Bobby Bowden

Bio

Bobby Bowden began his career as the coach of Howard College his alma mater (later Samford). His first two teams each lost only one game as he posted a 31-6 record in four seasons. After seven seasons as an assistant at Florida State and West Virginia, he became the Mountaineer head coach in 1970. There he went to two bowl games and had his first top-20 team going 42-26 in six seasons. His success at WVU led him back to Tallahassee where he became the head coach in 1976. Prior to his arrival, the Seminoles won only four games over three years. His success over the next thirty plus seasons was remarkable. His second team went 10-2 and in his fourth year he had a team that contended for the national title. Perhaps the most notable of his records is the fact that for 14 consecutive seasons the Noles finished the season as one of the nation's top-five teams. In both 1993 and 1999, FSU won the national championship. Among his many accomplishments are being the only coach to have won 11 consecutive bowl games and being the first coach to take a team throughout an entire season as the top ranked team. In addition to being a Hall of Fame member, Bowden has also been honored by the NFF as the 2006 Gold Medal Award winner with Penn State coach Joe Paterno.

Career Highlights

• 1980 Dodd Coach of the Year winner