The Clemson-Florida State rivalry is one of the most entertaining in college football.
And it started with a father and son.
Bobby Bowden started at Florida State in 1976 and rewrote college football history. Most people recognize Bowden’s most prominent rivals as Florida and Miami.
It wasn’t until 1992 that Clemson became a thorn in his butt when the Noles joined the ACC. Clemson was recognized as a basketball then, but the two programs’ first game as conference foes resulted in a 24-20 Florida State victory. Florida State won the next ten matchups.
Things began to change when Tommy Bowden became head coach of Clemson in 1998, paving the way for the first-ever meeting between a father and a son as opposing head coaches in football.
The first game 1999, won by Florida State 17-14, set a new attendance record of 86,200 at Clemson University’s Memorial Stadium. Tommy Bowden’s first victory came on his father’s birthday in 2003, when his Tigers defeated the third-ranked FSU, putting a dent in their chances of winning the national championship.
During the Bowden Bowl era, FSU won five conference championships, two of which were won by teams that Tommy Bowden coached to victory in 2003 and 2005.
The Bowden Bowl series ended when Tommy resigned as head coach six games into the 2008 football season. Bobby Bowden won the overall series with five wins and four losses.
Even though Clemson ended up on the losing end of the Bowden Bowl, the era helped Clemson become a legitimate football school in the ACC and the country.