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Bobby Bowden
File:Bobby Bowden 2007.jpg
Bowden pictured in 2007
Sport(s)Football
Biographical details
Born (1929-11-08) November 8, 1929 (age 94)
Birmingham, Alabama
Playing career
Position(s)Quarterback, running back
Head coaching record
Overall377–129–4
*12 wins vacated. (Bowden has a total of 411 wins as head coach. His 22 wins from South Georgia State College are also not counted by the NCAA)
Bowls21–10–1
*1 win vacated
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
2 National (1993, 1999)
12 ACC (1992–2000, 2002–2003, 2005)
2 ACC Atlantic Division (2005, 2008)
Awards
Bobby Dodd COY (1980)
Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award (1991)
Amos Alonzo Stagg Award (2011)
College Football Hall of Fame
Inducted in 2006 (profile)

Robert Cleckler Bowden (born November 8, 1929) is a retired American football coach. Bowden is best known for coaching the Florida State Seminoles football team from the 1976 to 2009 seasons.

During his time at Florida State, Bowden led FSU to an Associated Press and Coaches Poll National Title in 1993 and a BCS National Championship in 1999, as well as twelve Atlantic Coast Conference championships since FSU joined the conference in 1991. After a difficult 2009 season and amid questioning fans, Bowden was fired by President T.K. Wetherell, just weeks after his 80th birthday. He was allowed to make his final coaching appearance in the 2010 Gator Bowl game on January 1, 2010, with a 33–21 victory over his former program, West Virginia.

On March 6, 2009, NCAA ruling required Florida State to "vacate wins for any games in which an ineligible player participated", threatening to remove as many as fourteen of Bowden's wins from the 2006 and 2007 seasons in relation to an academic scandal. Florida State appealed the ruling,[1][2][3] but the NCAA upheld it on January 5, 2010.[4] Upon final investigation by Florida State University it was determined that Bowden was to vacate 12 wins,[5] bringing his final career record to 377–129–4.

Youth and early life[]

Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Bowden spent a portion of his childhood ill in bed. Bowden is the son of Bob Bowden and Sunset (née Cleckler) Bowden. When he was 13 years old, Bowden was diagnosed with rheumatic fever. After a six-month hospital stay, he was confined to his bed at home for just over a year with nothing more than his imagination to pass the time. It was listening to World War II reports on the radio that began Bowden's interest in the war, an interest he still has to this day. It was also around this time that his love for football increased, as he would listen to University of Alabama football on Saturday mornings.

Bowden was an outstanding football player at Woodlawn High School in Birmingham, and went on to play for the University of Alabama as a quarterback, fulfilling a lifelong dream to play for the Crimson Tide. He then returned to Birmingham and married his high school sweetheart, Ann Estock, on April 1, 1949. Today, the couple have six children and 21 grandchildren. Bobby transferred to Howard College (now known as Samford University), where he played football, baseball, ran track and became a brother in Pi Kappa Alpha. In his junior year he was elected president of Pi Kappa Alpha. His senior year, he was reelected to the presidency as well as captain of the football team where he garnered All-American honors at quarterback. The Howard College faculty nominated him for Who's Who Among Students in American Universities & Colleges in recognition of his academic and athletic leadership. Bowden graduated from Howard in 1953.

Early coaching career[]

Bowden served as an assistant football coach and head track and field coach at Howard College currently in the FCS football division) in Birmingham, Alabama from 1954–55. He left his alma mater to become Athletic Director as well as head football, baseball, and basketball coach at South Georgia College from 1956 to 1958. After a losing basketball season Bowden fired himself as head coach. Bowden then returned to Howard as head coach, where he compiled a 31–6 record between 1959 and 1962. In 1962, Bowden went to Florida State University as an assistant coach under Head Coach Bill Peterson. Three other coaching legends who worked under Peterson during this time were Bill Parcells, Joe Gibbs and Don James. Bowden left Florida State in 1965 to go to West Virginia University as an assistant under Jim Carlen. When Carlen left following the 1969 season to become head coach at Texas Tech, Bowden replaced him. Bowden then compiled a 42–26 record at WVU before returning to FSU as head coach in 1976.

