Bowden, Beamer new Nick Saban Legacy Award honorees

Two legendary coaches were honored Monday night at the annual Nick Saban Legacy Awards event held at Red Mountain Theatre Company in Birmingham.

The late Bobby Bowden and former Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer were this year’s honorees.

Bobby Bowden honored by Nick Saban

The late Bobby Bowden was one of this year’s honorees, with Terry Bowden on hand to accept the award on his father’s behalf.

A Birmingham native, Bowden was inducted into the American College Football Hall of Fame in 2006 and retired in 2008 with an overall record of 377-129-4. He led Florida State to two national titles and retired as one of the winningest coaches in the history of the sport.

“My father always had a tremendous amount of respect for Nick (Saban) and his family. My dad knew that coaching was not just about winning and losing, but how we affect the kids we coach off the field as well. This is an honor.”

Terry Bowden

Legacy Award recipient Frank Beamer

The winningest coach in Virginia Tech history, Frank Beamer’s 280 career victories rank sixth in FBS history and are the 13th most by a college football coach in any NCAA division. Coach Beamer led Virginia Tech to their first-ever national title game appearance as part of his 23 consecutive bowl berths during his time with the Hokies.

“This is special because Coach Saban did it the right way, he won the right way, and being grouped with coaches that did it the right way is what makes you look back and see what success really is.”

Frank Beamer

The Nick Saban Legacy Awards

The Nick Saban Legacy Award (NSLA) is a national award created in 2022 to honor and recognize the lifetime achievement of a college coach and his contributions to the game of football — and celebrates his contributions to the game of football, his community and his development of young men and coaches as they further their own careers.

“All the great coaches, you know they are great by how their players remember them. The players that played for both of these coaches we are honoring here tonight have great things to say about how these guys affected their lives. Make no mistake, these two men are great coaches. And great men.”

Nick Saban, on coaches Bobby Bowden and Frank Beamer

The inaugural recipients were Coach Steve Spurrier and the late Coach Eddie Robinson. Last year’s honorees were the late Vince Dooley and Bill Snyder.

The Quarterbacking Children’s Health Foundation has established the award to be named annually in honor of the amazing achievements of Coach Saban. Saban retired last month after serving as head coach for the University of Alabama for 17 seasons.

Follow The Bama Buzz on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to stay in the loop on exciting news like this in Alabama!