Mark Manley has auctioned hundreds of estates over 35 years, including larger auctions, but the Bowden Estate Auction stands apart.
“I’ve done a lot of auctions but not one where every time you turn around, or open another box or envelope, there’s another wow factor,” Manley said of the online auction that opened on Tuesday and will close in mid-March.
Mark and Sherry Manley admired the Bowdens' legacy of faith, family and football from afar. But that legacy came to life for them over the months they spent in the Bowden Home freeing Bobby and Ann’s life story from cardboard boxes, closets and thousands of heartfelt letters and cards from people whose lives they had touched.
“Everyone we’ve spoken with has a memory they love to share about Coach and Miss Ann and each of them are testimonies to the Bowden’s legacy of faith, family and football,” Mark said. “Every item has a memory and a story about Coach and Miss Ann. And that’s why it was really important to the family to allow their fans to own some of the memories they treasure.”
Legacy Auction timeline
March 3: Registration and bidding on the home, memorabilia, and items begins.
Tuesday, March 17, 2 PM: Bidding on the family home ends.
Tuesday, March 17, 6 PM: Bidding on the first group of more than 1,500 items ends.
Wednesday, March 18, 6 PM: Bidding on the second group of more than 1,500 items ends.
Register for an open house
If you would like to physically see the items, or tour the Bowden Home, you can register for one of several open house events, which start on Friday (March 6) at Bowden Legacy Auction Open House Appointment Schedule.
The Family Chose First
The Bowden children and grandchildren, who have had years to choose the items they wanted as keepsakes for their homes. Not surprisingly, the younger generation of Bowdens gravitated toward the personal items that reminded them of special times shared with their grandfather, which typically were not football related.
Manley said that after his staff finished unboxing the items, and put them on display, they invited the family to gather, review the items, and select again.
“The kids came and took a weekend to go through the house and take what they wanted,” Manley said. “When they were done, the family turned the rest over to us.”
Manley said Bowden had so many trophies, awards and rings that the children and grandchildren were able to take what they wanted with plenty of “wow items” still available for an auction that counts more than 1,500 items.
And that’s when Manley’s Thomasville, Georgia-based company, Wiregrass Auction Group began categorizing and documenting the remaining items, then posting those photos and descriptions onto the online auction database.
“If we find anything personal, we still set it aside for the family to go through,” Sherry Manley said, as we looked at a photo of a young Bowden family on vacation at Panama City Beach. “Otherwise, if what we find is strictly memorabilia, it goes into the auction.”
Tour of the Home
We strongly recommend readers to visit the site at wiregrassauctiongroup.com and to register so you can scroll through the many images and descriptions. It’s a walk down memory lane for many of us and a history lesson for the younger generation.
There are many amazing items in the collection with bids ranging from $10 to $4,100 at the time we wrote this, so there is literally a memory for every pocket book.
Of the higher-end collectibles there are the 20 bowl and ACC championship rings. In the time I was researching the items, the bid for Coach Bowden’s 1993 Orange Bowl Championship ring (item #1582) increased from $3,250 to $4,100. A Frederick Remington “The Cheyenne” (item # 1567) had a bid of $2,300. The Crystal Sears National Championship Trophy (item #l1568) was bid at $1650 and the 2000 Nokia Sugar Bowl BCS National Championship Trophy at $1,600.
Interestingly, the Scott “Noles” Flight Helmet , National Champions 1999 (item #1075) has a $1,600 bid on it. The flight helmet was presented to Coach by the Pensacola Seminole Club reportedly to commemorate his flight with the Blue Angels and signed by Shad 4-10-01.
In addition to these popular, high-end collectibles, I’ve included a list of items that brought back fun memories or stories to share with you and hope you’ll look through the site and comment on the items that brought back memories for you. And please share those memories with all of us on the Osceola Board.
