Bobby Bowden
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Robert Cleckler Bowden (born November 8, 1929 in Birmingham, Alabama), better known as Bobby Bowden, is the head football coach at the Florida State University, where he has been since 1976.
During his tenure, Bowden has coached the Seminoles to 2 National Championships (1993, 1999) and 12 ACC Conference Championships.
Youth and family life
Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Bowden spent a portion of his childhood in bed, sick. When he was 13 years old, Bowden was diagnosed with rheumatic fever. After a six month hospital stay, Bowden was confined to his bed at home for just over a year with nothing more than a radio and 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 the University of Alabama as a quarterback, fulfilling a lifelong dream to play for the Crimson Tide before returning to Birmingham and marrying his high school sweetheart Ann Estock on April 1, 1949. Bobby transferred to Howard College (now Samford University). The couple has 6 children and 21 grandchildren.
Early coaching career
Bowden served as an assistant football coach and head track and field coach at Howard College (now Samford University) from 1954-1955. He left his alma mater to serve as Athletic Director and head football baseball and basketball coach at South Georgia College from 1956 to 1958. Bowden then returned to Samford as head coach, where he compiled a 31-6 record between 1959 and 1962. In 1962, Bowden went to Florida State University as an assiatant coach under Bill Peterson and left in 1965 to go to West Virginia University as assistant coach. When the head coach at West Virginia left before the 1970 season, Bowden replaced him. Bowden then compiled a 42-26 record at West Virginia University before returning to FSU as head coach in 1976.
Florida State
At Florida State, Bowden inherited a team that had won just four games over the previous three seasons. In his 31 years as the head coach at Florida State, he has had only one losing season, his first in 1976; and has piled up a 287-75-4 record. He is the only coach in Division I-A football history to have enjoyed 14 straight 10-win seasons. His Florida State Seminoles finished an unprecedented 14 straight seasons in the top 5 of the Associated Press College Football Poll. His Seminoles won the College Football National Championship in 1993 and 1999.
Nicknamed "The Riverboat Gambler" for his creative trick plays, he's notorious for his southern drawl, with statements like, "Dad gummit" topping the list. One of Bowden's greatest coaching achievements revolves around his success in bowl games. His 19-8-1 record and .672 bowl winning percentage rank third all-time. Only Joe Paterno (21) has won more bowl games. His 361 total coaching victories ranks first all-time among all Division I-A head coaches, active or not. However, when it comes to total Division 1-A wins, he is in second place, behind Joe Paterno. This is because his first 31 wins weren't with a Division 1-A school.
The National Bobby Bowden Award
In 2004, The Fellowship of Christian Athletes presented the first of what is now a yearly award in Bowden's name, The National Bobby Bowden Award, honoring one college football player for his achievements on the field, in the classroom and in the community. The award is presented each year prior to the Bowl Championship Series' national title game.
Bobby Bowden Field
In November 2004, by an act of the 2000 session of the Legislature of the State of Florida, Florida State renamed the field at Doak Campbell Stadium as Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium, erected a bronze statue of his likeness, and unveiled a three story stained-glass window in his honor.
The Bowden Bowl
Bobby is not the only member of his family to coach Division I-A football. His son Tommy Bowden is 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; and a third son, Jeff Bowden, is the offensive coordinator at Florida State. As both Florida State and Clemson are in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the two teams play every year in a game that has become known as "The Bowden Bowl". Their first meeting, in 1999, was the first time in Division I-A history that a father and a son met as opposing head coaches in a football game. As of 2005, Bobby dominates the series, leading 5-2. Tommy's two wins in the series remain the only times the son has ever beaten the father when facing off as head coach in any of America's four major sports.
