I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4689 
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Bobby Bowden, in honor of his 
achievements both on and off the football field. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 26, 2021 
Mr. DUNN (for himself, Mr. LAWSON of Florida, Mr. WEBSTER of Florida, 
Mr. WALTZ, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. POSEY, Mrs. MURPHY of Florida, Mr. 
BUCHANAN, Mr. DONALDS, Mr. GIMENEZ, Ms. SALAZAR, Mr. STEUBE, 
and Mrs. CAMMACK) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Financial Services 
A BILL 
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Bobby Bowden, 
in honor of his achievements both on and off the football 
field. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Robert Cleckler Bow-
den Congressional Gold Medal Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
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(1) Bobby Bowden was born on November 8, 
1929, in Birmingham, Alabama. 
(2) Bobby Bowden served as head coach of the 
Florida State University Seminoles from 1976 to 
2009. 
(3) While coaching at the Florida State Univer-
sity, Bowden’s teams won two national champion-
ships (1993 and 1999) and 12 Atlantic Coast Con-
ference titles. 
(4) Bobby Bowden posted a 316–97–4 record in 
his 34 years at Florida State University. 
(5) Throughout his entire 44 years of coaching 
college football, Bobby Bowden won a total of 377 
games, making him one of the winningest coaches in 
college football history. 
(6) Bobby Bowden and wife, Ann Estock, his 
childhood sweetheart, have been married for 72 
years. The couple has six children, 21 grandchildren 
and great-grandchildren. 
(7) In 1999, he coached what would be the first 
of many games against a team coached by his son, 
‘‘The Bowden Bowl’’. This event was the first of its 
kind in the history of Division I–A football. 
(8) In 2004, the Fellowship of Christian Ath-
letes’ organization began presenting an annual ‘‘The 
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National Bobby Bowden Award’’ to a football player 
for philanthropic work. 
(9) In 2011, he was awarded the ‘‘Children’s 
Champion Award for Leadership Development’’ by 
the Children’s Hunger Fund, a charitable organiza-
tion, in recognition of his humanitarian work. 
(10) In 2021, Bobby Bowden received the inau-
gural Florida Governor’s Medal of Freedom Award. 
(11) Bobby Bowden leaves a legacy of leader-
ship for his contributions on the football field and in 
his community. 
(12) While Coach Bowden is recognized for his 
many football accomplishments, he will be remem-
bered as a family man who counted all as part of 
his family and encouraged us all to recognize our 
own humanity and love our many brothers and sis-
ters. 
(13) We are better for having known him, even 
if we never met him. He stood for our best, recog-
nized our failings, and believed we all had merit. 
(14) Coach Bowden’s spirit is the American 
spirit of which we can be proud and seek to emulate 
in both large and small ways. 
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(15) Coach Bowden never asked for accolades, 
and for this, and the totality of his life and his love, 
we honor him in perpetuity. 
SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 
(a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of 
the House of Representatives and the President pro tem-
pore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements 
for the presentation, on behalf of the Congress, of a gold 
medal of appropriate design to Mr. Robert Cleckler Bow-
den, in recognition of his achievements both on and off 
the football field. 
(b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For purposes of the 
presentation under subsection (a), the Secretary of the 
Treasury (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall 
strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and 
inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary. 
SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 
(a) STRIKING OF DUPLICATES.—Under such regula-
tions as the Secretary may prescribe, the Secretary may 
strike duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck under 
section 3. 
(b) SELLING OF DUPLICATES.—The Secretary may 
sell such duplicates under subsection (a) at a price suffi-
cient to cover the costs of such duplicates, including labor, 
materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses. 
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SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 
(a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—Medals struck under this 
Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 
31, United States Code. 
(b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of section 
5134 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck 
under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items. 
Æ 
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