TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Several people have shared how Bobby Bowden influenced their lives. From fans, to former players, to coaches - and not just football coaches.
Florida State women's basketball coach Sue Semrau was hired in 1997, and she says one of the reasons why she took the job? Bobby Bowden. She said to have a figure like Bowden be as invested in women's hoops as he was made her decision to come to Tallahassee easier.
She said she's molded some of her coaching philosophies by things Bowden did, and one of her favorite stories? His encouragement during her early years when her team was struggling.
"I got this letter in the mail. It was on notebook paper with three hole punch. He wrote me a personal letter on that notebook paper," she recalled. "He put a dot, and he drew a line that would say okay, this is my path to success. It was up, then plateau and then down and then plateau and then up, and then plateau and then down and then all the way up to 1993, and that when they won the first national championship. Then he drew an arrows a quarter of the way through, and said, I think you're here."
Semrau said that note meant the world to her. She's in Seattle visiting her parents now, but will be here Saturday for coach's funeral, which is open to the public.
