Bowden: How Bobby Bowden Forged a Football Dynasty

by Mike Freeman

Overview

The definitive biography of Bobby Bowden, one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, and his enduring legacy

He is a giant among coaches, a Hall of Famer, and arguably the greatest Division I college football coach in history. Following a tumultuous but successful tenure at West Virginia University, Bowden accepted the head coaching post at Florida State University, a failing program in danger of being terminated. What Bowden accomplished at FSU is nothing short of miraculous: twenty-one bowl wins and two national championships. A brilliant tactician, he helped usher the pro-passing game into college football. An unrivaled recruiter, he produced thirty-one consensus all-Americans over the course of his tenure. Along the way he had to deal with devastating family tragedies, scandals, and the rise and fall of his own three sons' coaching careers.

Based on six years of research and interviews, Bowden by award-winning journalist and author Mike Freeman examines the remarkable life of Bobby Bowden and a stellar career that spanned six decades. It is the story of the making of a legend; a towering biography of a man who has left his indelible mark on the game of college football.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061474200
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	08/10/2010
Pages:	293
Sales rank:	569,162
Product dimensions:	8.26(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.76(d)

About the Author

Mike Freeman is an NFL Insider for CBSSports.com. Before that, he was an NFL writer, investigative reporter, and columnist for the New York Times; a columnist for the Florida Times-Union; and a sports reporter, features writer, and investigative writer for the Washington Post, Boston Globe, and Dallas Morning News. He lives in New Jersey.

Table of Contents

Author's Note: Father and Sons 1

Introduction 9

Chapter 1 Tragedy 29

Chapter 2 Son under Fire 36

Chapter 3 The Fever 53

Chapter 4 April Fool's in Love 63

Chapter 5 The Coaching Life 69

Chapter 6 Mountaineer 79

Chapter 7 Papa 'Nole 99

Chapter 8 Matriarch 110

Chapter 9 Terry 126

Chapter 10 "Take Five Minutes a Day to Hate FSU" 137

Chapter 11 Tommy 151

Chapter 12 Booby's Song 163

Chapter 13 Law and Order 177

Chapter 14 Wide right 192

Chapter 15 Champion 214

Chapter 16 Steve 243

Afterword: Last Man Standing 251

Acknowledgments 265

Notes 267

Bibliography 275

Index 277