Retired football coach Bobby Bowden, who transformed Florida State's team into a powerhouse during the 1990's, has died at age 91. He was diagnosed last month with a terminal medical condition, which reportedly was pancreatic cancer.
Robert Cleckler Bowden was born in Birmingham, Alabama to Bob Bowden and the former Sunset Cleckler. After graduating high school, he played football at the University of Alabama for a year before returning home and marrying his girlfriend Ann Estock. He transferred to Howard College (now Samford University), where he won All-America honors as a quarterback and became the president of the fraternity Pi Kappa Alpha. He graduated in 1953 and a year later was hired by his alma mater as an assistant football coach and head track coach. From 1956 to 1958, he was athletic director and the head coach of baseball, football and basketball at South Georgia College, and after a losing season, fired himself as basketball coach. He returned to Howard as head football coach in 1959 and continued through the 1962 season. He was an assistant football coach at Florida State and West Virginia, where he became head coach in 1970. He continued at WVU before taking the head coaching job at Florida State in 1976. He retired from the FSU job after the 2009 season, after winning national championships in 1993 and 1999.
Bobby and Ann Bowden had six children. His sons Tommy (Clemson and Tulane) and Terry (Auburn) also become head coaches in college football. His son Jeff was offensive coordinator at Florida State. Bowden is survived by his wife and their children and their 21 grandchildren.
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