FSU was once one of the crown jewels of college football. Out of the dirt, Bobby Bowden cut and polished a blazing dynasty that spanned more than a decade and multiple national titles. The first Death Star before Nick Saban’s fancier, no ventilation shaft-having version at Alabama, Bowden’s Seminoles put together a level of consistent success that place its run amongst the greatest the sport has ever seen.
Bowden described how he accomplished such a feat with yet another catchy quote: “A program is built in four stages. First, you lose big, then you lose close. Then you win close, and finally, you win big.