- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,194,224
- Reaction score
- 59
A Waterford Crystal Trophy celebrating Florida State University’s first national championship, an American flag flown at half-staff over the state Capitol after his death, and more than 1,500 other relics of history from one of college football’s most iconic figures are headed to auction as part of the Bobby Bowden Legacy Auction.
FSU fans, college football enthusiasts and sports memorabilia collectors can now begin perusing the collection online and may want to mark their calendars for the two-week period beginning Tuesday, March 3, at 8 a.m., when the highly anticipated auction opens. The auction concludes March 17.
For the Bowden family, parting with the collection has brought both finality and fond reflection.
“I do think now that we’ve had a chance to look back at this, it’s been a great way to offer many of these items to people who truly want them — items that will really mean something to them,” Bowden’s son, Terry Bowden, told the Democrat. “Our family was raised around all of this, and I don’t know that we ever would have gone through everything. This way, the items will end up in the hands of the right people.”
Wiregrass Auction Group of Thomasville, Georgia, announced the auction’s dates and times on its website during a two-day preview Feb. 19–20, framing the sale as more than an event but an opportunity to steward and share a legacy that continues to matter.
The company has also invited visitors to browse more than 1,000 photographs of Bowden’s extensive collection, learn how the auction process works and register to bid.
Wiregrass also announced on social media that online bidding for the Killearn Estates home shared by Bowden and his wife, Ann, will open at 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 3. The property is scheduled to be sold two weeks later, on Tuesday, March 17.
Terry Bowden emphasized the home’s significance in his father’s recruiting strategy during his 34 seasons at FSU.
“Every single football player signed by FSU from ’76 to 2000-whatever spent a Friday night in that home,” Bowden said. “If they were recruited, they were in that home — every one of them. From the greatest of the greats to the least of the least, every player went through that house. It holds a lot of memories for a lot of FSU people.”
More: Bobby Bowden's assistant reflects as home, treasures head to auction
Bowden retired in 2009 after 34 seasons at FSU, where he transformed the program into a national powerhouse and recognizable brand, winning national championships in 1993 and 1999. He died in 2021 at the age of 91. Ann Bowden celebrated her 93rd birthday last September and has since moved to Alabama to live with family.
Many of Bowden’s most cherished keepsakes spent years tucked away in his Tallahassee home on Shamrock Drive or in storage, hidden from view for decades. Only recently did the Bowden family open boxes containing his FSU football office belongings, which had remained untouched since his retirement at the end of the 2009 season. Family members also set aside select items they wished to keep.
Wiregrass Auction Group owner Mark Manley anticipates a successful — if not historic — auction.
“I think it’s going to go beyond our expectations,” Manley told the Democrat. “It truly has been so much fun. What people will pay for items, we’ll have to see, but there has already been far more interest than we ever expected.”
More: Early to bed, early to rise. Morning calls with Coach Bowden and Ann were special | Jim Henry
Among the memorabilia slated for auction are more than 20 football rings, including one commemorating Bowden’s 389 career victories during an illustrious 44-year coaching career that began at his alma mater, Howard College, in 1959.
The collection also includes deeply personal items, such as a plaque presented in 2010 by Coaches of Influence, a faith-based ministry, honoring Bobby and Ann Bowden. Manley said he recently learned from Sue Hall, Bowden’s longtime administrative assistant, that every bronzed item in the collection was a gift from famed FSU alumnus and family friend Burt Reynolds.
From Bowden’s home office, bidders will also find a large framed image commemorating Bowden and Penn State’s Joe Paterno as the winningest coaches in college football history, a framed oil painting of Bowden, and his large mahogany-and-oak executive desk.
Also up for auction is a plaque recognizing Bowden and his staff’s first bowl victory at FSU — the 1977 Tangerine Bowl, which came during his second season in Tallahassee.
Overall, the auction will feature an extensive array of Bowden’s personal belongings, ranging from game-day and career keepsakes to sets of golf clubs, family heirlooms and household furnishings.
Manley added that two public open houses are scheduled for those wishing to tour the home: March 5 from 1 to 7 p.m. and March 16 from 3 to 7 p.m.
The opening bid for the four-bedroom property on the Killearn Golf Club is $500,000.
