TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — That was some dadgum auction.
The longtime home of Florida State football coaching legend Bobby Bowden sold for $737,000, as the real estate portion of a two-week auction hosted by Wiregrass Auction Group closed on Tuesday.
Bowden, who built the Seminoles into a college football power and won two national championships, lived in the Killearn Estates section of Tallahassee for 45 years.
At least Bowden’s residence stayed in the Seminole family.
The winning bid of $670,000 in the online auction was placed by Reagan Hobbs, 52, a 1995 graduate of FSU in marketing, the Tallahassee Democrat reported. A 10% buyer’s fee was added to the price at the final gavel, bringing the final price to $737,000, WCTV reported. Bidding opened at $500,000, according to the television station.
It could take up to 24 hours for the real estate contract to be finalized.
In addition to Bowden’s home, which he bought in January 1976 after being hired at Florida State, the auction included Bowden’s memorabilia, personal belongings and family heirlooms.
The sale hosted by the Thomasville, Georgia, auction house had more than 1,500 registered bidders worldwide, the Democrat reported. That included bidders from 41 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. There were 779 lots in the sale, according to the Wiregrass Auction Group’s website.
Bowden died at his Tallahassee residence on Aug. 8, 2021, at the age of 91. Pancreatic cancer was the cause of death. His widow, Ann Bowden, 93, moved to Alabama to live with family members, the Democrat reported.
Built in 1971, the 4,639-square-foot residence is a four-bedroom, four-bath home located on a 0.57-acre lot and fronts the Killearn Club golf course.
The residence and lot were most recently valued by the Leon County Property Appraiser for approximately $681,000, the Democrat reported.
Other high-ticket items included Bowden’s championship rings. The 1993 Orange Bowl championship ring he was awarded after the Seminoles won their first national title sold for $20,000. A second ring, labeled as the FedEx Orange Bowl from the same game, sold for $11,000.
A slightly damaged crystal Sears 1993-1994 National Champion Football Trophy was bought for $14,000.
The coach’s ring for the 1992 Atlantic Coast Conference champions fetched $9,500, while a bronze Remington sculpture brought a final price of $7,750.
Bowden’s 1975 Peach Bowl ring from his West Virginia days sold for $6,500.
The auction also included autographed memorabilia, furniture, VHS game tapes and Bowden’s extensive book collection; the coach was a military history buff.
Bowden, who coached at FSU from 1976 to 2009, won national titles after the 1993 and 1999 seasons and finished in the top five in season-ending football polls for 14 consecutive seasons.
He had a 357-124-4 overall coaching record in 40 years of coaching Division I football, including a 315-98-4 mark at FSU. Bowden’s record was adjusted by the NCAA, which took 11 victories away from him due to team violations. In the NCAA books, Bowden is officially listed with a 346-123-4 mark.
Bowden coached 24 All-Americans during his career and went 22-10 in bowl games. The field at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee was renamed Bobby Bowden Field in 2004.
He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Florida Sports Hall of Fame in 1983. Bowden was inducted into the Florida State Hall of Fame in 2012.