Bobby Bowden's Legacy Reaches From The State Of Florida And Beyond

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Florida State took some of the heat off their embattled coach with a come from behind victory over North Carolina. The Seminoles have a chance get their record back to .500 with a win over North Carolina State.

While there is time to turn this season around, only Bobby Bowden and the university know if he will coach past this season. This has been the toughest season on the 79 year old Bowden.

If Bowden does not comeback for the 2010 season, we know his place in Florida State football lore is cemented. Still, Bowden’s reach should be documented beyond just what he has done in Tallahassee.

While Bowden is not the only reason here are some other parts of the country that owe Bowden thanks.

Bowden’s FSU made Florida and Miami better

That statement might look ridiculous looking at the Gator and Hurricane programs compared to Florida State’s program. But before everyone gets up in arms, let me explain—first starting with Florida.

When Bowden was hired by FSU in 1976 and was starting to build his program, the Gators were entering a nice winning stretch themselves. From 1976 to 1989 Florida only won eight or more games six times.

The Gators played in eight bowls and only won three of them. While at FSU, Bowden had 10 seasons of eight or more wins and played in 11 bowls with only two losses and one tie.

During this time, Florida held their own against the Seminoles going 7-7 against Florida State, but the Gators did not receive the national attention that the Noles did. Florida had not even won an SEC championship in football and they were a charter member in to the conference in 1932.

Everything changed for the Gators in 1990 when they hired their former Heisman trophy winning quarterback Steve Spurrier has head coach. Florida has gone on to win eight conference titles, produce three Heisman trophy winners, and take home three national championships.

Yes, the SEC turned into the best conference in college football from 1990 until now. There have been three or four SEC teams to win national championships over the same time period.

Still, one has to give credit to the work Bowden was doing at Florida State. Now the Florida and Florida State is a national game. This rivalry would not be what it is today without Bowden turning FSU in to a national powerhouse.

Putting more pressure on Florida was Miami, turning itself into a powerhouse program about the same time Bowden was building his. The Hurricanes and the Seminoles built their programs by recruiting the rich talent in the state of Florida.

The Miami and Florida State game has transcended to a national game—due in part to the job Bowden has done while at FSU. These two programs have combined to win seven national championships.

At a time when only LSU and Alabama were national powers in the south, these two universities helped change that. It can now be said each year that the road to the national championship leads through the Sunshine State at some point.

Miami would be a great program no matter what, but the rise of Florida State helped the Hurricanes achieve even more. The Seminoles also need the Hurricanes to help raise their exposure the same way the Gators needed FSU.

Even now, South Florida and Central Florida gain more respect for beating a Bowden coached team then beating a Miami or Florida team. Bowden has set the gold standard for all the teams in the State of Florida.

Bowden’s FSU made the ACC a power conference and forced expansion

The ACC as a conference has always had plenty of tradition and prestige. What the conference did not have was a bell cow to garner attention nationally.

That changed when Florida State became the ninth member in 1991. While Clemson won a national title in 1981 and Georgia Tech won a title in 1990, there was no truly dominate team in the ACC.

The Seminoles made the ACC an instant national power in football. The conference was already a power in basketball. The addition of Florida State to the conference made it much more appealing to the rest of the country.

One problem did arise from the addition of FSU to the ACC. When it joined the conference in 1992, the Seminoles dominated. Florida State won every conference championship from 1992 to 2000 and national titles in 1992 and 1999.

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