holds its own at No. 4 Oklahoma before falling 24-9 in week 3 and there are growing pains throughout the season before the Seminoles finish with consecutive wins over Southern Miss, North Texas State and Virginia Tech to finish 5-6. This would be FSU's last losing season of the Bowden Era. 1977 - FSU lands its first big signee when defensive lineman Ron Simmons picks the Seminoles. 1977 - The Seminoles double their win total from 1976, jumping back into the AP rankings as wins pile up before a 37-9 rout at Florida on Dec. 3. FSU defeats Texas Tech in the Tangerine Bowl. It's FSU's first 10-win season in program history and first bowl game since 1971. 1978 - FSU defeated Miami and Florida in the same season. While the Seminoles went 8-3, it's notable that they knocked off both in-state rivals for the first time since 1963. 1979 - Bowden made a big decision going into the Oct. 27 game at Baton Rouge - if the Seminoles won, he would stay at FSU, but if LSU picked up the victory, he would pursue the Tigers' opening beginning in the 1980 season. "That was the weekend, the game, where I really made the decision to stay at Florida State," Bowden told reporters years later. FSU, of course, won 24-19. Bowden decided to stay. That season, he helped guide FSU to a perfect 11-0 season, with the Seminoles jumping into the top 10 of the AP poll as they defeat rivals like Florida and Miami by double digits. FSU knocked off two other ranked opponents, Mississippi State and South Carolina, by double figures, too. FSU fell to Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl, but it becomes clear as the decade closes that Bowden is putting FSU on the college football map.
1980s1980 - A senior-led victory at No. 4 Nebraska, 18-12, was followed by a home victory over No. 4 Pittsburgh, and Dan Marino, 36-22. The Seminoles' only losses in a 10-2 season come to Miami in a top-20 matchup, 10-9 and an Orange Bowl rematch vs. Oklahoma. 1981 - Octoberfest. Bowden joked years earlier that he had to leave FSU before this brutal schedule of consecutive road games: Nebraska, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh and LSU. FSU pulls off road wins over Ohio State, Notre Dame and LSU but the wear and tear of the season result in late-season losses to Miami and Florida and the Seminoles finish 6-5. Regardless, FSU and Bowden's earn a reputation of playing anyone, anywhere. These high-profile games continue to put the Seminoles on the map nationally. 1982 - FSU goes 9-3 with a win over Miami and a narrow loss to Florida. But the season ends in the Gator Bowl, where Bowden and the Seminoles defeat West Virginia 31-12 — beginning a bowl streak that would extend throughout the remainder of Bowden's career and last until 2018. 1984 - On Feb. 10, Bowden made perhaps his most significant hire: Mickey Andrews. At the time, Bowden says, "I was looking for the absolute best defensive secondary coach in the country. I firmly believe that I've found him." The interview took place at a McDonald's on the edge of FSU's campus. Andrews brought speed and a tenacious mindset to the defense. He also brought stability, staying at FSU through Bowden's last season in 2009. 1985 - Arguably one of the best signing classes, if not the best, in FSU history. FSU signed DB Deion Sanders, QB Chip Ferguson, QB Peter Tom Willis, RB Sammie Smith, DB Dedrick Dodge, LB Odell Haggins and DL Eric Hayes. The group helped set the table for what was to come in the following years. 1986 - Florida State's up-and-down season ends with an All-American Bowl victory over Indiana in Birmingham, Ala. But the real action was taking place on the Alabama campus in Tuscaloosa as school officials had talked with Bowden about taking over as head coach and replacing Ray Perkins. Bowden thought he had been offered the job but when the President insisted he interview, Bowden declined to do so. Bowden famously said he never interviewed for a job. Bowden stayed at FSU and Alabama instead hired Bill Curry. 1987 - FSU goes 10-1 in the regular season, with the only blemish a narrow loss in the final minutes at home to Miami. After a late touchdown, Bowden elects to go for the extra-point attempt. But players on the sideline convince him to go for two and he calls a timeout. A two-point pass is incomplete. But FSU runs the table, knocking off Nebraska in a matchup of top-10 teams in the Fiesta Bowl. The dynasty begins as FSU will finish in the top 4 of the AP poll in each season through 2000. 1988 - FSU opens as preseason No. 1 in the AP poll. The Seminole Rap is recorded and it is not a No. 1 hit with Bowden. Miami doesn't think very highly of it either, and the Hurricanes put together a season-opening 31-0 win. As it turned out, FSU was dominant the rest of the way before finishing off Auburn 13-7 in the Sugar Bowl in a top-10 matchup. 1989 - FSU fell flat to Southern Miss (and quarterback Brett Favre) as well as Clemson. But the 0-2 start didn't diminish a list of wins that year over Miami, Florida, LSU, Syracuse, Auburn and Nebraska again in the Fiesta Bowl.
