Mr. CFB: A Tribute To Coach Bobby Bowden And A Life Well Lived

By now we all know the numbers that go with the extraordinary coaching career of Robert Cleckler “Bobby” Bowden, who passed away Sunday at the age of 91: **--In

By now we all know the numbers that go with the extraordinary coaching career of Robert Cleckler “Bobby” Bowden, who passed away Sunday at the age of 91:

**--In 1976 he left his job as the head coach at West Virginia—where he had won 42 games in six seasons--and became the head coach at Florida State. He got a $2,500 raise—from $35,000 to $37,500-- to take over a program that had fallen on hard times.

**--In his first season in Tallahassee he went 5-6. The next season he went 10-2 and earned a spot in the Tangerine Bowl. By 1979 the Seminoles were in the Orange Bowl.

**--He built national program by being willing to play anybody, anytime, and anywhere. In 1980 Florida State won at No. 3 Nebraska 18-14. Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com tells us that in 1981 Bowden inherited a schedule that included road games at No. 17 Nebraska, at No. 7 Ohio State, at Notre Dame, at LSU and at No. 3 Pittsburgh (with Dan Marino). The Seminoles went 3-2 in those games but the point was made. And when Florida State scored a big road win, it would bring back a piece of sod and bury it in the “Sod Cemetery” in Tallahassee. Playing tough teams on the road became a badge of honor for the Seminoles.

**--Despite opportunities to leave, Bowden would stay at Florida State for 34 years, winning 304 games, 12 ACC championships, and two national championships (1993, 1999).

**--From 1987 to 2000 Florida State had an unprecedented run of 14 consecutive seasons of finishing in the final Associated Press Top 5.

But those numbers, as impressive as they are, don’t begin to tell the story of Bobby Bowden’s extraordinary life. Consider:

**--As a teenager he contracted rheumatic fever and was confined to his bed for over a year. He would spend his time listening to the radio descriptions of World War II. From that he learned his love of history.

**--He married his high school sweetheart, Ann Estock, when he was 19 and she was 16. They raised six children and 21 grandchildren. They lived in the same house in Killearn Estates in Tallahassee for 45 years. His phone number was in the Tallahassee directory. I know because I called him years ago and Ann answered. According to a story in the Tallahassee Democrat, fans would drop off memorabilia in the garage and Bowden would sign it when he got home.

**--After big home games with a lot of national media in town he would always have breakfast for them on Sunday morning. Those sessions were priceless and you’d always leave with a full notebook. He was always good after a win. He was even better after a loss because he wondered out loud if he could have done more to get his team ready.

But the core of Bobby Bowden’s life was his abiding Faith. He was often quoted as saying: “Football is not who I am. It’s what I do.”

Bowden felt that it was his duty as a football coach to, in the short time players were under his watch, find a way to make them better men, husbands, and fathers.

One of those he helped was assistant coach Mark Richt. It was Bowden, Richt has said often in public, who made him realize that his spiritual life was lacking. After Bowden had to handle the death of a Florida State player, Richt went to him seeing guidance.

Now Richt, who became the head coach at Georgia and Miami, is fighting his own battle with Parkinson’s disease.

I have two other stories that capture the essence of Bobby Bowden and I’ll leave them with you:

In 2012 former Penn State coach Joe Paterno was stripped of 111 wins by the NCAA in the midst of a child sex scandal involving former coach Jerry Sandusky. That moved Bowden ahead of Paterno for all-time wins by an FBS coach.

I called Bowden at home and asked his reaction.

“Well, buddy, I can promise you that nobody is celebrating here,” he said.

Paterno’s wins were reinstated in 2015.

But my favorite Bobby Bowden story is also the most emotional one and the one that will stay with me forever.

In 2004 Bowden lost a grandson, Bowden Madden, in a horrible car accident related to Hurricane Frances. Just days after the funeral Florida State played Miami at the old Orange Bowl. Miami won in overtime 16-10. It was a gut-wrenching loss for the Seminoles.

I was with a small group of writers that followed Bowden towards the locker room. As I said earlier Bobby was good after a win but he was great after a loss. But on this night the outcome of a football game meant very little.

After we were finished he said “You boys have what you need?” He began to walk away and then stopped. He took off his Florida State cap and signed the bill. He then threw it to Joe Henderson, a columnist with the Tampa Tribune newspaper. Joe had recently become a grandfather.

“Give that to your grandson,” Bowden said, and walked away.

I still can’t write these words without some tissue nearby.

Despite everything Bobby Bowden did for Florida State, it did not end well for him in Tallahassee.

Still, on Jan. 1, 2010, Bobby Bowden coached his last game against West Virginia in the Gator Bowl. Over 300 of his former players turned out.

“For Coach Bowden I’d come out in the rain, sleet or snow,” former Florida State quarterback Danny Kanell told Dennis Dodd.

And that, gentle readers, tells you everything you need to know about Bobby Bowden. He loved—and was loved—by so many. And while they will miss him forever, today they celebrate a life well-lived.

Rest in Peace, Coach. Thank you for passing our way.

Note: The above photo shows Bobby Bowden being carried off the field by his players after a 33-21 win over West Virginia in the Gator Bowl. It was Bowden's last game as coach. The photo was taken by Bob Self of the Florida Times-Union.