Robert Cleckler "Bobby" Bowden (born November 8, 1929) is a retired American football coach who holds the NCAA record for most career wins and bowl wins by a Division I FBS coach. He coached the Florida State Seminoles football team from the 1976 to 2009 seasons. During his time at Florida State, Bowden led FSU to an Associated Press and Coaches Poll National Title in 1993 and a BCS National Championship in 1999, as well as twelve Atlantic Coast Conference championships since FSU joined the conference in 1991. After a difficult 2009 season and amid questioning fans, Bowden was fired by FSU President T.K. Wetherell, just weeks after his 80th birthday. But he was allowed to make his final coaching appearance in the 2010 Gator Bowl game on January 1, 2010, with a 33–21 victory over his former program, West Virginia.Bowden finished his career first in all-time wins by a Division I-FBS coach with 389 wins. On the day of March 6, 2009 NCAA ruling requiring Florida State to "vacate wins for any games in which an ineligible player participated," threatened to remove as many as 14 of Bowden's wins from the 2006 and 2007 seasons in relation to an academic scandal. Florida State appealed the ruling, but the NCAA upheld it on January 5, 2010. Upon final investigation by Florida State University it was determined that Bowden was to vacate 12 wins, bringing his final career record to 377–129–4. At the time, this placed him second to Joe Paterno, coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions. However, sanctions handed down by the NCAA as a result of the Penn State child sex abuse scandal caused all of Paterno's wins from 1998 to 2011 to be vacated, reducing his total from 409 to 298.
University of Alabama, Woodlawn High School, Samford University
Nationality
American
Spouse
Ann Estock
Children
Terry Bowden, Tommy Bowden, Jeff Bowden, Robyn Hines, Steve Bowden, Ginger Madden
Parents
Sunset Bowden, Bob Bowden
Siblings
Marion Bowden
Nominations
Best Coach/Manager ESPY Award
Star Sign
Scorpio
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Quote
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Don't go to the grave with life unused.
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It's better to fail in a cause that will ultimately succeed, than to succeed in a cause that will ultimately fail.
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Fact
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Inducted into the West Virginia University Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.
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Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
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Inducted into the South Georgia State College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012 (inaugural class).
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The National Bobby Bowden Award was initiated by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes organization and will highlight the collegiate football player who best epitomizes the term student-athlete.
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On October 25, 2003, at 74 years of age, Bobby became the winningest coach in major college football history with his 339th victory.
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College : Howard (now Samford) 1953
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High School : Woodlawn High, Birmingham, Ala.
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Collegiate Football Experience : University of Alabama (QB), freshman; Howard (QB), sophomore-senior
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Head coach of the Florida State University Seminoles from 1976-present (2008).