No documentary has explored the how Coach Bowden and his staff pulled off the Dynasty feat, and Coach Bowden seemed grateful I wanted to tell that side of his story when I first approached him in 2013. I then shared with Coach another reason why I wanted to make the film independently, and that was to be able to tell the story of his faith. That seemed to be the clincher for him, and he was the most enthusiastic about that opportunity. For decades Coach Bowden has been preaching all over the country to groups large and small on Sundays with little fanfare. The idea of a film that could reach many more people with his message and be a lasting testament to his faith appealed to him. Neither of us could think of a network that would green-light our documentary production and still allow us to have the final word in the edit room.
Given that I was already working full-time on a long-term project, I needed to find a team to help produce the vision Bobby and I now shared. Watching the SEC channel one night, I came across a terrific documentary about Will Clark and Rafael Palmeiro, (who formed the imposing one-two hitting punch known as "Thunder and Lightning"), on the best team never to win the College World Series - the 1985 Mississippi State Bulldogs. After tracking down the credits, a few phone calls and a flight to Charlotte, NC, I met Producer Rob Harvell and Editor Brian Goodwin in person.
Rob and Brian like to share the director credit and they helped produce ESPN Films favorites such as “The Book of Manning” and “I Hate Christian Laettner.” I had the basic story beats already worked out, and they loved the idea of creating a long-form documentary without commercial breaks and interference. They convinced me that if I raised some initial funding, they could do a lot of the shooting in the fall of 2015, and then make a short video to help raise the rest of the budget. It was an idea that required a lot of faith and trust on all fronts. Besides Coach Bowden, Rob and Brian turned out to be the very best thing about this film and their passion comes through in every scene.
The last big step was a letter I wrote to a few friends I knew from my days in the Sigma Chi Fraternity at FSU. Brothers Rick Brawner, Scott Davis and Mike Ortoll were the first to step up and help launch the project, and then others followed. Had Rick, Scott and Mike not done so, this project would never have gotten off the ground. Rick Brawner was especially receptive to the notion that we should make this film independently so there would be complete freedom to make a film Coach Bowden could be proud of. My thanks to these three men, my brothers Rick Brawner, Scott Davis and Mike Ortoll, who agreed to form Dynasty Productions Group to celebrate and honor Coach Bowden through our film and book about THE BOWDEN DYNASTY.
Other Sigma Chis were especially helpful, including Neil Ross with the film’s logo, Judge Jim Joanos as a story consultant, and the Pensacola Boys Jim Sabourin, Kevin Etheridge and Chris Cigrand for their steady encouragement. Thanks to Brian Hall for his support when it was most needed, my brother Bob Corry for getting the premiere moved to St. Petersburg and Wayne Hogan for proposing this premiere event with the Florida Sports Hall of Fame and Visit St. Pete - Clearwater. Finally a special thank you to Bev Kelly for her room and board in Florida and to my wife Patty for her support in times when it looked like the project would not move ahead.
All of us involved in the film’s (and the book’s), production, marketing and distribution are doing so with an eye toward honoring and thanking Coach Bowden for everything he did for Florida State University and for college football in general. In the 34 years he was at FSU, there was unrelenting growth and constant change. Coaches, players and staff came and went. The football program transitioned from being an independent to joining the ACC. The college football game became a major TV draw, and FSU played in numerous “games of the century.” Doak Campbell Stadium went from being the butt of jokes as a steel “erector set” to the largest continuous brick structure in the world (with the Great Wall of China being the only exception). But during all these transformations, there was one constant: Coach Bobby Bowden. He kept the program together and did it his way, emphasizing three priorities: faith, family and football – in that order.
On a long drive home after a fateful meeting with the University of Alabama’s athletic department, Coach Bobby Bowden made a monumental decision on January 2, 1987. He decided to stay at Florida State. No one could have known it then, but that day was the beginning of perhaps the most incredible record in sports history – the FSU Dynasty. I believe the few delays in making this film were no coincidence. THE BOWDEN DYNASTY and the companion book are being released on the 30th Anniversary of the week Coach Bowden said simply, “I’m staying at FSU.”
Millions of people have been inspired by Coach Bowden over the years and we trust that our film and companion book will continue to inspire others for years to come. There are so many lessons to be learned from the Dynasty story, and we look forward to telling those stories for some time.
