Legendary Head Coach Bobby Bowden Dies At 91

Bobby Bowden, the folksy Hall of Fame coach who won more than 350 games and built Florida State into one of college football’s great dynasties with two national championships, has died. He was 91. Bobby’s son, Terry, confirmed to The Associated Press that his father died at home surrounded by family early Sunday morning. Florida State also announced the news on social media. Bobby Bowden announced on July 21 he had a terminal illness that Terry Bowden later said was pancreatic cancer. Bobby Bowden had been treated for prostate cancer more than a decade ago. Bowden was hospitalized in October 2020 after testing positive for COVID-19. The test came a few days after he returned to his Tallahassee, Florida, home from a long hospital stay for a leg infection. With Southern charm and wit, Bowden piled up 377 wins during his 40 years as a major college coach, from tiny Samford — his alma mater, then known as Howard College — to West Virginia and finally at Florida State, where he went 315-98-4. The Seminoles were a force during his 34 seasons as coach, winning 12 Atlantic Coast Conference championships and national titles in 1993 and 1999.