Mike Norvell raves about impact of Bobby Bowden on Florida State program

Only a few college football coaches have left their imprint on a program the same way that Bobby Bowden did at Florida State Seminoles. And current Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell shared a few thoughts about the late Florida State legend and raved about the impact he has on the program still to this day at the ACC Football Media Days.

“Because that is the standard at Florida State. We had the greatest example I think in collegiate football history of being able to sustain success,” said Norvell. “What Coach Bowden and that staff and those great teams, what they were able to accomplish, there were tremendous players on the field, but it was also the standard and expectations for who they were developing and growing to be off the field.

“I’ve got a great responsibility leading this program. I was fortunate to be able to meet Coach Bowden within those first couple of months of getting the job. I’ll never forget sitting down with him at my desk in that office. I remember him telling me, be true to who you are, and you continue to make an impact on those young men helping them to where they’re going.”

Bowden coached at Florida State from 1976 to 2009. Over his 33-year-long stay in Tallahassee, he led the Seminoles to two national championships, one in 1993 and the other in 1999, and 12 ACC titles. Before his final season in 2009, Bowden was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006 and ended his coaching career as the sport’s second-all-time winningest coach, credited with 377 wins.

Norvell believes that he owes it to Bowden to bring the absolute best he has to offer as the Seminoles’ head coach. And that belief helped him turn around the Florida State program last season as he finished the year 10-3; their best finish to a season since 2016.

“That’s a daily challenge, and I owe it to him. I owe it to his legacy to make sure we’re doing this a certain way because I fully believe success is coming.

“We took some positive steps last year. We had our 25th ten-win season. A lot of great things. When we achieve it, I want to be able to sustain it, and it’s because of who we get to coach and what we represent being a Seminole and Coach Bowden was a special man, a special leader, and he had some incredible teams that he got to be a part of impacting those players’ lives, and that still carries on today with those individuals and obviously in his legacy.”

Norvell would like nothing better than to continue the Seminoles’ winning ways in the name of Bowden. And he has a legitimate opportunity to have Florida State in the conversation for a national championship this season.

Florida State has a ton of talent on its roster, more than enough to make some noise in the ACC and possibly earn a bid to this year’s College Football Playoff. If Norvell can have Florida State breakthrough in 2023, he could possibly help bring home the Seminoles’ first national championship in a decade.