Earlier this month, a legendary figure of collegiate football in Bobby Bowden passed at 91 years old. Though he reached a level playing on the gridiron that many cannot, playing both quarterback and halfback a year at Alabama and three years at Samford from 1948 to 1952, his coaching career is where his true fame was constructed.
He first served as the head man at West Virginia from 1970 to 1975 before leaving for Florida State, where he would spend the next 34 years. The Seminoles were not a traditional powerhouse when Bowden first arrived on the scene, making what he accomplished during his tenure all the more impressive: twelve conference titles, two national championships and the near unmatchable streak of 14 straight finishes in the top five of the AP Poll from 1987 to 2000.