What was Bobby Bowden's Net Worth?
Bobby Bowden was an American college football coach who had a net worth of $14 million at the time of his passing. He is best known for his long tenure as the head football coach for Florida State, a position he held from 1976 until 2009.
$1 Million Salary
When Bowden was initially hired by Florida State, his annual salary was $37,500. By the early 1980s, his earnings had increased to $140,000 per year, equivalent to around $400,000 today when adjusted for inflation. Bowden made history in 1995 when he became the first college coach to earn $1 million annually in salary. By the end of his career at Florida State, he was earning $2 million per year, often making him the highest-paid public employee in the state of Florida.
Bobby Bowden was born in Birmingham, Alabama, in November 1929. During his college years, he played quarterback and running back at both Alabama and Howard. His coaching career began as an offensive coordinator at Howard, followed by a head coaching role at South Georgia Junior College. He returned to Howard as head coach in 1959 before joining Florida State as the wide receivers coach in 1963.
In 1966, Bowden took on the role of offensive coordinator at West Virginia, eventually becoming their head coach in 1970. By the mid-1970s, he was earning $35,000 per year at West Virginia. Florida State successfully lured him away with an offer of $37,500.
As Florida State's head coach from 1976 to 2009, Bowden set numerous records. He holds the NCAA record for most career wins and bowl wins for a Division 1 FBS coach. Under his guidance, Florida State won the Associated Press and Coaches Poll National Title in 1993 and the BCS National Championship in 1999. He was dismissed from his role two weeks after his 80th birthday. Although Bowden finished with 389 career wins, 12 were vacated, placing him second to Joe Paterno until Paterno also had several wins vacated. Over his career, Bowden received several accolades, including the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award in 1980, the Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award in 1991, and the Amos Alonzo Stagg Award in 2011. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006 and co-authored several books.
