Mike Norvell reveals how Florida State continues to honor Bobby Bowden
Today marks one year since the death of legendary college football coach Bobby Bowden. Bowden passed from a terminal pancreatic cancer diagnosis at the age of 91. He coached for 40 seasons with six at West Virginia and the remaining 34 at Florida State. Seminoles current head coach Mike Norvell says his program is still trying to live in his legacy in Tallahassee.
Norvell talked about the impact of Bowden at FSU on the anniversary of Bowden’s passing. He says it’s a daily goal of everyone in the program to carry on what he began back in 1976.
“It’s a daily focus. Coach Bowden helped establish such an incredible tradition, legacy, standard of operations here at Florida State. Today obviously signifies a year since his passing but it’s still a daily focus,” said Norvell. “I get to sit in my office every day and I look out at Bobby Bowden Field. I have a role and a responsibility to the way that I approach this job each day, helping build these players on the field, and help develop them off the field.”
Bowden’s career record sits at 357-124 over his two stops. His time at Florida State saw him post a 315-98 record. It was Bowden’s persona off the field, though, that was equally as impressive as the coach he was on it to Mike Norvell. He said it was a nonstop, daily effort from Bowden in football and in life. From there is a lesson he knows he can apply to his football team.
“He was special. He’s just a special man that did a job incredibly well for such a long time. You can’t get caught up just thinking about one day,” Norvell said. “It is every day because that’s what what he invested throughout the course of that journey to be able to have that sustained success through the course of his career.”
Mike Norvell says his program plans to continue to honor the life and legacy of Bowden as they have previously. What he left behind at FSU and in the sport can’t be denied. In order to do so, it will take an effort starting yesterday and on into the future. Or, in Norvell’s mind, it will take exactly what Bowden would have given.
“Today we continue to honor him but it’s yesterday, tomorrow and the day after. He left a legacy that will always be remembered and always deserved to be represented the way that he would want to.”