Doak Campbell Stadium has carried Bobby Bowden’s name for years.
Now Tallahassee’s airport will, too.
Governor Ron DeSantis officially designated the airport as Bobby Bowden Tallahassee International Airport on April 14 as part of his signing of SB 628 in Tallahassee, which also includes renaming a portion of College Avenue as President John Thrasher Memorial Boulevard.
“I spoke with my mother this past weekend, and while she is unable to attend the ceremony this afternoon, she asked me to relay her deepest
appreciation for this great honor,” Ginger Bowden Madden, the daughter of the late coach and current state attorney for the First Judicial Circuit of Florida, said in a statement. “Daddy spent so many hours in the terminals of the Tallahassee airport over his 46 years in this great city, so it feels appropriate that it now bears his name. On behalf of my mother and the entire Bowden family, I want to thank Governor DeSantis for his leadership and service to the Free State of Florida, and for leading the initiative to honor our father, your Coach Bobby Bowden, in this way.”
Bowden, widely regarded as one of the greatest coaches in college football history, spent 34 years as the head coach of Florida State, compiling a 316-97-4 record in Tallahassee with two national championships and 12 ACC titles. His 377 career wins are the second-most in FBS history.
In his time at Florida State, Bowden took what was a middling Seminoles program to the ranks of the college football elite, punctuated by 14 consecutive top-five finishes and five national championship appearances. He was a primary figure in ushering in the high-powered offensive attacks that now pervade the college landscape.
