Thesis Statement: College Football fans around the nation recognize Bobby Bowden as one of the most inspirational and game changing coaches of all time.
Introduction
I. Imagine how it would feel to be widely recognized not only as a great coach, but also as a mentor to so many young athletes. (Attention Getter)
II. Coach Bowden had a career and a personality that coaches, players, and fans all admired whether he was winning or losing on the field.
III. To really appreciate the impact Coach Bowden had on college football in general, you really need to know where his career started. (Thesis)
IV. Today, I’ll talk about Coach Bowden’s early career, his career at Florida State, and his personal life. (Preview)
Transition: So, where did Coach Bowden’s career begin?
Body
I. Bobby’s career started as an assistant football coach and head track coach at Howard College in 1954, which is now called Samford University. (Seminoles, Bobby Bowden)
A. Bobby also graduated from Howard College in 1953 so he was coaching for a school he was familiar with.
1. He left Howard College and coached at South Georgia College for a short time, eventually returning to Howard and leading them to a 31-6 record between 1959 and 1962. (Augusta Sports, Two Top Coaches)
2. In 1962, Bobby made his first appearance at Florida State as an assistant coach under Head Coach Bill Peterson.
a. Two other coaching legends who worked under Coach Peterson during this time were Bill Parcells and Joe Gibbs.
b. Bobby eventually left Florida State in 1965
Transition: You may be wondering why Bobby left Florida State but it was because he was next in line for a head coaching job at West Virginia University.
B. Bobby took over as the West Virginia University head coach in 1969. (Seminoles, Bobby Bowden)
1. During the first year of Bobby’s career at WVU, the other top tier football program in