Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden said Tuesday he will retire at the conclusion of the Seminoles’ bowl game, ending a 40-year career as one of the winningest coaches in Division I football.

 “You can’t have a successful program without players, and we have been blessed to have young men who are winners both on and off the field,” Bowden said. “I want to thank them and their families for committing four to five years of their lives to me and to Florida State. Finally, I’d like to thank the university and fans who have supported the Florida State program. We’ve got one more game, and I look forward to enjoying these next few weeks as the head football coach.”

Bowl selections will be determined later this month.

Bowden was honored as national coach of the year six times (most recently in 1999) and led the Seminoles to national championships in 1993 and 1999.

Florida State President T.K. Wetherell, who earlier this year announced his own retirement as soon as a successor is chosen, was one of Bowden’s former players.

“Bobby Bowden is not only one of the most outstanding college football coaches in history but also a great man who you would want as a mentor to your children,” Wetherell said. “Every true Seminole fan appreciates all that he has done in service to the university and all that he has accomplished for its football program … but more than that, he has been an off-the-field mentor to so many young men looking to their future.”

Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner John Swofford called Bowden a “legendary figure” and a “great ambassador for the game itself.”

“There will be very few that will ever win as many games, but more impressive are his values and the impact he has had on those that have played for him and those that have had the privilege of working with him,” Swofford said. “Coach Bowden leaves a legacy that will be missed not only at Florida State, but in the Atlantic Coast Conference and all across college football. He is a gentleman and a true sportsman, and I consider it an honor to have him as part of the ACC family.”

Bowden grew up in Alabama and graduated from what is now called Samford in 1953. He and his wife Julia have six children, including Terry, who is head coach at North Alabama. He trails only Penn State coach Joe Paterno in the Football Bowl Subdivision in victories. He complied 14 consecutive 10-win seasons from 1987-2000 and won 11 consecutive bowl games.

He got his start in coaching as a assistant at his alma mater, then became head coach and athletics director at South Georgia Junior College before returning to Samford. He was an assistant at Florida State in the mid-1960s. In 1966, he became offensive coordinator at West Virginia, where he was elevated to head coach in 1970. He was hired at Florida State in 1976.

He is a member of the Florida and Alabama sports halls of fame and the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame.