Bowden Nears New Deal

Coach Bobby Bowden and Florida State University are close to reaching a $1 million deal that includes a proposed $50,000 bonus for winning a national championship.

Bowden’s lawyer, Richard Davis, proposes extending Bowden’s contract another three years in an April letter obtained by the Tallahassee Democrat.

Bowden’s current contract expires Jan. 31, 1997. But Bowden, 65, would like to coach through the turn of the century.

Davis, a Birmingham attorney, and Dave Hart, the new athletic director at Florida State, are discussing the proposal. If agreed upon, the deal would improve Bowden’s annual financial package from about $700,000 to over $1 million.