Bobby Bowden’s former Killearn Estates home may be headed for another turn inside the Florida State orbit.
Reagan Hobbs, the Florida State alumnus and Tallahassee real estate agent who bought the house at auction last spring, said Sunday that he is working on a possible sale to Seminole Boosters, Inc. Hobbs, a lifelong FSU fan and Seminole Boosters member, said the idea of the property staying tied to the university means a lot to him.
"I'm optimistic," Hobbs said of the ongoing discussions.
Hobbs bought the home during the real estate portion of the Bobby Bowden Legacy Auction last March, when he landed the winning bid at $670,000. With the 10% buyer’s premium, the final price came to $737,000. The two-week auction wrapped up March 18 and drew huge attention from Seminole fans and memorabilia collectors.
By the end, nearly 1,925 registered bidders had piled up more than 33,000 bids across 1,568 lots of Bowden family keepsakes and FSU memorabilia. Only seven items were left without a bid when the auction closed.
The house itself carries plenty of Bowden history. Built in 1971, the 4,639-square-foot property includes four bedrooms and 3½ bathrooms and sits in a New Traditional French style on a 0.57-acre lot along the private, recently renovated Killearn Club golf course. Bowden was known to play golf there, and a life-sized bronze statue of him stands near the 16th tee box.
Bowden and his wife, Ann, bought the home in January 1976 for $113,500 after he arrived from West Virginia. They lived there for decades, and Bowden remained in the house until his death in 2021 at age 91. Ann Bowden, who turns 94 on Monday, Sept. 7, has since moved to Alabama to live with family.
If the deal goes through, the house would remain part of the Seminole community long after Bowden’s death. Bowden coached Florida State for 34 seasons, won national championships in 1993 and 1999, and finished second all-time in Division I wins with 357, behind Penn State’s Joe Paterno.
The Bowden family’s ties to coaching run deep, too. Bobby and Ann had six children, including Tommy Bowden, the former Clemson coach, and Terry Bowden, the former Auburn coach. Jeff Bowden also coached under his father at FSU.
Tommy Bowden said a partnership with Seminole Boosters would make sense for a house so closely linked to Florida State history.
"It could be a resource for home games," Tommy Bowden said. "It might mean a lot to all those (fans) coming back."
The Tallahassee Democrat has reached out to the Boosters for comment.
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