Coach Bobby Bowden was the Head Football Coach at Florida State University from 1976-2009. He is the only coach in the history of Division I-A football to compile 14 straight 10-win seasons (1987-2000), and he coached the Seminoles to consensus National Championships in 1993 and 1999. Bowden was named National Coach of the Year six times (1979, 1980, 1991, 1992, 1996 and 1999), and a national award for citizenship bears his name.

Bowden, who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006, is only the third coach in college football history to coach 500 games. In 2007, he became one of only two coaches in major college football history to win 300 games at one school and he is the only coach in history to lead his team to 28 straight bowl games.

Bowden is the only coach in NCAA history to win 11 consecutive bowl games (1985-95) and the only coach with 14 consecutive bowl appearances (1982-95) without a loss (FSU tied Georgia 17-17 in the 1984 Citrus Bowl). Bowden and Florida State finished the 2009 season with a win over West Virginia in the Gator Bowl marking the 22nd bowl victory in his illustrious career. Overall, he guided Florida State to 31 bowl appearances in his 34 seasons.

“Some universities get to choose the size of their dreams, they never have the opportunity to pursue dreams of a national championship program. We got to make our choice. We [Seminoles] made the decision to dream big and it paid off. We’re in the right place at the right time.”