‘Coach Bowden, we love you.’ Seminoles reflect on ailing legendary football coach
There wasn’t any doubt that legendary Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden would be on the minds and in the prayers of football fans around the nation Thursday, a day after the Bowden family released the troubling news that the 91-year-old coach has been diagnosed with a terminal medical condition.
Seminoles coach Mike Norvell and his three high-profile players who spoke Thursday at the Atlantic Coast Conference Football Kickoff each reflected on the beloved coach who was hospitalized in October after testing positive for COVID-19 on the heels of a long hospital stay for a leg infection. It was revealed Thursday that Bowden has pancreatic cancer.
Bowden went 315-98-4 that included national titles in 1993 and 1999 during his 34 years coaching at FSU.
“To Coach Bowden, we love you. We thank you,’’ Norvell said. “As [you’re] resting at home, just know we’re thinking about you, the impact you’ve made, that you continue to make by who you are.’’
Bowden had released a statement Wednesday that said, “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. My wife Ann and our family have been life’s greatest blessing. I am at peace.’’
Norvell told reporters Thursday that “one of the greatest experiences” he “ever had” was when Bowden visited him in his office in the spring of 2020 when Norvell had recently arrived at FSU. “To be able to sit down with him and just have a one-on-one, that was an incredible moment. But then we went down to the staff room [because] I wanted him to get a chance to meet our staff.
“As I opened the door and Coach Bowden walked in, I was able to see the faces of [receivers coach] Ron Dugans and [defensive tackles] coach Odell Haggins. When I saw their faces, that told me everything I needed to know about Coach Bobby Bowden — who he was, what he meant to them. That’s what I aspire to do one day and the reaction I hope to have hopefully with the players I’m getting to coach.”
Two of the FSU players Thursday are recent transfers and have never met Bowden — former UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton and former Georgia defensive end Jermaine Johnson II. But both spoke with reverence.
“Everything I’ve heard about him from my time at UCF to my time here, he embodies everything you want as a coach, everything you want as the face of your program.,’’ Milton said. “He set the standard for what Florida State is, from bringing in great recruits to national championships. And not just what he did on the field, but who he is off the field as a man — leading young men to grow up and be leaders of their communities and families.
“Man, he is everything that Florida State is all about. This season is going to be for him, so we’re going to try and make it happen.”
Added Johnson: “They hold Coach Bowden in such a high regard at Florida State, obviously, and that’s just an awful thing to hear about. Our love, our regards are for him and his family. I just pray for the best.”
Quarterback Jordan Travis, a redshirt sophomore from West Palm Beach, said the news was “very upsetting.’’
“My prayers are with his family for sure,” Travis said, recalling how Bowden spoke to the team last year the night before of their games. “He’s a legend. He’s done everything for Florida State. It was a blessing just to have him there.”
This story was originally published July 22, 2021 at 4:03 PM.
