R-E-S-P-E-C-T Bowden Elects To Retire In The States Capital

  Bobby Bowden will not return to coach at Florida State next year.  Some will say that he was unfairly run out of town.  Others loyal to Bowden may even offer the excuse that Bowden is owed more respect than what he was given.

  These people seem to be immune to reality.  For those of us who are able to fully grasp reality it is plain to see the cold hard facts.  It was overdue. 

 That being said, I personally have a load of respect for Bobby. Growing up I saw his program reach the peak and continue to play at an unmatched level for a number of years.  On the other hand I also witnessed a coach who built a plane from the ground up, miss the runway and crash it into the ground.

  Bowden's goal transformed from winning National Championships for his team, to capturing records for himself.  Everyone who watches college football knows what Bowden was after.  The record he could not catch held by the man he could not touch.  JoePa's record of most victories by a FBS coach.

  I brought this argument up to a buddy of mine and he posed a question to me.  With me being a USF fan he asked me how I would feel if Jim Leavitt built USF's program up to the stature of Florida State's and then lost his touch.  Would I call for the firing of him and run him out of town?  I simply answered Leavitt would have enough respect for his program to hand the controls to the co-pilot before the plane tragically crashed.

  And that sums up the story, tragic.  Nobody has won, and nobody is happy.  The plane has crashed and all respect has been lost.