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A Story About Bobby Bowden
Forcing Him Out Will Hurt FSU For Years to Come
Commentary by PubClub Columnist "The Bartender"
There is little doubt that the Bobby Bowden Era at Florda State is coming to a close.
Whther it's this year, or perhaps next, is still to be determined. But if it's because one booster broke ranks and went public with his displeature of the team's recent performances, then it will taint the university for years to come.
Bowden took a morbid program and built it into a national power. He did so with such a down-home touch he may have actually charmed his way to a national championship (it could have gone to Notre Dame 1993 but the media felt a bit sympathetic toward Bowden, even over Notre Dame). Now a booster is trying to give the boot to Bowden.
Even if that booster is actually correct – that Bowden can no longer produce consistent national contenders, something that certainly appears the case– he showed absolutely no respect to a person who is the face of the university. If his desires turn into demands, then it will leave a bad taste in the mouths of everyone at Florida State – the Bowdens, fans, students, university officials, and other boosters. Plus the school will take a beating in the media (national and local) and also with potential future students and recruits.
All this reminds me of a story about Bobby Bowden and a personal encountere I had with him after a game. I'm sure hundreds – well, thousands – of people have similar positive experiences they love to tell.
Florida State had just openied its season with a convincing win over a team in which it should have posted a convincing win, East Carolina. I was a rookie sports writer for the Dothan Eagle, a fairly small newspaper in LA (that's Lower Alabama) and I was sent to cover the game.
FSU displayed its typical prolific offense, putting up 48 points. It was the mid-80s and Bowden was just hitting his stride as coach of the Seminoles, a program once so pathetic it was of the caliber of the team it just defeated.
Yet the Noles also allowed 17 points and a lot of yards to a pretty weak team. Could this be a sign of a defensive problems for FSU? This is what I wanted to know, so I walked into the post-game press conference with a clear question for the coach.
Bowden holds his press conferences – or did so at the time – from his office. He sat on the edge of a big desk and chatted with reporters. It was less question and answer and more casual conversation, like one might expect to have with him over a beer at a bar or at a post-game barbeque.
It was also a bit of a rah-rah atmosphere. All the questions were the equivalent of uncontested passes – easy to catch and run with, which suited both the media and Bowden: "What about that offense." "Talk about the great performance of your passing game." "Your quarterback and receivers really took it to them..."
Bowden laughed and joked. It was less a press conference than an old-time family reunion. Where;s the chips and dip?
All this was so different to me. I was used to covering the legendary Paul "Bear" Bryant at Alabama. Protocal dictated that reporters address Bryant as "coach" prior to asking a question. Bryant himself didn't demand this but his stature did, and as a rookie reporter fresh out of J-School, I was not about to attempt to buck the system.
So when it came time for my question, I identified myself and my association – it's common courtesy in the profession to do so in order for the person being interviewed to know the media outlet the reporter represents – and aked it as if I were addressing Bryant.
"Coach, while your offense certainly put up a lot of points, are you at all concerned that your defense gave up 17 points and 400 yards to East Carolina?"
Bowden stopped. Stopped laughing and stopped smiling. The family reunion had suddenly gone quiet. It was as if I double-dipped the chip and everyone saw it.
"Son, what's your name again?," he asked. I repeated my name to him.
BOWDEN: "Dothan Eagle?"
ME: "Yes."
BOWDEN: "So you cover Coach Bryant.'
ME: "Er, yes, I do."
"Well let me tell you something," Bowden said. "I respect the fact you call Coach Bryant 'coach.' I call him that, too. But I'm not Coach Bryant and I will never, ever be Coach Bryant."
With that, he got off the edge of his table and walked over to me. He then stuck out his hand, like a long-lost uncle welcoming the newest kid into the family, and let out a big smile.
"I'm Bobby. Nice to meet you. Now, I'm going back to my desk and you ask that exact same question. Except instead of calling me coach, you call me Bobby."
ME: "Okay Bobby, while your offense certainly put up a lot of points, are you at all concerned that your defense gave up 17 points and 400 yards to East Carolina."
BOBBY: "Well, Kevin, that's a very good question. Yes, I AM concerted about our defense..."
Bowden, of course, went on to produce two national championships at Florida State and a decade's worth of Top 5 teams. He put Florida State football on the map. Were it not for Bowden, FSU would not be the university it is today, for a successful sports program brings in exposure, revenue, students, alumni, enthusiasm and something important called school pride.
Unfortunately, it also brings in boisterous boosters, some of whom too easily forget where their program was before people like Bowden came along. Or where it would be without him.
It probably IS time for Bowden to step down. I was there for the final couple years of Bryant's tenure at Alabama and he simply could not carry on any longer at his own demanding pace and intensity. Discipline on and off the field was suffering and one could feel the program starting to slip down the greased flagpole.
But it should be up to Bowden – and Joe Paterno up at Penn State – to determine when it's time to hand the ball off to a successor. Or, in Bowden's case, when to fling it down the field.
The Bartender covered college football – and many other sports – as a sports writer for the Dothan Eagle and later the Savannah News-Press. Currently, he writes columns and articles for PubClub.com. He can be reached at bartender@pubclub.com
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