Head coaching records
| TEAM | YEAR (Conference Championships) (Bowl Game) | WINS | LOSSES | TIES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samford University (Howard College) | 1959 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Samford University (Howard College) | 1960 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Samford University (Howard College) | 1961 | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| Samford University (Howard College) | 1962 | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| Samford (Howard) TOTAL | 4 years | 31 | 6 | 0 |
| West Virginia University | 1970 | 8 | 3 | 0 |
| West Virginia University | 1971 | 7 | 4 | 0 |
| West Virginia University | 1972 (Peach Bowl) | 8 | 4 | 0 |
| West Virginia University | 1973 | 6 | 5 | 0 |
| West Virginia University | 1974 | 4 | 7 | 0 |
| West Virginia University | 1975 (Peach Bowl) | 9 | 3 | 0 |
| West Virginia TOTAL | 6 years | 42 | 26 | 0 |
| Florida State University | 1976 | 5 | 6 | 0 |
| Florida State University | 1977 (Tangerine Bowl) | 10 | 2 | 0 |
| Florida State University | 1978 | 8 | 3 | 0 |
| Florida State University | 1979 (Orange Bowl) | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| Florida State University | 1980 (Orange Bowl) | 10 | 2 | 0 |
| Florida State University | 1981 | 6 | 5 | 0 |
| Florida State University | 1982 (Gator Bowl) | 9 | 3 | 0 |
| Florida State University | 1983 (Peach Bowl) | 8 | 4 | 0 |
| Florida State University | 1984 (Citrus Bowl) | 7 | 3 | 2 |
| Florida State University | 1985 (Gator Bowl) | 9 | 3 | 0 |
| Florida State University | 1986 (All-American Bowl) | 7 | 4 | 1 |
| Florida State University | 1987 (Fiesta Bowl) | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| Florida State University | 1988 (Sugar Bowl) | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| Florida State University | 1989 (Fiesta Bowl) | 10 | 2 | 0 |
| Florida State University | 1990 (Blockbuster Bowl) | 10 | 2 | 0 |
| Florida State University | 1991 (Cotton Bowl) | 11 | 2 | 0 |
| Florida State University | 1992 (Atlantic Coast Conference Champions)(Orange Bowl) | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| Florida State University | 1993 (Atlantic Coast Conference Champions)(Orange Bowl) | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| Florida State University | 1994 (Atlantic Coast Conference Champions)(Sugar Bowl) | 10 | 1 | 1 |
| Florida State University | 1995 (Atlantic Coast Conference Co-Champions)(Orange Bowl) | 10 | 2 | 0 |
| Florida State University | 1996 (Atlantic Coast Conference Champions)(Sugar Bowl) | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| Florida State University | 1997 (Atlantic Coast Conference Champions)(Sugar Bowl) | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| Florida State University | 1998 (Atlantic Coast Conference Champions)(Fiesta Bowl) | 11 | 2 | 0 |
| Florida State University | 1999 (Atlantic Coast Conference Champions)(Sugar Bowl) | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| Florida State University | 2000 (Atlantic Coast Conference Champions)(Orange Bowl) | 11 | 2 | 0 |
| Florida State University | 2001 (Gator Bowl) | 8 | 4 | 0 |
| Florida State University | 2002 (Atlantic Coast Conference Champions)(Sugar Bowl) | 9 | 5 | 0 |
| Florida State University | 2003 (Atlantic Coast Conference Champions)(Orange Bowl) | 10 | 3 | 0 |
| Florida State University | 2004 (Gator Bowl) | 9 | 3 | 0 |
| Florida State University | 2005 (Atlantic Coast Conference Champions)(Orange Bowl) | 8 | 5 | 0 |
| Florida State University | 2006 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Florida State TOTAL | 30 years | 288 | 75 | 4 |
| CAREER TOTAL | 40 years | 361 | 107 | 4 |
List of Florida State University head football coaches
Author
Bowden has co-authored several books, including:
- Winning's Only Part of the Game : Lessons of Life and Football (1996)
- ISBN 0-446-52050-0
- The Bowden Way : 50 Years of Leadership Wisdom (2001)
- ISBN 1-56352-684-0
- Bobby Bowden: Win by Win (2003)
- ISBN 0-7385-1544-2
- Bobby Bowden's Tales from the Seminole Sideline (2004)
- ISBN 1-58261-406-7
References
- National Collegiate Athletic Association. (August 2005) Official 2005 NCAA Football Record Book (PDF). ISSN 0735-5475
See also
- Featured Athlete on Fox Sports Net's Beyond the Glory
External links
- Bowden's bio from the official Florida State athletic's website
- Video clip from 1977 Bobby Bowden comments on his first season as head coach of Florida State University's football program.