Coach Bobby Bowden to Speak at FCA Breakfast

MOBILE, AL – Florida State University head football coach Bobby Bowden will be the featured speaker at the GMAC Bowl Fellowship of Christian Athletes Breakfast on Friday, January 5, 2007, at the Mobile Convention Center at 7:00 a.m.

The breakfast is one of many events that take place during GMAC Bowl week. Previous FCA Breakfast speakers have included U.S. Congressman JC Watts of Oklahoma and head football coaches Mac Brown, Larry Coker, Phillip Fulmer and Bill McCartney.

Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Bowden grew up going to football games with his father and listening to the sport on the radio. He played halfback then quarterback for Howard College (now Samford University) in Birmingham, where he later began his coaching career.

Before long, Bowden moved from assistant coach at Howard to head coach at South Georgia College. While he was there, he brought the team three state titles. In 1959, Bowden moved back to Howard as its head coach, bringing the victories with him.

After a few years at Howard, Bowden got his first taste of Seminole water, as an assistant for four years. He went on to become the offensive coordinator at West Virginia, and was named head coach of the Mountaineers in 1970.

Thirty-one years ago, Bobby Bowden made his last coaching move. He accepted the position as head coach of the Florida State Seminoles in 1976. During his tenure, he has had only one losing season: his first.

Bowden is the only coach in Division 1-A football history to have enjoyed 14 straight 10-win seasons and 14 straight seasons in the top five of the Associated Press College Football Poll. He has won 12 conference championships and two national championships.

Bowden also holds the distinction of having 365 total coaching victories, more than any other Division 1-A head coach – active or not.

In 2004, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes presented the first of what is now an annual award in Bowden’s name. The National Bobby Bowden Award honors one college football player for his achievements on the field, in the classroom and in the community. The award is presented each year prior to the Bowl Championship Series national title game.

Tickets for the Cellular South FCA Breakfast are $20 per guest or $12 per FCA member and can be purchased at the GMAC Bowl office at 1000 Hillcrest Road, Suite 115, or by calling 251-635-0011.

The 2007 GMAC Bowl will be played on Sunday, January 7, 2007, at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. The Bowl will feature the Ohio University Bobcats and the Golden Eagles of Southern Mississippi. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST. For more information about the GMAC Bowl and/or surrounding events, please contact the GMAC Bowl office at 251-635-0011 or visit www.gmacbowl.com.