Come join us, as the story continues at BowdenDynasty.com and at Facebook.com/BowdenDynasty!
John Corry FSU ‘84
Executive Producer
THE BOWDEN DYNASTY
A Story of Faith, Family & Football
Given that I was already working full-time on a long-term project, I needed to find a team to help produce the vision Bobby and I now shared. Watching the SEC channel one night, I came across a terrific documentary about Will Clark and Rafael Palmeiro, (who formed the imposing one-two hitting punch known as "Thunder and Lightning"), on the best team never to win the College World Series - the 1985 Mississippi State Bulldogs. After tracking down the credits, a few phone calls and a flight to Charlotte, NC, I met Producer Rob Harvell and Editor Brian Goodwin in person.
Rob and Brian like to share the director credit and they helped produce ESPN Films favorites such as “The Book of Manning” and “I Hate Christian Laettner.” I had the basic story beats already worked out, and they loved the idea of creating a long-form documentary without commercial breaks and interference. They convinced me that if I raised some initial funding, they could do a lot of the shooting in the fall of 2015, and then make a short video to help raise the rest of the budget. It was an idea that required a lot of faith and trust on all fronts. Besides Coach Bowden, Rob and Brian turned out to be the very best thing about this film and their passion comes through in every scene.
The last big step was a letter I wrote to a few friends I knew from my days in the Sigma Chi Fraternity at FSU. Brothers Rick Brawner, Scott Davis and Mike Ortoll were the first to step up and help launch the project, and then others followed. Had Rick, Scott and Mike not done so, this project would never have gotten off the ground. Rick Brawner was especially receptive to the notion that we should make this film independently so there would be complete freedom to make a film Coach Bowden could be proud of. My thanks to these three men, my brothers Rick Brawner, Scott Davis and Mike Ortoll, who agreed to form Dynasty Productions Group to celebrate and honor Coach Bowden through our film and book about THE BOWDEN DYNASTY.
Other Sigma Chis were especially helpful, including Neil Ross with the film’s logo, Judge Jim Joanos as a story consultant, and the Pensacola Boys Jim Sabourin, Kevin Etheridge and Chris Cigrand for their steady encouragement. Thanks to Brian Hall for his support when it was most needed, my brother Bob Corry for getting the premiere moved to St. Petersburg and Wayne Hogan for proposing this premiere event with the Florida Sports Hall of Fame and Visit St. Pete - Clearwater. Finally a special thank you to Bev Kelly for her room and board in Florida and to my wife Patty for her support in times when it looked like the project would not move ahead.
All of us involved in the film’s (and the book’s), production, marketing and distribution are doing so with an eye toward honoring and thanking Coach Bowden for everything he did for Florida State University and for college football in general. In the 34 years he was at FSU, there was unrelenting growth and constant change. Coaches, players and staff came and went. The football program transitioned from being an independent to joining the ACC. The college football game became a major TV draw, and FSU played in numerous “games of the century.” Doak Campbell Stadium went from being the butt of jokes as a steel “erector set” to the largest continuous brick structure in the world (with the Great Wall of China being the only exception). But during all these transformations, there was one constant: Coach Bobby Bowden. He kept the program together and did it his way, emphasizing three priorities: faith, family and football – in that order.
On a long drive home after a fateful meeting with the University of Alabama’s athletic department, Coach Bobby Bowden made a monumental decision on January 2, 1987. He decided to stay at Florida State. No one could have known it then, but that day was the beginning of perhaps the most incredible record in sports history – the FSU Dynasty. I believe the few delays in making this film were no coincidence. THE BOWDEN DYNASTY and the companion book are being released on the 30th Anniversary of the week Coach Bowden said simply, “I’m staying at FSU.”
Millions of people have been inspired by Coach Bowden over the years and we trust that our film and companion book will continue to inspire others for years to come. There are so many lessons to be learned from the Dynasty story, and we look forward to telling those stories for some time.
Come join us, as the story continues at BowdenDynasty.com and at Facebook.com/BowdenDynasty!
John Corry FSU ‘84
Executive Producer
THE BOWDEN DYNASTY
A Story of Faith, Family & Football
