BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—The Samford athletics department will unveil a statue of legendary coach Bobby Bowden prior to the Bulldogs' home football game on Saturday, Sept. 21, at Seibert Stadium.

The unveiling of the statue, which will be placed just outside of the east entrance to Seibert Stadium, will take place at 11 a.m.

Following the ceremony, Bowden and his wife, Ann, will lead the current Samford team in the Bulldog Walk, which is scheduled for 11:45 a.m. in the Samford Quad. Bowden will also perform the pre-game coin flip prior to Samford's game versus Southeastern Louisiana, which is scheduled for a 2 p.m. kickoff.

Bowden played at Samford (then Howard College) from 1950 to 1953, earning his degree in 1953. He also earned Little All-America honors in 1952. Bowden later returned to Samford as the school's head football coach from 1959 to 1962. In his time at the helm of the program, Bowden tallied a record of 31-6, for a school-record .838 winning percentage.

Bowden later became the head coach at West Virginia, coaching the Mountaineers from 1970 to 1975. Bowden had a record of 42-26 at West Virginia, leading the program to two bowl appearances.

Bowden is most recognized as the head coach of the Florida State Seminoles, a job he held from 1976 to 2009. During his time with the Seminoles, Bowden won 304 games, 12 Atlantic Coast Conference championships (nine in a row) and two national championships. Bowden's FSU teams finished the season ranked in the top five in the Associated Press poll for 14-consecutive seasons.

For his career, Bowden holds the all-time record for Division I-FBS wins at 377. He also posted a record of 21-10-1 in bowl games over his long career.