Jimbo Fisher reflects on Bobby Bowden’s legacy

College football coaching legend Bobby Bowden passed away early Sunday morning after a bout with pancreatic cancer, leaving behind one of the most incredible coaching legacies in the history of the sport. Under his watch, Florida State had

• 14 consecutive seasons where they finished in the top 5 and had 10+ wins
• 12 ACC Championships
• 2 National Championships

Outside of the Bowden’s sons, who all also went into coaching (Terry, Tommy and Jeff), perhaps no current college coach is more closely tied to Bobby Bowden than Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher.

Fisher played for Terry Bowden at Samford, was an assistant under him for more than a decade at Samford and then at Auburn, and then served under Bobby himself as Florida State’s offensive coordinator for three seasons, before succeeding Bobby as the Seminoles head coach in 2010. He led Florida State to six more 10-win seasons, three ACC Championships and the 2013 National Championship before taking the head coaching job in College Station in December 2017.

Fisher was asked at SEC Media Days last month about his relationship with Bobby and the Bowden family, since it was known he was in poor health.

“Their family, had as big an impact on my career as any family, as anything I’ve ever done in ball,” Fisher said. “I don’t know if there’s anybody there’s ever done it with more grace, dignity and class on the sidelines in college football in the history of this game and had the success that he’s had winning, doing the things he does. The impact he had on his coaches, the impact he had on his players and everybody who came in contact with him, he’s as fine a man as there ever was, and he means the world to me and it’s as very sad day.”