In that moment, Coach Bowden was focused on me, not on the message he was about to deliver, but on this kid who had no business striking up a conversation like that. That is the essence of Bobby Bowden.
This past week (January 12 to be exact) was the 50th anniversary of a watershed moment in the history of college football. On January 12, 1976, Bobby Bowden was introduced as the new head football coach at Florida State. Bowden had coached at FSU before, serving as wide receivers coach from 1963 to 1965.
Photo courtesy WVU Athletics
However, he would spend the next ten years at West Virginia, serving as their offensive coordinator from 1966 to 1969, and as their head coach from 1970 to 1975. His time with the Mountaineers was successful. He led WVU to a 42-26 record in five seasons and a victory in the Peach Bowl at the end of the 1975 season.
While Bowden was in Morgantown, FSU was a completely different story. The Noles had gone 4-29 in the previous three seasons before Bowden’s arrival. That left many people wondering, “Why in the world would you leave Morgantown for Tallahassee?” Bobby had his reasons, mainly the warmer climate and his closeness to his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama.
He planned to stay in Tallahassee only briefly before taking a better job, but God had other plans, and Coach Bowden followed.
In the 1976 season Booby Bowden led Florida State to a 5-6 record. Despite having a losing record, it garnered attention because it had more wins in one season than the previous three combined. It would be the only losing season during Bowden’s time at Florida State.
The next season in 1977, Florida State went 10-2, won the Tangerine Bowl, and was ranked in the top 15 in both the AP and coaches polls. It was clear that Florida State had found someone special in Coach Bobby Bowden. Throughout the remainder of the 1970s and into the 1980s, Florida State football continued to grow and succeed under Coach Bowden, but things would go to a whole other level beginning with the 1987 season.
1987-2001 is what many people consider “The Bowden Dynasty” years at Florida State. Every single season from 1987 to 2001, Florida State would finish ranked in the top five with ten wins or more. It was also during this time that Bowden recruited some of the most legendary players in college football history. Some of the legendary names to play for Florida State during this time include: Charlie Ward, Chris Weinke, Deion Sanders, Peter Warrick, Warrick Dunn, Derek Brooks, and so many others.
In 1992, Florida State joined the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). They would dominate the ACC, winning either the outright conference title or a share of it every season through 2000. In the 1993 season, Florida State went 12-1 and won the first National Championship in program history by defeating Nebraska 18-16 in the Orange Bowl.
In 1999, Bobby Bowden and the Seminoles would make history once again. They would go 12-0 and win a second National Championship by defeating Frank Beamer, Michael Vick, and Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl 46-29. The 1999 Florida State team was the first team to go “wire-to-wire,” meaning they began the season ranked number one, stayed there all year, and won the National Championship.
Photo courtesy Sports Illustrated
Even after the dynasty years, Bobby Bowden continued to have success in Tallahassee. He would win three more ACC Conference titles in 2002, 2003, and 2005.
However, all good things must come to an end. The 2009 season would be Bowden’s final season before retirement. The Noles struggled that year, and Bowden was forced to announce his retirement. He would coach until the end of the season. Florida State finished the 2009 regular season 6-6 and was invited to the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville.
The team that was invited to face Florida State in the game was none other than Bowden’s former school. That’s right, Bobby Bowden’s final game would be Florida State vs West Virginia. In a moment that still brings tears to my eyes, before the game, Chief Osceola and Renegade rode out to midfield for the traditional planting of the spear, but stopped. Bobby was called to midfield, handed the spear, and, surrounded by the players of his final team, Bobby Bowden planted it as the Marching Chiefs fired up the war chant.
Television announcer Verne Lundquist: Awesome. West Virginia led the Noles 14-3 after the first quarter, but Florida State would not be denied. Bobby Bowden would not be denied. They would fight back and take home the win 33-21, sending the legendary Bobby Bowden out on top.
The wins and losses may be what most remember, but Bobby Bowden’s legacy is much, much deeper than that. Bobby had a code: Faith, family, football, in that order.
–He believed in putting his faith in God and his family ahead of his profession, and he taught his assistant coaches and players to do the same, even encouraging his assistant coaches to bring their children to work with them. He believed where his players would spend eternity was more important than any championship.
–He believed in doing things the right way, “The Bowden Way” as it became known in Tallahassee. He believed in forgiveness and second chances for his players because that’s how he would want his children’s coaches to treat them if they messed up.
–He believed in loyalty. He turned down job offers from Alabama (his dream job), Auburn, LSU, and the Atlanta Falcons to stay at Florida State. Even as he rose to fame, he left his phone number listed in the Tallahassee phone book just in case a former player, coach, or friend wanted to get in touch.
In 2010, I had a chance to meet Coach Bowden. He was the guest speaker at my home church in Pensacola, Florida. My interaction with him was brief, just long enough to shake his hand and tell him I was a huge fan. But in those few moments, his attention was on me. He probably had a million other things on his mind that day, but when a 13-year-old kid in a garnet T-shirt walked up to him and our senior pastor was passing by and said, “Hey, aren’t you Bobby Bowden?” He didn’t tell me to get lost, he turned around with a smile and said ‘Yes, I am!” And shook my hand.
It is a moment that has stayed with me, as just for a few moments, one of my heroes was focused on me. Not on where ever he and the Pastor were heading, not the message he was about to deliver, but on this kid who had no business striking up a conversation like that. That is the essence of Bobby Bowden.
Bobby Bowden passed away on August 8, 2021, after a battle with pancreatic cancer. The college football world lost a giant. I lost a hero.
People won’t always remember what you said and did. But they will remember how you made them feel. And in Bobby Bowden’s case, that would be pretty “dadgum good.”