During Bowden's first year as head coach at WVU, the football team of the state's other top-division school, Marshall University, were killed in a plane crash. He asked NCAA permission to wear Marshall jerseys and play Marshall's final game of the 1970 season against Ohio, but was denied. In memory of the victims of the crash, Mountaineers players put green crosses and the initials "MU" on their helmets. Bowden allowed Marshall's new head coach Jack Lengyel and his assistants access to game film and playbooks to acquaint themselves with the veer offense, a variation of the option offense which aids teams with weak offensive lines. Lengyel credits Bowden with helping the young Thundering Herd recover. Bowden reportedly became emotional while viewing the movie We Are Marshall, and has said that he was the original candidate for the Marshall head coaching job vacated by crash victim Rick Tolley.[6]

Florida State[]

File:Bowden comments on his first season as head coach of Florida State University's football program.ogv

Bowden comments on his second season as head coach of Florida State University's football program in 1977

File:Bobby Bowden-FSU 2006.jpg

Bobby Bowden on the sidelines of the November 4, 2006 game against Virginia

Bowden became the head coach of the Florida State Seminoles because the climate was warmer than in Morgantown, and because Tallahassee was closer to Birmingham, Alabama, where his mother and mother-in-law both lived. The team had a 4–29 record over the previous three seasons, and he planned to stay only briefly before taking a better job, perhaps as head coach at Alabama.[7]

File:Bobby Bowden.jpg

Bowden coaching at Florida State

Bowden became very successful very quickly at Florida State. By his second year Bowden had to deny many rumors that he would leave for another job; the team went 9-2, compared to the four wins total in the three seasons before Bowden. He said that he would be content to finish his career at Florida State, however, and reportedly told another athletic-department employee that he would "never coach anywhere north of Tallahassee".[8] During 34 years as head coach he had only one losing season–his first, in 1976–and declined head coaching job offers from Alabama, Auburn, LSU, and the National Football League's Atlanta Falcons. From 1987 to 2000, the Seminoles finished every season with at least 10 wins and in the top 5 of the Associated Press College Football Poll, and won the national championship in 1993 and 1999.[7] The team was particularly dominant after joining the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1992, winning or sharing nine consecutive conference titles from 1992 to 2000, and only losing two conference games in that stretch.

Bowden's tenure crested with a third consecutive appearance in the national championship game after the 2000 season, a loss to Oklahoma in the 2001 Orange Bowl. They opened the following season with a shocking 41-9 loss to North Carolina, only the third loss they had ever suffered in ACC play. They would go on to finish 8-4, the first time they had lost that many games in 15 years. It also marked the first time since joining the ACC that they did not win at least a share of the ACC title. From then on, Bowden would only notch one more appearance in the top 10 of a final media poll. However, his Seminoles did win two ACC titles before the inception of the ACC Championship Game.

Personal life[]

Bowden is a committed Christian[9] who credits his success in football to his faith.[10]

Family[]

Bowden is not the only member of his family to have coached Division I-A football. His son Tommy Bowden was the head coach at Clemson University. Another son, Terry Bowden, was the head coach at Auburn University, where he was the 1993 Coach of the Year. A third son, Jeff Bowden, was the offensive coordinator at Florida State. All three Bowden men who were head coaches have achieved an undefeated season: Terry in 1993 at Auburn; Tommy in 1998 at Tulane; and Bobby in 1999 at Florida State. Bobby's 1993 and 1999 Florida State teams were the only ones to win a national championship, however.

The Bowden Bowl[]

As both Florida State and Clemson are in the same division of the Atlantic Coast Conference for football, the two teams played each other every year from 1999 through 2007 in a game that became known as the "Bowden Bowl". Their 1999 meeting was the first time in Division I-A history that a father and a son met as opposing head coaches in a football game. Bobby held the edge in the series 5–4, with all four losses within the last five games. Tommy Bowden's four wins in the series remain the only times a son has ever beaten his father when facing off as head coach in any of America's four major sports.[citation needed]

One Bowden Bowl was scheduled between Auburn and Florida State for 1999 when Terry Bowden was the coach at Auburn. However, Terry's midseason resignation in 1998 ended the possibility of a Bowden Bowl. Another Bowden Bowl was scheduled between Clemson and Florida State in 2008, but Tommy Bowden's resignation halfway through the year ended the Bowden Bowls. Florida State beat Clemson in what would have been the 2008 Bowden Bowl on Bobby Bowden's 79th birthday, earning him his 380th career win.

