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BOBBY BOWDEN
Bobby Bowden has been called a riverboat gambler for his trick plays and wide open offense. He has been known by the nickname "King of the Road" earned during his early years at Florida State when he took on anybody, anywhere, anytime. Some have called him "the preacher" for his ability to deliver a message from both the sideline and the pulpit.
For the last 20 years, Florida State players have called Bowden coach as he molded the Seminoles into the most consistently successful college football program ever.
Bobby Bowden is the nation's second winningest active head coach and the only coach ever to lead nine consecutive teams to 10 or more wins. His Florida State program is the only one in college football history to finish among the Associated Press' top four for nine consecutive years, win 11 straight bowl games, or to play in 14 bowls in a row without a loss. All of which are records still intact as the Seminoles embark on their 21st season under Bowden.
Bowden's Florida State record is 186-49-4. His teams have become nearly unbeatable at home with an 100-15-2 record, while earning the head coach "King of the Road" status with an 92-34-2 mark outside of Tallahassee. Many of those road wins have come in the toughest stadiums in the country as Bowden's squads have played at Nebraska, Clemson, Notre Dame, LSU and Michigan, to name a few. By playing some of the nation's toughest schedules, Bowden earned respect for his team, lured top players to his program and developed a reputation as an intense competitor, unafraid to take on anyone, anywhere.
Bobby Bowden's career victories now add up to 259. Only four coaches in the history of Division I-A football have more. Bear Bryant, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Pop Warner and Joe Paterno are ahead of Bowden on that all-time win list. The national championship win over Nebraska pushed Bowden ahead of Woody Hayes. It's mighty select company.
Likewise, Bowden is hard-pressed to explain his unprecedented success in bowl games. Florida State's string of 14 bowl games without a loss dates back to the 1981 Orange Bowl, while the 11 wins in 11 straight seasons (an NCAA record) goes back to a 17-17 tie with Georgia in the 1984 Citrus Bowl. Only Paterno and Bear Bryant have more bowl wins than Bowden. His 15-3-1 bowl record and .816 win percentage are unmatched in the history of college football.
Bobby Bowden is also the patriarch of the first family of college coaching. He and son Terry, the head coach at Auburn University and 1993's national Coach-of-the-Year, are the first father-son duo to lead Division I-A programs, let alone to coach them at the same time. Terry's brother, Tommy, is on the staff at Auburn, as is brother-in-law Jack Hines, who is married to Bobby and Ann's eldest daughter, Robyn. Youngest son Jeff joined the Florida State coaching staff in 1994 as the wide receivers coach. The rest of the Bowden clan includes Steve and Ginger.The six Bowden children and 15 grandchildren usually attend the Florida State bowl games making the trip a family affair and forcing Bowden to go by another name -- Grandpa.
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