Bobby Bowden hasn’t quite coached at Florida State my entire life, but he’s certainly coached there as long as I can remember. He announced his retirement today after 34 years as the head coach of the Seminoles.
I don’t care for the way the school handled things today, and I really wish he could have had the one more great season he was chasing, but history will take care of both of those things. Whatever “blemish” is generated by his handful of lackluster years at the end, or by Florida State’s ham-fisted handling of the announcement, shall ultimately be fleeting, for he is a giant. He made Florida State football matter in the first place, for one.
For another, we may never again see dominance of the sort Florida State had from 1987-2000 (at least 10 wins and an AP top 5 finish every year, nine consecutive bowl wins, two national titles, and three other appearances in the national title game). The Seminoles won the ACC twelve times, including nine in a row beginning with their first in-conference season in 1992. (My friend Charles, a Georgia Tech man, suffered sustainedly and mightily at Bowden’s hands during those years. It got really painful to watch the Tech-FSU game, because he always found a way to rip his heart out.)
I will miss Bobby Bowden. I always made an effort to hear what he had to say—whether pre-game or post-game, whether in victory or in defeat—because it was always worth hearing. He always gave you something to chuckle at or mull. Heck, Lea loves him, and Lea doesn’t care anything about what coaches have to say.
Perhaps it is best for Florida State football that he retire now. I don’t know. We’ll find out soon enough. But definitely, the sport shall be poorer without him.
Thank you and God bless, Coach Bowden.
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I concur…
One word: Dadgummit!
Think St. Bobby wishes he had gone out like Tom Osbourne? Who’s laughing now? I think if Bobby hadn’t retired this season, Jimbo Fisher would have upped his poison dosage errr special vitamin drink.
TEBOW FEARS MCCLAIN!!!
BTW, did you actually “God bless” on that last line? WTF? Are you Tebow-ing Bowden on his way out?
FEAR LORD SABAN!!!
Gotta disagree with you on this one, Bo.
Bobby Bowden’s teams have always been cheap-shot taking, dirty teams who are hell bent on injuring the other team’s best player (just ask Danny Wuerffel). Mickey Andrews’ defensive strategy has always been “maim ’em if you can’t kill ’em”, and Bowden let him do it.
Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, Bobby.
It’s a “collision” sport. Tackles hurt (I’d curl up on the ground like an armadillo to avoid one) and that’s why it’s fun. I love watching good D and see the occassional cheap shot from just about every team out there. Players get injured all the time – in fact, it’s astonishing that they don’t more often.
I’ve always enjoyed listening to Bobby. He’s charming and never took himself too seriously. A true southern character. He would make a fabulous replacement for Lou. Please God…
Not talking about “occasional” cheap shots. Those happen when players are trying to be aggressive and they let emotion get the best of them. But repeated elbows to the head, direct shots at the knees, and late hits on the quarterback were all consistently part of the Bowden-Andrews game plan. There’s no place for that (hence the reason for 15-yd personal foul penalties), and that’s why I don’t respect him.
BamaDan: I “godspeed”ed first, but that sounded like he died, and given all the joking he’s done about only one big event left after retirement and what-not, made that change. 🙂
I’m really ready for Tebow to graduate; his excessively adulatory press here at the end of his college career is sickening; and I hope he’s hit mercilessly, repeatedly, and behind the line all afternoon this weekend. But hey, he’s a good guy.
Jenny: I can recall a complaint or two in that vein, but I can’t remember any specifics. I guess I never saw anything “institutional” in it.