Family honors Claude Thigpen's legacy with Bowden Society commitment

For 55 years, the name Claude Thigpen was synonymous with the Florida State University Athletics Ticket Office, which he took over the same year Bobby Bowden became wide receivers coach, a department he charted the course for decades as a supervisor and later mentor.

When asked about Thigpen, former Seminole Booster President and CEO Andy Miller immediately brought up a nickname that was synonymous with the FSU ticket office.

“Ol’ Claude is how he was affectionately known by the Greatest Generation and all Seminole Booster members,” Miller recalls. “Need tickets? ‘I’ll just call Ol’ Claude.’ He was not just the ticket man but a great ambassador for the Athletics Department. Dependable, very likable, loyal and loved FSU.”

When Bob Harbison retired from the football coaching staff in 1987, Claude became the longest serving athletics employee ever. Ol’ Claude retired in 1990 after 35 years of outstanding service but remained the coordinator of the university’s courtesy car program for another 20 years, during which he influenced the ticket managers who followed.

Claude passed away in March 2022 and, to honor her beloved husband’s memory, Carleen Thigpen donated $50,000 to Florida State athletics for facilities.

“I just wanted to do something special for him in his memory,” Carleen, now 90, said. “He was involved with Renegade, with recruiting for Coach Bowden and so much more. Of course, I could have kept that $50,000 and used it for a lot of other purposes but I wanted it to go to athletics. He’d love it because the university was his life. He loved every minute out there.”

Carleen was very active in supporting Claude’s career. “He’d tell me what he had to do and ask for my help picking out his clothes,” she recalled fondly. “He was a man of few colors: garnet and gold.”

And she appreciates how he made sure she was cared for too. “When he started traveling with the team, he knew I didn’t like to be alone so he’d line up a grandchild to come stay with me,” Carleen said. “Whenever he went off early fishing or to play golf with his friends, he’d leave me a precious note, saying he would be gone for a couple of hours but he’d be back home soon.”

Thigpen, a Greenville, Fla., native, served nearly eight years in the United States Air Force before attending FSU in 1955 and working in the athletic department’s accounting office. In 1962, the same year Bowden came to coach eventual College Football Hall of Fame receiver Fred Biletnikoff, Thigpen became the athletics ticket manager, which included selling, assigning and distributing season and game tickets.

In 1974, he assumed a new position as athletics business manager while continuing to head ticket operations and added the new responsibilities of budget and fiscal control. In 1978, Thigpen was promoted to assistant athletic director. In this position he supervised the complete ticket and game day stadium operations and coordinated the athletic department courtesy car program. The courtesy car program afforded automobile dealers the opportunity to provide cars for coaches to drive in return for Booster membership credit for each car they put into the program.

"Claude was an incredible boss at the FSU Ticket Office,” said Sharon Turner, who started in 1979 at the age of 19. We had an incredible staff back then at Tully Gym and most worked there for years: Marian Lee, Mary Lee Rouse, Jackie Ross, Barbara Mason.”

Turner said the work was hard but there was plenty of fun too.

“Claude was the ringleader and made our jobs so much more fun,” she recalls. “We surprised him for one of his big birthdays and brought in a belly dancer. Everyone that worked in Tully made their way down to the Ticket Office just to see his face, it was classic!!! Claude was one of a kind and had so many friends and colleagues that always thought so highly of him.”

Carleen has fond memories of those good times shared and treasures the contact she maintains with many of their mutual friends.

Though they met at church — he was the Sunday School superintendent and she the business manager — they didn’t date until years later when a mutual friend suggested Claude ask Carleen to a Christmas Party at the Skyline Restaurant. “Carleen Golden?” Claude asked, “she wouldn’t give me the time of day.” But the father of three summons the courage to ask Carleen, “Would you honor me by attending the Christmas Party with me?” A mother of two, Carleen needed time to think about it, not to mention find a dress to wear. Their second date was to a movie and to Frish’s for coffee and dessert before Carleen invited Claude to her home for dinner.

“He is such a wonderful person, caring, loving and smart,” Carleen said. “He loved God first, his family second and Florida State.”

“Claude Thigpen was a true gentleman in every sense of the word,” said Ben Zierden, the ticket ticket office manager from 1999 to 2014, who is now Senior Associate Athletics Director. “He was a classic Ticket Manager before the days of technology and computers when everything was done by hand and paper tickets were all you had. He oversaw the early growth of Florida State football as a business operation producing significant ticket revenue that supported the entire athletics program.

“But with Claude, you still had a small town, personal feel to each transaction and the relationships with season ticketholders and early Seminole Booster donors. He stayed connected with athletics long after retirement from the Ticket Office as he ran the car dealer program for many years, leaning on his significant relationships throughout the local business community.”

In true Claude fashion, he left this world knowing Carleen would be with her eight grandchildren as well as her four children — Angela, Martin, Chuck and Debbie — as oldest son Gregg went home five years ago.

All of Poppa C’s grand girls graduated from FSU as did Gregg and Chuck attended.

“He is loved and missed so badly,” Carleen said. “He loved his home, his yard, golfing and of course his love FSU."

Carleen’s children recently treated her to a game in the Champions Club, which moved her to tears. “Looking out at the stadium, seeing the Marching Chiefs and Renegade, so many memories, so beautiful,” Carleen said. “It’s been a great thing watching how this university has grown.”

“No one can match his 55 years of involvement with Seminole Athletics,” said Stephen Ponder, who is the current Seminole Boosters President and CEO. “His experience, dedication and positive approach were invaluable to the FSU Athletics Department, and Carleen thought there was no better way to honor his name than to become a member of the Bowden Society.”

The Bowden Society recognizes individuals who make commitments of $50,000 or more payable over five years. Bowden Society gifts focus on funding new athletic facility construction, the enhancement of current athletic facilities, as well as contributing to the endowment fund, and are separate from annual fund donations and seat-related requirements.

Although the Bowden Society is named in honor of FSU's legendary football coach, Bobby Bowden, this society will help fund facilities and scholarships for all 20 varsity sports. Just as Bobby Bowden transformed Florida State athletics, gifts to the Bowden Society will ensure competitive excellence now and in the future.