In the world of college athletics, win at all costs has become the motto for most every college, regardless of size or history. A coach is now judged primarily by wins and losses and are quickly removed if the losses seem to be too numerous for the fan base and alumni. To me, the true test of a coach is not only to get their athletes to perform but to bring out each individual’s full potential and help them improve as athletes and adults. One coach continues to achieve these goals as his athletes find success on the field and in life.

Bobby Bowden has won more football games than most coaches even get the opportunity to coach in. He has won multiple ACC championships, two national championships, coached two Heisman trophy winners and his program has produced many of the top NFL players. I recently caught up with Coach Bowden to talk to him about faith and football.

His Life

He grew up in Birmingham, Alabama and has coached the Seminoles for the past thirty years. He started out at South Georgia College, went back to his alma mater Samford, and moved on to West Virginia University. In 1976, he took the job at Florida State and hasn’t looked back. He took a fledgling program and turned it into a powerhouse, lifting Florida State to the forefront of college football. His Seminoles finished the season ranked in the top five for a record fourteen consecutive years. Always known as charismatic and friendly, I found both to be true as I interviewed this coaching legend.

Q â€" Coach Bowden, can you tell me your testimony?

“How long? Do you have, about an hour and a half? (laughing) I’m a Christian. I accepted Christ when I was about eleven. I rededicated when I was 23, that’s when I found out about mercy…I found out about grace. I’ve tried to live a Christian life since then.�

Q â€" How does your faith influence help you coach your team?

“My faith hasn’t wavered. I think one of the big things it (faith) does is help you through your bad times. Everybody’s going to have bad times sometimes, but I think that is where faith really saves you. Without it, you probably wouldn’t make it.�

We talked about coaching and I asked whether or not he liked to coach against his son, Tommy, the head coach for the Clemson Tigers. He told me that he didn’t really like it, because both wanted to win, but one of the two would have to go home with a loss. You could hear in his voice how he truly wanted his children to experience success just like he has experienced.

Football

I really wanted to talk football with Coach Bowden, as football is one of my favorite sports and to me, Coach Bowden one of the top authorities on the subject. As he answered each question, you could sense the depth of his knowledge about the sport.

Q â€" What is the biggest difference you’ve noticed in college football since the start of your career?

“When I started, it was antique compared to what it is today. Back when I started, you played both ways…you played both offense and defense. You only needed about 33 players back in those days because 33 players were three teams…we didn’t have specialists. Instead of a punter, you’d say, “Ok, can anybody punt?�. Instead of kicker, you’d say, “Can anybody kick?� Nowadays, everything is so specialized and offenses and defenses are just as sophisticated as can be.�

Q â€" Overall, and it can be a couple, who are some of the best athletes that you have coached?

“I’ve had so doggone many. You know, there’s Charlie Ward, Warrick Dunn, Derrick Brooks, Chris Weinke, and Peter Warrick…you know, I’ve got so many of them. Deion Sanders is probably the best overall athlete we’ve ever had.�

Q â€" What is your favorite memory from your coaching career?

“That’d probably be my first head coaching job I ever had and my first win. That would be back at South Georgia College. South Georgia versus Middle Georgia College…we won our first game and I thought I’d probably go all my career and never lose one. That’s how good I thought I was (Coach Bowden laughs). Didn’t take me long to find out differently.�

Q â€" With all of the success, how do you stay grounded in your faith?

“It (success) substantiates the fact that, if you have faith and put your trust in God, in Christ, try to be honest, and have integrity, in my opinion, then God will not let you fail. Does that mean that you’re going to win every game? No, but He is not going to let you fail.�

His Advice

Coach Bowden has experienced so many different things during the course of his career and the duration of his life, things that we can all learn from. As he answered the questions, he thought deeply about most of them, each answer teaching me something. The only quick answered offered was when I asked him what his favorite Bible passage was. He quoted Philippians 4:13 without hesitation. “�I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.� That’s the one I live by.�

Q â€" With the numerous scandals that have surfaced in college athletics in the past decade, what is it going to take to regain integrity in college sports in the public’s eyes?

“We would have to quit doing it, whoever’s doing it. It’s a sign of the times. You say scandals that we have in athletics but you can also say the scandals that we have in politics and the scandals that we have in some of our churches. We have it in our families. Its part of the way it is nowadays and it’s wrong. To me, it won’t get straightened out until we get back to the Holy Bible.�

Q â€" What do you think is the biggest problem facing men today?

“The biggest problem facing men today, in this country, is that we’ve gotten away from the foundations that this nation was built upon, which to me, was the teachings of the Bible. We’ve gotten away from that. We’ve taken the Bible out of our schools, taken the Bible out of our public buildings, and we’ve thought up new names for sin, thinking that God just goes along with it. God doesn’t change; God will never change. His commandments are always the same and we have fallen away from them.�

Q â€" How has God helped you to deal with the pressure to win that is always on you?

“I think the big thing is knowing that I’ve accepted Christ as my Savior, that I’ve admitted my sins and have asked for forgiveness, and know that I am saved for eternity. Just knowing that gives you bright eyes and confidence. Therefore, no matter what happens in a ball game, mo matter what happens in a career, and no matter what happens in life, you don’t have to worry about it. He’s already taken care of your future.�

I could see how players would want to play for Bobby Bowden as we spoke, with his charisma and full of life personality. I was ready to go grab some pads and suit up for the Seminoles myself. He has taken players and elevated their talents to heights they never thought possible. Just the same, the Lord has taken Coach Bowden and elevated his skills and his career to the perfect place to proclaim the Lord’s name.

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