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What Texas A&M's Jimbo Fisher Owes to Late Mentor Bobby Bowden

Jimbo Fisher's story cannot be told without Bobby Bowden - "as fine a gentleman and coach who has ever walked the sideline.”

Cole Thompson

Jimbo Fisher had practice and the Texas A&M football season ahead on his mind entering Media Day on Sunday morning. 

His heart, however, was with the Bowden family. 

Bobby Bowden, the legendary coach best known for his time at Florida State, passed away Sunday morning. He was 91. 

He was also Fisher's mentor and father figure in the sport. Prior to his retirement, Fisher was Bowden's final offensive coordinator at FSU. 

The story of Fisher's success in Tallahassee cannot be told without Bowden. In reality, he was far more than just a boss to the Aggies head coach. 

"He meant so many things to so many people, and he meant a ton to me,” Fisher said. “He’s as fine a gentleman and coach who has ever walked the sideline.”

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Bowden, who retired in 2009, was one of the first to create a dynasty in college football. People today look at Nick Saban and his success during his 14-year span at Alabama and consider it possible the greatest dynasty of all-time.

Before Saban planted roots in "Title Town," there was Bowden, who spent 34 seasons calling the shots at Doak Campbell Stadium. He complied 377 wins over the span of four decades, 315 coming with the Seminoles. 

He also tallied 12 ACC championships, and national titles in 1993 and 1999. Bowden did it all while making an impact on the next crop of coaches, winning over his peers and recruits with his southern charm and infectious demeanor. 

There were few like Bowden, a southern sweet-talker who could win over the room with a smile. There are even fewer of those coaches left today now that he's gone. 

Said Fisher: “The lives he touched and the players he touched, that’s his legacy, and that’s what he always talked about. …He knows where he’s definitely at, that’s for sure.”

The story of Bowden-Fisher goes beyond their time in Florida. Bowden, an Alabama native, became a superstar quarterback during his playing days at Samford University. He held nearly every record before a quarterback who played for Terry Bowden, Bobby's son, broke those records. 

His name? John James Fisher. 

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"People don't realize he and I are close," Fisher said last month at SEC media days in Hoover, Ala. 

When Terry Bowden left Salem to head to Samford, he brought Fisher along for the ride. The two would travel to Tallahassee to visit Bobby and his wife, Ann. There, Fisher and the patriarch of the Bowden family would talk football. They'd watch game film of the Seminoles in the living room. 

Fisher, who soon coached under Terry at his alma mater, once asked if he could watch Bobby Bowden at practice. Bobby Bowden didn't hesitate, inviting his future heir apparent to the complex. 

Both Fisher and Bowden spoke highly of the Bulldogs program. They both were All-Americans during their final seasons. And Fisher's first win as FSU's new head coach? 

Yep, it came against Samford. 

“Our lives and the Bowden family have intertwined so much,” Fisher said.

Fisher dazzles with his personality. He lights up the room when he talks after practice. After a win, you can't get Fisher to stop smiling. 

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But at the Hyatt Regency last month, he showed another side — one of compassion. One of pride. One of acceptance. And yes, a bit of a somber tone realizing what was to come. 

That same tone was found when addressing the media Sunday afternoon. 

When Bowden was sick, Fisher said the two chatted once more. It was the start of Bowden's end, but Fisher said his spirits were strong, just like they always were on game days. 

"I don't know if there's anybody who's ever done it with more grace, dignity or class on the sideline in college football in the history of this game and had the success he had winning and doing the things he does," Fisher said. "The impact he had on his coaches and the impact he had on his players and everybody who came in contact with him.

"It's a very sad day for me."

Bowden's legacy lives on through Fisher. Though he has long gone from Tallahassee, the winning mentality from mentor to protege flowed for years. The Seminoles recorded six 10-win seasons during Fisher's eight years with the program. 

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Like Bowden, Fisher guided a Heisman Trophy quarterback (Jameis Winston, 2013) before finally hoisting a national title the same season. Following the same footsteps, he too was a champion. 

Fisher, a man of faith, always admired Bowden's Christian background. Bowden once said, "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." 

Fisher said in Birmingham that Bowden would accept his fate, embracing whatever was to come next.

That moment came Sunday morning, surrounded by his family. 

"If there's anybody ready to be with the good Lord and if things come in time, it's him," Fisher said. 

"He's one of the great human beings that's ever coached and one of the great coaches that's ever coached.”

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Cole Thompson
COLE THOMPSON

Cole Thompson is a sports writer and columnist covering the NFL and college sports for SI's Fan Nation. A 2016 graduate from The University of Alabama, follow him on Twitter @MrColeThompson

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