The full catalog of items up for sale can be perused at wiregrassauctiongroup.com or on the company's mobile app.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Bobby Bowden auction opens March 3. See items up for sale.
Continue reading...
FSU fans, college football enthusiasts and sports memorabilia collectors can now begin perusing the collection online and may want to mark their calendars for the two-week period beginning Tuesday, March 3, at 8 a.m., when the highly anticipated auction opens. The auction concludes March 17.
For the Bowden family, parting with the collection has brought both finality and fond reflection.
“I do think now that we’ve had a chance to look back at this, it’s been a great way to offer many of these items to people who truly want them — items that will really mean something to them,” Bowden’s son, Terry Bowden, told the Democrat. “Our family was raised around all of this, and I don’t know that we ever would have gone through everything. This way, the items will end up in the hands of the right people.”
Wiregrass Auction Group of Thomasville, Georgia, announced the auction’s dates and times on its website during a two-day preview Feb. 19–20, framing the sale as more than an event but an opportunity to steward and share a legacy that continues to matter.
The company has also invited visitors to browse more than 1,000 photographs of Bowden’s extensive collection, learn how the auction process works and register to bid.
Wiregrass also announced on social media that online bidding for the Killearn Estates home shared by Bowden and his wife, Ann, will open at 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 3. The property is scheduled to be sold two weeks later, on Tuesday, March 17.
Terry Bowden emphasized the home’s significance in his father’s recruiting strategy during his 34 seasons at FSU.
“Every single football player signed by FSU from ’76 to 2000-whatever spent a Friday night in that home,” Bowden said. “If they were recruited, they were in that home — every one of them. From the greatest of the greats to the least of the least, every player went through that house. It holds a lot of memories for a lot of FSU people.”
More: Bobby Bowden's assistant reflects as home, treasures head to auction
Bobby Bowden auction features array of memorabilia
Bowden retired in 2009 after 34 seasons at FSU, where he transformed the program into a national powerhouse and recognizable brand, winning national championships in 1993 and 1999. He died in 2021 at the age of 91. Ann Bowden celebrated her 93rd birthday last September and has since moved to Alabama to live with family.
Many of Bowden’s most cherished keepsakes spent years tucked away in his Tallahassee home on Shamrock Drive or in storage, hidden from view for decades. Only recently did the Bowden family open boxes containing his FSU football office belongings, which had remained untouched since his retirement at the end of the 2009 season. Family members also set aside select items they wished to keep.
Wiregrass Auction Group owner Mark Manley anticipates a successful — if not historic — auction.
“I think it’s going to go beyond our expectations,” Manley told the Democrat. “It truly has been so much fun. What people will pay for items, we’ll have to see, but there has already been far more interest than we ever expected.”
More: Early to bed, early to rise. Morning calls with Coach Bowden and Ann were special | Jim Henry
Among the memorabilia slated for auction are more than 20 football rings, including one commemorating Bowden’s 389 career victories during an illustrious 44-year coaching career that began at his alma mater, Howard College, in 1959.
The collection also includes deeply personal items, such as a plaque presented in 2010 by Coaches of Influence, a faith-based ministry, honoring Bobby and Ann Bowden. Manley said he recently learned from Sue Hall, Bowden’s longtime administrative assistant, that every bronzed item in the collection was a gift from famed FSU alumnus and family friend Burt Reynolds.
From Bowden’s home office, bidders will also find a large framed image commemorating Bowden and Penn State’s Joe Paterno as the winningest coaches in college football history, a framed oil painting of Bowden, and his large mahogany-and-oak executive desk.
Also up for auction is a plaque recognizing Bowden and his staff’s first bowl victory at FSU — the 1977 Tangerine Bowl, which came during his second season in Tallahassee.
You must be registered for see images attach
Overall, the auction will feature an extensive array of Bowden’s personal belongings, ranging from game-day and career keepsakes to sets of golf clubs, family heirlooms and household furnishings.
Manley added that two public open houses are scheduled for those wishing to tour the home: March 5 from 1 to 7 p.m. and March 16 from 3 to 7 p.m.
The opening bid for the four-bedroom property on the Killearn Golf Club is $500,000.
Want to see what's up for sale?
The full catalog of items up for sale can be perused at wiregrassauctiongroup.com or on the company's mobile app.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Bobby Bowden auction opens March 3. See items up for sale.
Continue reading...
