Netflix Set to Release Film Documentary About Bobby Bowden Titled: “Dear Son”, The Untold Story of a Coach’s Love Through Letters, Loss, and Legacy
Fans of college football and Florida State University alike are in for an emotional and inspiring journey as Netflix announced today a new original documentary about legendary coach Bobby Bowden, titled: “Dear Son: The Bobby Bowden Letters.”
The film, set to premiere this fall, promises to reveal the untold story of how Bowden’s handwritten letters to his players became a lifeline of love, faith, and fatherhood — through triumphs, tragedies, and the building of a dynasty.
For decades, Bobby Bowden was more than just the head coach of the Florida State Seminoles. He was a father figure to hundreds of young men who came through his program, many of whom came from broken homes, difficult upbringings, or moments of self-doubt.
What few outside the program ever knew — until now — is that Bowden kept a quiet tradition: writing personal letters to his players at key moments in their lives. Sometimes before a big game. Sometimes after a heartbreaking loss. Sometimes when he noticed they were struggling off the field.
The Netflix documentary is based on a collection of over 400 letters, cards, and notes discovered in archives and with former players’ families. Some letters are triumphant — congratulating players on championships, graduations, and marriages. Others are deeply personal, offering advice through grief, encouraging them to stay in school, or reminding them of their worth beyond football.
“You’re more than a player to me — you’re my son. And I’m proud of you,” one letter reads, addressed to a star player who lost his father days before the national title game.
Through exclusive interviews with FSU legends like Charlie Ward, Derrick Brooks, and Warrick Dunn, the film explores how Bowden’s quiet acts of care shaped not only a winning culture but also men of character. Families of players who passed away or fell on hard times also share how Bowden kept in touch with them long after their sons left the field — a testament to the lifelong bonds he created.
Netflix teased emotional scenes from the documentary, including Bowden reading some of his own letters aloud shortly before his death in 2021, saying simply: “These boys made me who I am. They’re all my sons.”
For Seminole fans and football lovers everywhere, “Dear Son” promises to be more than just a sports documentary — it’s a tribute to the heart behind the helmet and the coach whose greatest victories were written in the lives he touched.