- As I was looking at his 1993 Chevrolet Coach of the Year trophy (item #1298) which had an early bid of $575 on it I saw a dime-store replica of an Oscar, with the words “Evening Shade Best Actor” inscribed on it. Burt Reynolds starred in that television show, gave Coach Bowden a speaking part as himself on one episode of the show, when Bobby, playing the part of himself, made a home recruiting visit on Burt’s TV son. Do you remember the show? Epic! Burt gave Bowden the award with a plaque that said, “Best Performance By A Football Coach.”
- There are many gifts from Reynolds, including one that has this comical note attached. “Dear Ann and Bobby. You are the Queen and King. You are free to use this sword at any time. Love Burt.
- His recliner brought back memories for me. On more than one occasion I found him stretched out on that recliner, in his boxer shorts, watching a football or boxing video, a sport he competed in as a young man and loved to watch.
- And yes the DVDs are being auctioned too, including Bowden’s final game in the Gator Bowl along with hundreds of other video memories. As I scanned the listings, it looks like the DVDs are being auctioned in lots with several DVDs.
- Personal items include two pairs of his brown saddle golf shoes. Two sets of his golf clubs.
- A picture of Marvin Jones laying out the UM receiver (item #1420) with a sheet entitled Bobby Bowden on Tackling and six coaching points. Bid was $50.
- Ann Bowden’s custom made 1999 Bowden Bowl sweater (item #2482), half FSU, half Clemson, from when Bobby and Tommy opposed each other in those FSU-Clemson games. The bid was $160.
- Ann’s original Howard cheerleading sweater seems impossibly small and there’s a number of unique FSU handbags and jewelry.
- There’s a name plate that says “Ann Bowden, Head Wife, Florida State University. And head wife she was. “We are trying, as much as anything, to really focus on how important she was in the picture,” Manley said. “Coach Bowden was Coach Bowden but without Miss Ann, I don’t know if he was who he was.” True that.
- There are table fulls of interesting stuff, including a notebook from a 1956 Florida State coaching clinic that Bowden attended when Bobby was at South Georgia and Tom Nugent was FSU’s head coach. Nugent was innovative, credited with the I-Formation and designing the “typewriter huddle.” While some teams still use the I-formation and the typewriter huddle, not a player in that huddle knows what a typewriter looks like.
- The first note Bobby wrote in that little notebook was “Players should all clap their hands when breaking the huddle.” Further back, he sketched X's and O's of various drills and plays being discussed and not surprisingly, the notebook was filled with Bowden’s sketches included reverses and end arounds against 5-man and 6-man fronts.
_ There’s an autographed photo with Willie Nelson, Coach Bowden, Burt Reynolds and TK Wetherell (item #1297) with a bid of $380. “Who in this picture has the least notoriety?” Manley asked. The FSU President, of course. Wetherell, a wide receiver, played for Bowden when he was FSU’s receiver coach from 1963 to 1965.
- There are many books involving military history and signed by politicians including one with an inscription from President George H. W. Bush; signed faith-based books, some with inscriptions, including Billy Graham.
- In the breakfast nook is the table where Bowden read his Bible each morning with a notebook and pen.
- His Bible, with notes, (item #1225) was the first item to be bid on and was at $800.
The House has a presence
Manley has spent a lot of time in the house, a lot of time unpacking the stuff of Bobby and Ann Bowden’s life.
He also spent hours with the kids, Gene Deckerhoff, Sue Hall, former players, coaches, sports writers and fans who have scores of stories to share.
Manley marvels at the life the Bowdens have lived.
“What a life,” Manley said. “Starting as a player, eloping to marry his sweetheart, before transferring from the University of Alabama to his hometown of Birmingham to play at Howard where Ann was a student. After graduation being hired by Howard as its head coach, and being able to do what he loved to do for the rest of his life.”
The respect Manley expressed for the Bowdens is evident in manner in which his company has managed this auction.
“There’s a presence in this house,” Manley said. “It’s not anything scary, like a ghost, but a peaceful presence. A blessing.”
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