Back to the Arkansas State Red Wolves Newsfeed

‘A special man:’ The lessons college football legend Bobby Bowden taught ASU’s Purinton, ULM’s Bowden

JONESBORO -- Jeff Purinton is still furnishing his office.

Arriving at Arkansas State as athletic director in July, the 47-year-old is still sorting through where to place all his memorabilia from stints at Florida State, Alabama and the Orange Bowl.

Among the things he has actually placed, Purinton motions to a frame he says went up in recent days. It's perhaps his most prized possession: A handwritten note from former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden fashioned above a photo of the two on a golf course in Florida, Purinton's right arm wrapping around Bowden's shoulders.

The sentence directly above the image means as much as the photo itself.