On August 8, 2021, the world lost one of its most precious gems Bobby Bowden. A Hall of Fame Football Coach who was also known for his unshakable Christian Faith. He was 91 years old when he took his last breath.
Born on November 8, 1929, Bowden was known for his exceptionally amazing career as a football coach. He was one of the most celebrated college football coaches for his accomplishments with Seminoles. During his career as a coach in Florida state from the year 1976 to 2009, he has won 12 conference titles and 2 national championships.
As a freshman at the University of Alabama, Bowden had played as a quarterback. However, later he was compelled to give up his scholarship as per the university policy. In 1953, he graduated from Howard and for two years worked as an assistant football coach in the same college. From 1956 to 1958, he was appointed as a head coach and athletic director at South Georgia College. He has also served at Florida State University as a receivers coach from the year 1963 to 1965 and at West Virginia University as an offensive coordinator from the year 1966 to 1969. Later he was promoted a head coach in West Virginia in 1970. Finally, in the year 1976, he was appointed as head coach in Florida.
He was exceptionally talented as a football coach whose 389 victories have made him the second all-time famous coach. However, Bowden is also famous among his fans for his off-field amazing character. He treated the media members and his players with the same, warmth, charm, and wit. He was also a proud Christian who spoke proudly about his faith, both prior to and after his retirement. He believed that faith can have a major influence on the lives of the player and also accompanied and guided Mark Richt, towards Christ. In one of his Southern Baptist Convention yearly meeting, he stated that if no one goes out and speak about Jesus, then how the world knows about him.
In the year 2017 Bowden featured in a documentary and also co-wrote a novel in which he discussed his belief-centric outlook of football. Both the documentary and the book were called ‘The Bowden Dynasty.’ Many of his fans claim that the real legacy of Coach Bowden is his faith and his relationship with Jesus Christ. He was a Christian who not only preached but also lived his life with the same rules. In one of his tweets, Danny Kanell, a retired Florida State quarterback stated that “Coach Bowden’s legacy is far more about his faith than his football career. You could not go through a week at FSU without hearing the gospel message. He cared more about his players’ lives off the field than he cared about their football careers”
In July Bowden announced that he was suffering from terminal cancer and as per his friend, Richt, he was at peace. He was finally reunited with his God, Jesus Christ.