Oct 27, 2002; Tallahassee, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Florida State Seminoles receiver Anquan Boldin (4) in action against the Notre Dame Irish at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images Imagn Images

How Bobby Bowden helped shape Anquan Boldin’s football legacy

Originally posted on Florida State Seminoles on SI
By Tommy Mire | Last updated Jun 27, 2025 11:00 AM ET

Florida State Hall of Fame wide receiver Anquan Boldin had an interesting path to the NFL, and was eventually drafted in the second round by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft.

As a part of the 1999 wire-to-wire National Championship team, he originally signed on with Florida State to play quarterback under legendary head coach Bobby Bowden for his freshman year, but that would quickly change.

Boldin recently appeared on The OGs Show to discuss some of his craziest NFL moments and his time at Florida State. His path to becoming a Super Bowl Champion wide receiver began with a quick chat with Bowden after practice.

"I'm watching practice, probably like three days, four days into training camp," Boldin said. "I'm watching practice, I'm not taking reps, and I'm not used to watching practice. I started varsity, you know what I'm saying? As a freshman. So I'm here and I'm like 'Man, this ain't cool. I'm about to go holler at coach right quick."

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"He was like, 'Well, we recruited you to be a quarterback. You're trying to switch already?' I was like 'Yeah! I don't care about that. I'm just trying to get on the field. I'm not used to this," Boldin continued. "He was like, 'Have you talked to your parents about it?' Because I know they really wanted you to play quarterback, too.' I was like 'I talked to my dad and told me it's whatever I wanna do. It's cool."

At first, Boldin wanted to play safety, but Bowden wasn't having it. He said that he was too good with the ball in his hands, so he gave him the option of being a receiver or a running back. Having never played wide receiver before, it was an interesting choice, and the rest is history.

His 21 career touchdowns ranked eighth on Florida State’s all-time list, while his 118 receptions and 1,790 receiving yards both placed within the program’s top 20.

Over his 14-year NFL career, Boldin went on to earn three Pro Bowl selections, received the 2015 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award, and finished his career with 82 touchdowns, 1,076 receptions, and 13,779 receiving yards.