Winning's Only Part of the Game: Lessons of Life and Football - Hardcover

by Bobby Bowden (Author), Terry Bowden (Author), Bowden Family (Author)

Popular, well-respected, close-knit and down-to-earth, the Bowden family is an all-American success story. Bobby Bowden is one of the most celebrated football coaches in college football today. Now, in the first sports book of its kind, Bobby, his son Terry, Auburn University's football coach, and the rest of the Bowden family share the personal experiences and philosophies that have led them to success.

Back Jacket

The Bowdens are the First Family of college football. Bobby, the father, built the winningest program of the decade at Florida State. Son Terry took over an Auburn team on probation and led it back into the top tier of the sport. Son Tommy is Auburn's offensive coordinator and will likely get his own program in the next few seasons. Son Jeff, now coaching Florida State receivers, will earn his own head coaching opportunity one day. So will the boys' brother-in-law Jack Hines - who played for Bobby, married his oldest daughter, Robyn, and now coaches with Terry at Auburn. Reading this book is like accepting an exclusive invitation to a Bowden family gathering, where discussions range from informal debates about the best winning strategy to disarmingly candid appraisals of the racial undercurrents of college athletics. Listen to inside stories of key moments in Games of the Century, of the recruiting and coaching of famous athletes such as Deion Sanders and Charlie Ward. Hear how it feels to be trapped inside a locker room with angry fans pounding on the door, to be the son of a coach hanged in effigy, to have to choose between the interests of a troubled young athlete and the image of a football program. Learn, with the Bowdens, the lessons of careers measured in clock ticks and place-kicks.