Bobby Bowden, who won more than 400 games as a college football head coach, has died. He was 91.
Bowden’s official victory total of 377 puts him second all-time, behind Joe Paterno’s 409 career wins. (The NCAA doesn’t count 22 wins at South Georgia State College and 12 wins at Florida State were vacated due to the use of an ineligible player.)
Bowden first became a college head coach in 1956, spending three seasons at South Georgia State. He coached Samford for four years. After three years at Florida State as receivers coach and four at West Virginia as offensive coordinator, Bowden became the coach at WVU in 1970. He’d remain there through the 1975 season before returning to Tallahassee, where he led the program from 1976 through 2009.
In the final game of his career, Bowden lead Florida State to a win over West Virginia in the Gator Bowl.
“Today, we lost a legend,” Jaguars coach Urban Meyer said on Twitter. “Bobby was a great friend and mentor to me, and his impact transcended the coaching profession in so many ways.”
Via ESPN.com, Bowden announced in July that he has a terminal illness. His son, Terry, later told reporters that his father was suffering from pancreatic cancer.
We extend our condolences to Coach Bowden’s family, friends, and colleagues.
