Who was Bobby Bowden?
Bobby Bowden, November 8, 1929 – August 8, 2021, was an American college football coach. Bowden coached the Florida State Seminoles of Florida State University (FSU) from 1976 to 2009 and is considered one of the greatest college football coaches of all time for his accomplishments with the Seminoles.
Bobby Bowden, who led Florida State football dynasty, dies at 91
Bobby Bowden, the folksy Hall of Fame coach who built Florida State into a college football dynasty that powered its way to a dozen conference titles and two national championships, died early Sunday. He was 91.
Bobby Bowden’s son, Terry, confirmed to The Associated Press that his father died at home in Tallahassee, Florida, surrounded by family.
“It was truly peaceful,” Terry Bowden said in a text message to The AP.
Under his watch, Florida State had
- 14 consecutive seasons where they finished in the top 5 and had 10+ wins
- 12 ACC Championships
- 2 National Championships
Outside of the Bowden’s sons, who all also went into coaching (Terry, Tommy, and Jeff), perhaps no current college coach is more closely tied to Bobby Bowden than Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher.
Fisher played for Terry Bowden at Samford, was an assistant under him for more than a decade at Samford and then at Auburn, and then served under Bobby himself as Florida State’s offensive coordinator for three seasons, before succeeding Bobby as the Seminoles head coach in 2010. He led Florida State to six more 10-win seasons, three ACC Championships, and the 2013 National Championship before taking the head coaching job in College Station in December 2017.
Fisher was asked at SEC Media Days last month about his relationship with Bobby Bowden and the Bowden family since it was known he was in poor health.
Bobby Bowden Death Cause
Bobby Bowden announced on July 21 he had a terminal illness that Terry Bowden later said was pancreatic cancer.
“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, a devout Christian, said at the time. “My wife, Ann, and our family have been life’s greatest blessing. I am at peace.”
Bobby Bowden Biography, Wiki
Bobby Bowden was born to Bob Bowden and Sunset Bowden. He was just 13 when he was diagnosed with rheumatic fever and had to spend six months in the hospital.
After being discharged, Bobby Bowden was not allowed to go anywhere for nearly a year and it was around this time he got used to listening to University of Alabama football on Saturday mornings on the radio and developed an interest in the sport.
Bobby Bowden attended the Woodlawn High School and was among one of the best football players in his school. He also played for the University of Alabama as a quarterback. He graduated in 1953, from Howard College, present-day Samford University.
| Full Name | Robert Cleckler Bowden |
| Born | November 8, 1929 Birmingham, Alabama |
|---|---|
| Died | August 8, 2021 (aged 91) Tallahassee, Florida |
| 1948 | Alabama (freshman) |
| 1949–1952 | Samford |
| Position(s) | Quarterback, running back |
| 1954–1955 | Samford (assistant) |
| 1956–1958 | South Georgia State College |
| 1959–1962 | Samford |
| 1963–1965 | Florida State (WR) |
| 1966–1969 | West Virginia (OC) |
| 1970–1975 | West Virginia |
| 1976–2009 | Florida State |
| Overall | 377–129–4 *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) |
| Bowls | 21–10–1 *1 win vacated |
Bobby Bowden Career
- From 1954 to 1955, Bobby Bowden served as the assistant football coach and head track and field coach at the Howard College Birmingham, Alabama.
- Bobby Bowden then became the Athletic Director and also served as the head football, baseball, and basketball coach for South Georgia College from 1956 to 1958.
- After leaving South Georgia College Bobby Bowden returned to Howard Collage and stayed there till 1962, before joining the Florida State University as an assistant coach.
- He left the Florida State University in 1965 to coach at the West Virginia University and became its head coach in 1969. In 1976, he joined the Florida State University again as the head coach.
- He coached the Florida State Seminoles football team for 34 years in which he lost only one season. On December 1, 2009, he announced his retirement from the Florida State University.
Bobby Bowden Awards and Achievements
- From 1987 to 2000, under Bobby Bowden’s coaching the Florida State University’s (FSU) football team finished every season with at least 10 wins and was constantly among top five teams in the Associated Press College Football Poll.
- Bobby Bowden also holds the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) record of 11 consecutive bowl victories and 14 straight bowl trips without a loss.
- The FSU also won the 1993 and 1999 national championships while Bowden coached them.
- His overall record at the FSU is 300-87-4 which includes a 158-27-2 record in Tallahassee, 35-10-1 record at neutral sites and 107-50-1 on an opponent’s ground.
- For his outstanding achievement as a coach, Bowden received the ‘Amos Alonzo Stagg Coaching Award’ from the ‘United States Sports Academy’.
- In 2011, Bobby Bowden was awarded the ‘Children’s Champion Award for Leadership Development’ by the Children’s Hunger Fund, a charitable organization, in recognition of his humanitarian work.
Bobby Bowden Personal Life
Bobby Bowden married Ann Estock, his childhood sweetheart, in 1949 and the couple raised six children and 21 grandchildren. Bowden was a committed Christian who credited his success in football to his faith.[21]
Bobby Bowden was 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.[22]
Bobby Bowden was diagnosed with COVID-19 in October 2020. Bowden was diagnosed with a terminal medical condition in July 2021, reportedly pancreatic cancer. Bowden died roughly one month after announcing the diagnosis on August 8, 2021, at age 91.
Bobby Bowden 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)
Bobby Bowden Net Worth
Robert Cleckler Bowden, who is better known as Bobby Bowden, was a retired American football coach who is known to be among the best college football coaches having coached the Florida State Seminoles football team for 33 years. Bowden holds the record for his Seminoles team finishing in the AP top 5 for 14 consecutive seasons. As of 2021, Bobby Bowden has an estimated net worth of $14 million.
Tweets on Bobby Bowden’s Death
Who was Bobby Bowden?
Bobby Bowden was an American college football coach.
At what age did Bobby Bowden die?
Bobby Bowden died at 91.
What is Bobby Bowden’s net worth?
Bobby Bowden has a net worth of around $14 Million.
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