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College football legend Bobby Bowden dies at 91

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

The world of college football lost one of its legendary figures on Sunday. Former Florida State head coach and Hall of Famer Bobby Bowden passes away at the age of 91.

Less than three weeks ago, Bowden and his family released a statement in the Tallahassee Democrat, saying that he had been diagnosed with a terminal medical condition.

“I’ve always tried to serve God’s purpose for my life, on and off the field, and I am prepared for what is to come,” Bowden said in the statement. “My wife Ann and our family have been life’s greatest blessing. I am at peace.”

Bowden was the head coach at Florida State from 1976-2009.

In over three decades at Florida State, Bowden compiled a 304-97-4 record and won national championships in 1993 and 1999. His Seminoles teams claimed 12 ACC titles and appeared in a bowl game in all but three seasons.

Prior to taking over at Florida State, Bowden was the head coach at West Virginia from 1970-75 and had a 42-26 record. He was also the leader at Howard from 1959-62 and owned a 31-6 mark.

Bowden’s coaching tree includes names like Mark Richt, Kirby Smart, Manny Diaz, Chuck Amato and Skip Holtz, among many others.

Bowden was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

Many of college football’s most prominent figures and voices reacted to the news of Bowden’s passing:

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB