Fansided

Best college football coach in history from each state

By Nathaniel Reeves

TUSCALOOSA, AL - CIRCA 1958-1982: Paul Bryant, head coach of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team observes the play during a game at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Alabama) (Photo by University of Alabama/Collegiate Images/Getty Images)
TUSCALOOSA, AL - CIRCA 1958-1982: Paul Bryant, head coach of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team observes the play during a game at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Alabama) (Photo by University of Alabama/Collegiate Images/Getty Images) /
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Oct 26, 2013; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Former Florida State Seminoles head coach Bobby Bowden is honored before the game against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 26, 2013; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Former Florida State Seminoles head coach Bobby Bowden is honored before the game against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports /

Florida: Bobby Bowden 

The Sunshine State has been home to a number of storied teams and coaches, but Bowden’s career record is going to be tough for any coach to top.

After one year as a player at Alabama, Bowden transferred to Samford and excelled in three different sports. Samford hired Bowden as offensive coordinator two seasons later, and he would lead the Bulldogs to a 31-6 record in his first go-around as a college head coach between 1959 and 1962.

Bowden bounced around as an assistant coach before taking over at West Virginia from 1970-1975, and his tenure would end on a 9-3 campaign that helped him move to Florida State. The decision to hire Bowden paid off quickly for the Seminoles, as Florida State finished with 10 wins or more in three of his first five seasons as head coach.

Following a stretch of good yet not great campaigns, Bowden led an incredible run of 14 straight finishes in the AP top five between 1987 and 2000. Bowden captured his first national title in 1993 and added a second championship six years later, while Florida State never finished with a losing record after Bowden’s debut season prior to his retirement in 2009.

A mark of 377 career wins, including 304 at Florida State, ranks second in the FBS all-time, and the Seminoles have not missed a beat since Jimbo Fisher replace Bowden. Steve Spurrier, Jimmy Johnson and Urban Meyer are among the other legends to coach in Florida, but the competition from Bowden is too strong for either to take the top spot.

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