Former FSU football head coach Bobby Bowden died Sunday morning at the age of 91 surrounded by his family.
There was news a few weeks ago that this time would come sooner rather than later, yet that still doesn't make it any easier to write.
Coach Bowden was a great coach, arguably the greatest football coach of all time. However, the things I read on Sunday mornings and the past few weeks tell me more about his career as a man than his career as a coach.
As I woke up to the news, I wondered what I could say that hasn't already been said. I mean, there are so many stories on the field and from former players that it becomes difficult to put it all together.
As I sat in church this morning (no doubt where Coach Bowden would have been if he had been able), I began to think about life as a whole and how fleeting it is.
Then I started reading the tributes from former players and coaches. I thought of myself, and these are a fraction of the people he influenced in this world. I don't think I've ever heard a bad thing about Bobby Bowden, and the man who lived to be 91 years old.
As great as he was, he still suffered incredible losses. He won two national championships and could have won many more, but he never let go of what could have defined him. He always credits his players for what he has achieved as a coach.
When I sat in the church this morning, I thought to myself. I hope that after I leave, my children will show the same respect for me as former Coach Bowden players have shown them today and over the years.
This is something that coach Mike Norwell explained when he first met Coach Bowden in 2020. The world would be a much better place. We lost the FSU goat today, but dadgummit heaven gained an angel.