Awards[]

Bowden was awarded the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award for 1980. He received the Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award for 1991. In 1992 Coach Bowden received the United States Sports Academy's Amos Alonzo Stagg Coaching Award in recognition of his outstanding achievement as a coach.[11]

Awards named after him[]

On March 21, 2010, the Over the Mountain Touchdown Club of Birmingham, Alabama presented the first annual Bobby Bowden National Collegiate Coach of the Year Award, named in honor of Bowden and the contributions that he made during his career. The award recognizes a coach each year with unmatched success on and off of the field in the same attributes that Bowden showed throughout his career: perseverance, attitude, integrity, and determination. University of Alabama head coach Nick Saban was the first recipient of the award, and it was presented by Bowden himself. The award is presented each year after national signing day and before the commencement of Spring practice.

In 2004, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes presented the first of what is now a yearly award in Bowden's name. The award was initiated by former Bowden assistant coach Vince Gibson and former Bowden player Vernon Brinson. It honors one college football player for his achievements on the field, in the classroom and in the community. In 2013, the Seminole Tribe of Florida became the official sponsor of the award. The Seminole Tribe of Florida Bobby Bowden Student Athlete of the Year Award is presented each year prior to the College Football Playoff (CFP) national title.

In 2011, in recognition of his philanthropic efforts with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Bowden received the Children's Champion Award for Leadership Development from the charitable organization Children's Hunger Fund.[12]

Head coaching record[]

In his 44 seasons as a head coach, Bowden had 40 winning seasons (including 33 consecutive at Florida State), and 36 Division 1-A winning seasons. During the period 1987–2000, Bowden coached Florida State to 14 straight seasons with 10 or more victories, and his team had a final ranking of fourth or better in both of the major polls.

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs Coaches# AP°
Howard Bulldogs (NCAA College Division Independent) (1959–1962)
1959 Howard 9–1
1960 Howard 8–1
1961 Howard 7–2
1962 Howard 7–2
Howard: 31–6
West Virginia Mountaineers (NCAA University Division / Division I independent) (1970–1975)
1970 West Virginia 8–3
1971 West Virginia 7–4
1972 West Virginia 8–4 L Peach
1973 West Virginia 6–5
1974 West Virginia 4–7
1975 West Virginia 9–3 W Peach 17 20
West Virginia: 42–26
Florida State Seminoles (NCAA Division I / I-A independent) (1976–1991)
1976 Florida State 5–6
1977 Florida State 10–2 W Tangerine 11 14
1978 Florida State 8–3
1979 Florida State 11–1 L Orange 8 6
1980 Florida State 10–2 L Orange 5 5
1981 Florida State 6–5
1982 Florida State 9–3 W Gator 10 13
1983 Florida State 8–4 (7–5) ^ W Peach
1984 Florida State 7–3–2 T Florida Citrus 19 17
1985 Florida State 9–3 W Gator 13 15
1986 Florida State 7–4–1 W All-American 20
1987 Florida State 11–1 W Fiesta 2 2
1988 Florida State 11–1 W Sugar 3 3
1989 Florida State 10–2 W Fiesta 2 3
1990 Florida State 10–2 W Blockbuster 4 4
1991 Florida State 11–2 W Cotton 4 4
Florida State Seminoles (Atlantic Coast Conference) (1992–2009)
1992 Florida State 11–1 8–0 1st W Orange 2 2
1993 Florida State 12–1 8–0 1st W Orange 1 1
1994 Florida State 10–1–1 8–0 1st W Sugar 5 4
1995 Florida State 10–2 7–1 T–1st W Orange 5 4
1996 Florida State 11–1 8–0 1st L Sugar 3 3
1997 Florida State 11–1 8–0 1st W Sugar 3 3
1998 Florida State 11–2 7–1 T–1st L Fiesta 3 3
1999 Florida State 12–0 8–0 1st W Sugar 1 1
2000 Florida State 11–2 8–0 1st L Orange 4 5
2001 Florida State 8–4 6–2 2nd W Gator 15 15
2002 Florida State 9–5 7–1 1st L Sugar 23 21
2003 Florida State 10–3 7–1 1st L Orange 10 11
2004 Florida State 9–3 6–2 2nd W Gator 14 15
2005 Florida State 8–5 5–3 1st (Atlantic) L Orange 23 22
2006 Florida State 7–6 ‡ 3–5 ‡ 5th (Atlantic) W Emerald
2007 Florida State 7–6 ‡ 4–4 ‡ 3rd (Atlantic) L Music City
2008 Florida State 9–4 5–3 T–1st (Atlantic) W Champs Sports 23 21
2009 Florida State 7–6 4–4 3rd (Atlantic) W Gator
Florida State: 304–97–4 105–27
Total: 377–129–4
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title
Indicates BCS bowl, Bowl Alliance or Bowl Coalition game. #Rankings from final Coaches' Poll.
°Rankings from final AP Poll.