1990s1990 - FSU finishes off a 10-2 season as Bowden and Joe Paterno square off at the Blockbuster Bowl in Miami. The Seminoles win the top-15 matchup, 24-17. 1991 - FSU opens as the preseason No. 1 team in the AP poll and wins a high-scoring contest with BYU and Heisman Trophy-winning QB Ty Detmer 44-28 in Anaheim, Calif., to open the season. FSU goes up to Michigan and takes a shootout against the No. 3 Wolverines (51-31), then routs No. 11 Syracuse, and wins a muddy battle in Baton Rouge in which the Seminoles sustained injuries to their starting center and left tackle and Heisman Trophy runner-up quarterback Casey Weldon. An injury-plagued No. 1 ranked Seminole team lost 17-16 on Wide Right I against No. 2 Miami. The No. 5 Seminoles limped into No. 3 Florida where they lost 14-9 to end national title aspirations, although there are plenty of positives in an 11-2 season. 1992 - FSU joins the ACC and it is relatively smooth sailing through four games. But the non-conference matchup with Miami is again a problem: Wide Right II. The Seminoles are able to handle the rest of the schedule with relative ease, though in an 11-1 season. FSU wins its first ACC title. 1993 - FSU opens the season No. 1 in the AP poll. Another kickoff classic with a memorable 42-0 victory over Kansas, including the famous 11-play, goal-line stand. The Seminoles stack wins, putting away Miami without the need for a late kick. The Noles fall in the final moments in a Game of the Century, as No. 2 Notre Dame defeats No. 1 FSU 31-24 in South Bend, Ind. FSU puts away Florida, with a little help from a Ward-to-Dunn play, and the Seminoles hold off Nebraska 18-16 in the Orange Bowl for the program's first national title. 1994 - FSU runs into a good Florida team and falls behind 31-3 going into the fourth quarter at home against Florida. The Seminoles put together some of the best 15 minutes of football in program history, although it's arguable that many fans left the stadium or turned off the TV that day. Even though the "Choke at Doak" isn't a win, it's remembered fondly by the Seminoles and most of their fans. 1995 - FSU's undefeated run through the ACC came to a halt on a Thursday night at Virginia. But the Seminoles still have a 10-2 season that includes wins over Miami and Notre Dame. 1996 - No. 2 FSU defeats No. 1 Florida in Doak to complete a perfect regular season. But an unlikely Sugar Bowl rematch is lopsided as the No. 3 Gators take a 52-20 win. This is the 10th straight season of top-4 finishes for FSU. 1997 - FSU runs the table yet again until a top-10 matchup in the Swamp, No. 2 FSU vs. No. 10 Florida. The Gators pull out all the stops, alternate two quarterbacks and sneak out a 32-29 win. 1998 - FSU rebounds from an early loss at NC State in week 2. Starting quarterback Chris Weinke sustained a neck injury against Wake Forest that would sideline him for the season. Back-up quarterback Marcus Outzen stepped in to lead FSU to a 11-1 regular season including a thrilling victory over the No. 4 Gators 23-12 to earn a berth in the National Championship game against Tennessee in the Fiesta Bowl, where the Noles came up just short 23-16. 1999 - Wire-to-wire National Champs against a schedule that included the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 10 team in the nation. There were some nervous moments, especially when trying to slow down No. 2 Virginia Tech's Michael Vick, but the Seminoles take a 46-29 win. Bowden has his perfect season.
2000s2000 - No. 1 FSU loses a heartbreaker to No. 7 Miami (it ain't right) but is otherwise unblemished through the regular season, knocking off No. 4 Florida 30-7 to earn an Orange Bowl matchup against Oklahoma, falling 13-2. FSU plays with Mark Richt calling plays and organizing his staff at Georgia, while Chuck Amato is preparing to go to NC State. 2004 - The Bobby Bowden statue is dedicated before the Sept. 25 game and the No. 8 Seminoles defeat Clemson, coached by Bobby's son Tommy. The field at Doak Campbell Stadium is renamed Bobby Bowden Field on Nov. 20 before the game against Florida. 2005 - FSU captures its final ACC title under Bowden, despite a 6-3 record. The Seminoles capture the first ACC championship game against Virginia Tech in Jacksonville on Dec. 3, the 12th of Bowden's ACC titles. A month later, Bowden and Paterno stay up late for a three-overtime nail-biter before Penn State takes a 26-23 win. 2008 - FSU announces Jimbo Fisher, who arrived as offensive coordinator in 2007, will be named the head coach in waiting and that he will take over for Bowden within three years. 2009 - Fan frustration builds as the Seminoles lose to South Florida, Boston College and Georgia Tech on three straight weeks. The
Seminoles struggle to become bowl-eligible before pulling out a 29-26 win over Maryland in the final home game for Bowden on Nov. 21. Two days after FSU's regular season ends with a 37-10 loss at
Florida, and just weeks after Bowden's 80th birthday, FSU President T.K. Wetherell announces Bowden will not return for the 2010 season. The Gator Bowl extends an offer to FSU and arranges a matchup
with West Virginia. FSU takes a 33-21 victory in Bowden's final game, which was his 377th career win. |
| FSU Statistics |