TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — The year is 1976. A man by the name of Bobby Bowden was set to take over the reins of a Florida State football program in desperate need of a leader. In the nearly four decades to follow he did more than lead. He built a culture. He built a foundation. He built a house.
If you need a visual of the house that Bobby Bowden built you can look to Doak Campbell Stadium. Its tall brick towers piercing the Tallahassee Skyline. Without Bobby Bowden, those towers and everything it holds inside would mean nothing.
The house Bobby built is truly something that can’t just be put into words. For it’s the way he lived his life that rises to heights no brick tower across the Big Bend will ever be able to pass.
The house that Bobby built is laid on a foundation of hope. And not just hope for a better football team. But hope that one day he could inspire the city he calls home to help build a community that fosters a sense of belonging.
Inside the house that Bobby Built, every crack, corner and crevice you’ll find love. Arguably Bobby Bowden’s most devout trait. He may not have always shown it on a football field. But off of it, guided by his faith he poured his love for the simple gift of life into the hearts of everyone who was blessed enough to know him.
No matter how you came to know of the hall of fame coach. The lives he’s touched over the years go beyond what anyone person could ever measure.
Looking back at the house Bobby built. Florida State was not just in need of a leader back in 1976. But a Bobby Bowden.
A man who brought a community together and bonded it like a family. Through his love for God, acts of kindness and compassion. While he’s no longer here, we all share space inside the house that Bobby built.
