‘He meant so many things to so many people’: Jimbo Fisher reflects on legacy of Bobby Bowden
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
The death of Bobby Bowden reverberated across all corners of the college football world, with individuals such as Nick Saban and Steve Spurrier discussing their memories of the legendary Florida State head coach and his impact on their respective careers.
Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher coached under Bowden for a number of years in Tallahassee, joining the program as offensive coordinator in 2007 and later named head coach-in-waiting ahead of Bowden’s retirement following the 2009 campaign. Prior to that, he played for Bowden’s son, Terry, at both Salem and Samford, eventually serving on the younger Bowden’s coaching staff first at his alma mater and then at Auburn.
“We’ve lost a great man in Coach Bobby Bowden today,” Fisher remarked during his Media Day press conference on Sunday. “He meant so many things to so many people. He meant a ton to me, and not only just when I coached with him, but when I was learning to be a coach and around him at different times with his family, and what kind of person he was and who he was.”
Fisher also remarked on the legacy Bowden left on the sport during a career that spanned over 5-and-a-half decades.
“(He’s) a fine a coach and gentlemen that’s walked the sideline, in my opinion,” he said. “The lives he touched and the players he touched, that’s his legacy, and that’s what he always talked about…He knows where he’s definitely at, that’s for sure.”
"We lost a great man in Coach Bobby Bowden today…he meant a ton to me."
Coach Fisher's comments on the passing of the Hall of Fame coach and friend.#GigEm pic.twitter.com/oooNbcTHAc
— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) August 8, 2021
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
