Members of the Florida congressional delegation are throwing their support behind U.S. Sen. Rick Scott’s, R-Fla., and U.S. Rep. Neal Dunn’s, R-Fla., proposal to honor longtime Florida State University (FSU) football coach Bobby Bowden with a Congressional Gold Medal.
Scott and Dunn introduced the proposal last week.
“While Coach Bobby Bowden was a legend on the football field, it is the generations of students, athletes and countless others he led and served off the field, that will forever define his greatness as an extraordinary leader, Floridian and American. Coach Bowden will be forever a Seminole, forever a Floridian, and with this legislation forever honored and recognized by the United States Congress for his lifetime of service and leadership,” said Scott.
“Coach Bobby Bowden was a leader on the field and in his community. While his grit and determination led the Seminoles to victory on many occasions, his kindness and generosity made him one of the most highly respected individuals in Florida,” said Dunn. “We are all grateful for his contribution to the Seminole Nation and the Sunshine State.”
“Bobby Bowden served as head coach of the Florida State University football team from 1976 to 2009. While coaching at FSU, Bobby Bowden’s teams won two national championships (1993 and 1999) and 12 Atlantic Coast Conference titles. Bowden posted a 316-97-4 record in his 34 years at FSU,” Dunn’s office noted. “Bobby Bowden was also widely revered for his humanitarian contributions. In 2011, he was awarded the ‘Children’s Champion Award for Leadership Development’’ by the Children’s Hunger Fund. In 2004, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes organization began presenting an annual ‘’The National Bobby Bowden Award’‘ to a football player for philanthropic work.”
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., announced his support of Scott’s bill this week.
“Coach Bobby Bowden will be forever remembered as one of the greatest coaches in college football history. But his true legacy is the generations of athletes, students, and community members he inspired and mentored. Coach Bowden was a man of great character and integrity, and his impact on Florida and the nation will be felt for generations to come,” Rubio said.
In the meantime, over in the House, seven Republicans in the Florida delegation–U.S. Reps. Gus Bilirakis, Vern Buchanan, Byron Donalds, Bill Posey, Maria Elvira Salazar, Michael Waltz and Dan Webster–are co-sponsoring Dunn’s bill which is before the U.S. House Financial Services Committee.
Dunn’s office offered some details on the Congressional Gold Medal.
“The Congressional Gold Medal seeks to honor those, individually or as a group, “who have performed an achievement that has an impact on American history and culture that is likely to be recognized as a major achievement in the recipient’s field long after the achievement.” It is Congress’s highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions,” Dunn’s office noted.
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