Coach Bobby Bowden Has Passed Away.

[LSUDad]

Legendary Florida State coach Bobby Bowden passes away

Jamie Oakes•about 7 hours

Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images

College football legend Bobby Bowden has died. The former Florida State head coach was 91 years old. 

Bowden announced on July 21 that he had been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. On Sunday morning, Florida State confirmed that Bobby Bowden passed at 5:08 a.m. on Sunday morning with his wife Ann and all six of his children by his side. 

“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 said when he announced his diagnosis. “My wife, Ann, and our family have been life’s greatest blessing. I am at peace.”

 

Bowden is survived by his wife of 51 years, Ann; sons Terry, Tommy, Jeff and Steve; and daughters Robyn Hines and Ginger Madden.

 

Bobby Bowden on his legacy

In 2009, Mike Freeman wroteBOWDEN – How Bobby Bowden Forged a College Football Dynasty. In it, Bobby Bowden detailed how we wanted to be remembered. 

“A lot of people in the past have asked me what about my legacy,” Bowden shared with Freeman.  “I’ve said this and that and I don’t like talking about it all that much, but I answer the question the best I can.  I want people to say, ‘He was one of the best.’ Not the best.  Just one of the best.  I want people to say I didn’t cheat.  We made some mistakes here, but I never had a win-at-all-costs mentality.  We had that dadgum Free Shoes University thing, but we didn’t know what the players were doing and anyone who says we did isn’t telling the truth.  I would’ve rather lost than be seen as a guy who won and cheated.  I guess I want my legacy to be we won and we mostly won the right way, and along the way, people had fun, and I treated people with respect and decency.  I was something Florida State could be proud of.  They’d say, ‘That dadgum Bowden was a good guy.’  That’s how I hope I’ll be remembered.”

Bobby Bowden resume is unrivaled in Tallahassee

Bobby Bowden amassed a 315-98-4 record during his 34-year tenure in Tallahassee. When he took over at Florida State, the team had gone 4-29 in its previous three seasons. By his second year, they won 10 games. Over the next 14 years leading up to FSU’s ACC debut, they won at least nine games nine times. When they joined their new conference, then-ACC commissioner Gene Corrigan commented how valuable they had become in the college football world.

“Their football team had more national television exposure last year than all our teams had together,” Corrigan said. 

[houtiger]

There was talk in the 80's about Bowden to LSU, I think the contacts were made, but Bowden chose to stay at FSU.  The way it all worked out, you can't say he made a mistake since he seemed happy with his career, even looking back on it.  Not many head coaches have a 34 year run.

[COTiger]

RIP Coach

[Herb]

Bowden was always a class act in my book.

There are many coaches that could learn by his example.

[LSUDad]

Coach has missed death a number of times. While at WVU, he was offered the job at Marshall, the football team and head coach were killed. 
 

In 1979, he had a job offer to LSU, he passed. LSU hired Bo Rein, who while on a recruiting trip, also died in a plane crash in the Atlantic.

 

 

Edited August 12, 2021 by LSUDad

[LSUDad]

 

[cadillacattack]

CBB changed the game itself .... and in a very positive way.  Not only was he a class individual, but he was quite the character too.

 

RIP coach ....

[houtiger]

There are MANY tributes to Coach Bowden on youtube (look one up by Mark Richt).  But I like this one by Warrick Dunn from Baton Rouge, played at FSU.