“Almost Heaven” is a deep dive into the history of a person, an era, and a place, and that’s what makes it special. Those who lived through it can harken back to the day, and those who didn’t can live it vicariously.
John Antonik’s Almost Heaven: How Bobby Bowden’s Ten Years at West Virginia University Helped Him Become One of the Winningest Coaches in College Football History. Morgantown, WV: West Virginia University Press, Sept. 2025. Available for purchase at West Virginia University Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and local bookstores everywhere.
West Virginia University Press (2025)
“Authenticity is the hallmark of John Antonik’s masterfully crafted Almost Heaven. Antonik presents Coach Bowden in his own voice, enhanced by quotes from hundreds of others who contributed to his story at WVU. Antonik also conveys an institutional narrative, revealing how decisions made during the 1966-75 era positioned the Mountaineers in the upper echelon of major college football. This is a fantastic read, authored by the premier interpreter of WVU sports history.” Frank Fear, publisher-requested review of Almost Heaven
I’m delighted to expand those thoughts in this longer-form version. It’s an expression of adulation for the subject, Coach Bowden, and admiration for the author, John Antonik.
I can’t think of a better person than John Antonik to tell Bobby Bowden’s WVU story. The reason is how Antonik approaches his craft. He doesn’t offer personal commentary; instead, he presents the words of those who lived the experiences. That enables you to experience the words in your mind’s eye, imagining yourself with Coach Bowden and others who knew him closely.
There is story after story in the book, the outcome of Antonik’s disciplined note-taking over the years. His fastidiousness puts you in a prime position to understand and appreciate an unvarnished portrait of Coach Bowden. Make no mistake about this: Almost Heaven is not a “branded version” of Bowden, and for that I am thankful.
I use the word adulation to describe my feelings about Coach Bowden. Adulation means “excessive praise,” and that word is not a hyperbolic choice.
We all know that Bobby Bowden was a fantastic football coach: his record (377-129-4), two national championships, and induction in the College Football Hall of Fame stand as testimony. That said, there have been many great football coaches in my lifetime. What stands out about Coach Bowden is something for which there is neither score sheet nor stat: it is who he was as a human being and the impact he had on those who played for him, coached with him, learned from him, and loved him.
Someone recently asked me to convey the biggest takeaway from researching and writing my book about Bowden’s years at WVU, from 1966 to 1970. My response? Multiple players shared a common theme: they wanted Coach to be proud of them as they went about living their lives. Put another way, Coach Bowden had an ongoing presence, even though he was not physically present in their lives, as he was when they played for him in Morgantown.
Coach Bowden is reaching out to shake Lou Holtz’s hand after his Mountaineers beat NC State 13-10 in the 1975 Peach Bowl. It was Bowden’s final game with the Mountaineers (photo courtesy The Florida Times-Union via Jacksonville.com)
That’s the person you get to know intimately in Almost Heaven. He is not taken with himself. He admits mistakes and shortcomings. He learns from good and bad circumstances. Bobby Bowden is the type of person you’d want as a husband, a son, a brother, a neighbor, a friend, and a colleague.
But let’s also be clear: Bowden’s time in Morgantown wasn’t all peaches and cream. It was rough, especially toward the end of his WVU tenure, and what happened during that period is one of the must-read parts of the book.
Fortunately, those images have not tarnished Coach Bowden’s legacy in the Mountain State. Instead, Hoppy Kercheval’s thoughts, written soon after Coach’s passing, represent a widespread feeling of how Coach is remembered: “His (Bowden’s) folksy charm, comical storytelling, and unadulterated love of people–seemingly everyone he met—forged a deep kinship between Bowden and West Virginia. We bask in the glow that one of the greatest was, at least in part, one of us.”
Everything Kercheval describes comes through in the pages of Almost Heaven, and for that I am thankful.
John Antonik (photo courtesy Amazon)
John Antonik specializes in recounting the people, the seasons, the games, and, most importantly, the experiences surrounding Mountaineer athletics. Almost Heaven is his gift to us, a historian’s gift.
In the audio that follows, Coach Bowden talks about his time at West Virginia University and shares his feelings about the people of the Mountain State (audio courtesy WVU Football)
We share a bond that carries with it a deep sense of pride: “We are Mountaineers!”
Thank you, Coach Bowden and John Antonik.
With Adulation and Admiration,
Frank Fear
John captures the entire picture of Coach Bowden’s tenure at WVU….that being the good, the bad, and the ugly. This book provides an excellent insight into how a young coach honed his craft. Being a player from 72 thru 75 the book really shows the challenges which Coach faced, both on and off the playing, but thru it all he kept true to himself and players all of which were rewarded with a 1975 Peach Bowl victory. Hats, or maybe helmets,, off to John!