Like Father, Like Son

* Florida State’s record the two years prior to Bobby Bowden’s arrival was 4-18. Tulane’s record the two years prior to Tommy Bowden’s arrival was 4-18<.

* Bobby Bowden had Florida State in a bowl game, accumulated a double-digit victory total, and a top-15 national ranking in his second year with the Seminoles. Tommy Bowden had Tulane in a bowl game, accumulated a double-digit victory total and a top-10 national ranking by his second season with the program.

* Father and son both had perfect regular-season records in the 1990s. Bobby Bowden’s Florida State Seminoles were 11-0 in the 1996 regular season and in the 1999 regular season, while Tommy Bowden Tulane team was 11-0 in 1998. Brother Terry Bowden was 11-0 as head coach at Auburn in 1993.

* Both coaches won at least two-thirds of their games after their first two years as a Division I Head Coach. Bobby Bowden was 15-7 after two years at West Virginia and Tommy Bowden was 18-4 after two years as a Division I head coach.

* Both Bowdens experienced just one conference loss in 1997 and 1998 combined.

* Tommy Bowden received his start in coaching under his father at Florida State in 1978. Bowden also played for his father at West Virginia between 1973-75.

* In recording an 11-win regular season in 1998, Bobby Bowden’s Florida State team outscored the opposition by 20.6 points per game. In recording an 11-win regular season in 1998, Tommy Bowden Tulane team outscored the opposition by 21.0 points per game.

* When father and son met at Clemson on October 23, 1999, Florida State was victorious 17-14. It was the closest margin of victory and the fewest points scored by the National Champion Seminoles in 1999.

* There have been eight father-son meetings in this rivalry and Bobby Bowden has a 5-3 lead, but Tommy has won three of the last four.

* Bobby Bowden has lost a game on his birthday as a head coach just once, in 2003 to Tommy and Clemson.