The last of the college football Southern charmers has left us, and the sport is a little more bland in his wake. Bobby Bowden, who could win in a recruit’s living room, a press conference, a booster gathering or a stadium on Saturdays, has died at age 91.
Bowden didn’t just record 377 football victories. He recorded them while making just about everyone like him and laugh with him. In a profession that continues to trend further toward deadly seriousness at all times, Bowden excelled at making football fun to watch and fun to talk about.