^ The 1983 season includes a forfeit win vs. Tulane.
‡ For the 2006 and 2007 seasons 12 wins, including 6 conference wins, were vacated for use of ineligible players. 5 wins from 2006 (including 2 conference wins) and 7 wins from 2007 (including 4 conference wins) were ultimately vacated by the NCAA.

Bibliography[]

Bobby Bowden has co-authored several books, including:

Books about Bobby Bowden's early coaching years:

Books about Bobby Bowden's entire career:

Books which feature contributions from Bobby Bowden:

See also[]

Coaching tree[]

Assistant coaches under Bobby Bowden who became NCAA head coaches:

  • Brad Scott
  • Mark Richt
  • Chuck Amato
  • Tommy Bowden
  • Terry Bowden
  • Rick Stockstill
  • Skip Holtz
  • Kirby Smart
  • Daryl Dickey
  • Jimbo Fisher

References[]

  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on December 1, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20071201142013/http://www.ncaa.org/library/records/football/football_records_book/2007/2007_d1_football_records_book.pdf. Retrieved January 3, 2008. NCAA 2007 Football Records, pg 378
  2. "Bobby Bowden profile". seminoles.com. Archived from the original on July 3, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20070703111234/http://seminoles.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/bowden_bobby01.html.
  3. "Florida State Seminoles players sorry scandal could cost Bobby Bowden". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4320845.
  4. "Florida State Seminoles penalty upheld; Bowden faces losing 14 wins". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4797662.
  5. "Bobby Bowden wins last game, but can't beat NCAA". jacksonville.com. http://jacksonville.com/sports/college/florida_state_seminoles/2010-01-06/story/bobby_bowden_wins_last_game_but_cant_beat_nc.
  6. The Times-Union. "Movie opens old wounds for Bowden – Jacksonville.com". http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/121906/spf_6895455.shtml.
  7. 7.0 7.1 Bowden, Bobby. "A Tenure Longer Than Expected and Shorter Than Desired" The New York Times, August 31, 2010.
  8. "Report: VPI wooing Bowden". St. Petersburg Times. Compiled from AP, UPI wires: p. 1C. 1977-12-13. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TW9IAAAAIBAJ&sjid=HVoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1869%2C4271463.
  9. "The 700 Club -- Bobby Bowden: A Legacy of Coaching Champions for Christ". http://www.cbn.com/entertainment/sports/Bobby_Bowden.aspx.
  10. Herald, The Gospel (December 5, 2016). "Legendary Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden on Family, Faith, and The Key to Success (Interview)". Christian News, The Gospel Herald. http://www.gospelherald.com/articles/68570/20161205/legendary-florida-state-coach-bobby-bowden-on-family-faith-and-the-key-to-success-interview.htm.
  11. "SFCPressPoint: Alabama's Nick Saban to Receive Coach of the Year Award on United States Sports Academy Campus". http://www.sportsfeatures.com/presspoint/pressrelease/51230/alabamas-nick-saban-to-receive-coach-of-the-year-award-on-united-states-sports-academy-campus.
  12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 25, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110525004948/http://www.chfus.org/component/content/article/565.html. Retrieved April 28, 2011.

External links[]

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