Bobby Bowden

Coach Bobby Bowden was born in 1929 in Birmingham, Alabama. He was an outstanding football player at Woodlawn High School in Birmingham, and went on to the University of Alabama as a freshman quarterback, fulfilling a lifelong dream to play for the Crimson Tide. He lasted one semester at Bama before Ann Estock, his high school sweetheart, lured him back to Birmingham. Bobby and Ann soon married and he transferred to Howard College (now Samford University) in Birmingham. Upon graduating, he quickly began making his mark on college football. Between 1959-1962, at Samford University, he was 31-6 as the head coach, and then left for West Virginia University where, between 1971 and 1975, he complied a 42-26 record. It was his next stop as a head coach, at The Florida State University, that truly set him apart from the rest. The school was a relative baby in terms of male collegiate athletics, as it was an all girls college until 1948, and Bobby was given the task of taking a team with a less than spectacular past and turing it into something great. From 1977 (his second year at FSU) until today (2003), Bobby has not has a single losing season at FSU and has set many impressive marks that will be difficult to match. His Seminoles won the National Championship in both 1993 and 1999. After 28 years of coaching and a near .800 winning percentage, he is currently second on the all time coaching victories list, and will most likely reach imortality by one day laying claim to that record. He is a devout Christian who, on Sunday morning will usually be found in the pulpit of a church somewhere in the south. Outside of football, Bowden has an intense interest in World War II history and he is a voracious reader on the subject. He and his wife Ann have surpassed the 50 year mark in thier marriage, in 1999, and they currently have 6 children and 21 grandchildren.