Bobby Bowden - The Wisdom of Faith

Acknowledgments

I wish to thank B&H Publishing for their encouragement and diligence in making this book a reality. Lots of people want to write a book. It takes a good publisher and editor to make that happen. But its not just them. A host of their colleagues work in the background, their hands also on the clay, helping to shape and mold it into what it was meant to be. In Scripture, when a gathering of people was too numerous to count, the authors used the word multitude . In regard to B&H, I truly am indebted to a multitude. They are many, and they work in unison, like the muscles needed to create a single heartbeat. Such has been my experience with B&H. If I started naming names, I would mess it up. They know who they are. And they know what their skills have enabled. I am in their debt.

I also wish to thank my oldest son, Steve, who has helped clarify my thoughts for publication and put my words on the page. He was given access to decades of notes I have accumulated, and verses of Scripture that shaped my worldview, along with thoughts and quotes and other scribblings that struck me as insightful over the years. We discussed them for hours. And reflected on them. I shared my further thoughts and told him what should be said. He rendered my words into the book you hold now. Steve has an advantage over most. Like his brothers and sisters, he knows me from the ground up. So he became my scrivener. It makes for less editing on my part.

Copyright 2014 by Bobby Bowden

All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

978-1-4336-8451-7

Published by B&H Publishing Group

Nashville, Tennessee

Dewey Decimal Classification: 234.2

Subject Heading: FAITH \ CHRISTIAN LIFE

Unless otherwise marked, all Scripture is taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, ( hcsb ), Copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers.

Also used: the English Standard Version ( esv ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Also used: the New International Version ( niv ), copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.

Also used: New King James Version ( nkjv ), copyright 1979, 1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Also used: The Message , the New Testament in Contemporary English, 1993 by Eugene H. Peterson, published by NavPress, Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Also used: Translation by Rabbi Meir Leibush, (The Malbim), in Charles Wengrov and Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg, Malbim on Mishley: The Book of Proverbs in Hebrew & English , Feldheim, 2001.

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In The Wisdom of Faith , Coach Bobby Bowden gives us something we all desperately need but can never seem to findwisdom. But not just any wisdom. He gives us the kind of wisdom that can only be found in a man whose life has been devoted to faithfulness and the fear of the Lord. Im so thankful he wrote this book, and I know that his practical and sensible words will echo for generations to come.

Matt Carter, Pastor of Preaching,
Austin Stone Community Church, coauthor of The Real Win

This is the personal dimension of my father that few have had the chance to see. We children saw it growing up. And weve seen it ever since. He does not change when he is in the public eye. His words and demeanor have always been guided by one overarching aim: to follow the path of Christ wherever it leads. This book reveals what he discovered along the way.

Tommy Bowden, former coach at
Clemson, Tulane, Auburn, Alabama, Kentucky,
and Florida State, a featured analyst on FOX Sports
South as well as an SEC and ACC analyst on
Raycom Sports, and author of Winning Character

I was fortunate enough to break into the business of college football under Coach Bobby Bowden. Coach Bowdens conviction of his faith was instrumental to me in coming to know Christ, the greatest decision I made in my life thanks to his example and guidance. The Wisdom of Faith will bless many readers, just as Ive been blessed by Coach Bowdens ministry.

Coach Mark Richt, head football coach
at the University of Georgia

I am proud to have been Bobbys friend for fifty-seven years, and this book reminds me there is only one Bobby Bowden. This book is a written masterpiece directly from his heart and soul. A must-read for all.

Lee Corso, featured football analyst
on ESPNs College Gameday

Im a huge fan of Coach Bowden for a number of reasons: his honesty, integrity, and the passion he has for what he does. Like most coaches, he wants to share his winning ways with others not to boast but to teach, the winningest coach in Division-1 FBS has all those real life experiences to draw from. Whether hes roaming the sidelines at a Florida State football game or in the locker room with his team, coach is a man of faith and practices what he preaches! A great read by a great man, cant put it down!

Darrell Waltrip, winner of eight-four career
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (TM) races and
a three-time champion, lead analyst for NASCAR on
FOX, and coauthor of The Race

One of the greatest football coaches of our time takes his readers on a journey through the ups and downs, defeats and victories that have made up his life, and revealed the one thing that has gotten him through it all, his unshakable faith in God.

Charlie Daniels, country music legend
and member of the Grand Ole Opry

There is nothing like getting a peek into the life of a godly man. You will be inspired by Bobbys stories and wisdom. He lets us into a life that has been well-lived.

Darrin Patrick, lead pastor of The Journey,
Vice President of Acts 29, chaplain to the St. Louis Cardinals, and author of The Dudes Guide to Manhood

Coach Bowden gives us insight into the role his strong faith in God has played in his life. He continues to coach as he reveals his game plan for victorious living.

Sylvester Croom, one of first black athletes at University of Alabama, first black head coach in the SEC (Mississippi State), and current running backs coach of NFLs Tennessee Titans

Coach Bobby Bowden in his new book, Wisdom of Faith , shares his insights as to what real victory looks like as we walk this journey of life. While he has led teams to national championships and is admired by coaches and fans across the nation, his greatest success is in living out the wisdom he has gained through the trials and tragedies of life. His story is one that will encourage all of us who depend on Christ and seek His wisdom to do this life well.

Les Steckel, President/CEO,
Fellowship of Christian Athletes

T his book is dedicated to my wife Ann and to the family we created together.

God startled me with a grace unimagined when I first saw Ann. Her family had just moved to town. They bought a house on the corner about five blocks from me. She was only fourteen. I was almost three years older. She joined the church I attended and immediately enlisted for duty in the adult choir. No one asked her to be in the choir. Who asks a fifteen-year-old to sing alongside a bunch of gray-headed people? But that was Anns way. She didnt wait to be asked. And she didnt care that she might be too young. If she was in, she was all in. Thats what membership meant to her. She was quite a girl. I noticed her from the back pew. Thats where my buddies and I sat to get away from our parents. Its where all teenagers sit when they get the chance. Except for Ann. She was different. She never noticed me as she sang. But I sure noticed her. I couldnt take my eyes off her.

Sixty-five years later, I can attest that she has not changed. She is such a driven woman. All of my success has been guided by her determination. I never madeor wanted to makeany important career decision without her input. She had insights I lacked. And a wisdom that helped shape my role as a husband, father, grandparent, friend, and coach.