Pure Gold: Bobby Bowden An Inside Look

by Bobby Bowden, Bill Vilona (As Told to), Charlie Ward (Foreword by)

Pure Gold brings together 25 former players, staff members, and coaches to provide first-person insight into the all-time winningest coach in NCAA Division 1-A college readers travel the interstates and back roads with Barnes and Bobby Bowden as they spread the word of FSU football; longtime secretary Sue Hall describes the so-called CEO of Florida State football; Tom Osborne, a legendary college football coach himself, reveals what it is like to coach against Bobby Bowden; former Bowden assistant and Georgia head coach Mark Richt retells the life-changing effect Bowden's first meeting with FSU players following the death of Pablo Lopez had on him. FSU president T. K. Wetherell, who once played football under assistant coach Bowden, remembers what it was like to take orders from Bobby. Wetherell reflects on his playing days and on the time he saw Bowden at his most vulnerable, in the days that followed the tragic death of his grandson, Bowden Madden.

244 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2006

About the author

Robert Cleckler Bowden was an American football coach.
He is best known for coaching the Florida State Seminoles football team from 1976 to 2009.

During his time at Florida State, Bowden led FSU to an Associated Press and Coaches Poll National Title in 1993 and a BCS National Championship in 1999, as well as twelve Atlantic Coast Conference championships once FSU joined the conference in 1991. Bowden's Seminoles finished as an AP top-5 team for 14 consecutive seasons, setting a record that doubled the closest program.

Reviews

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much has been said about Bobby Bowden's head coaching career for the Florida State Seminoles (FSU) from 1976 to 2009. But there aren't too many oral histories on his career.

Pure Gold did its job, which was to discuss Bowden's career from the standpoint of his former players, coaches, and the administration that worked around him at FSU.

My favorite part of this book was the last chapter, where former star FSU running back Warrick Dunn talked about how Bowden was a father figure to him. And Dunn back in the 1993 to 1995 period needed that type of relationship with Bowden; because he grew up without a father and his mother who was a police officer, was killed in the line of duty around the time his true freshman season started in 1993.

One of the things I also liked about this book was that it was objective and it was not a love affair with Bowden type of book. Read Charlie Barnes' chapter near the end of the book and you'll see what I mean.

I would recommend this book to those who are diehard or old school Seminoles fans, which is the main demographic for this book.