Bobby Bowden: A Legacy in Ruins?

Over the past week, shocking news has surfaced in blogs, news rooms and forums about unrest in Tallahassee.  Board of Trustees chairperson Jim Smith has publicly called for Bobby Bowden’s removal as the Seminoles Head Football Coach.

Since Smith’s words hit the airwaves and printed media, it seems everyone close to college football, sports media, and the FSU community has their own opinions and are making them known.

For me, this is a delicate situation.  I grew up in Miami in the '70s and '80s, rooted for the ‘Canes and ‘Noles every weekend (as hard as that may seem to believe), and eventually attended and graduated from FSU in 1994.  I followed Bowden’s career from the first time I saw the Seminoles play a football game in 1983 up to the present.

It pains me to see the current state of affairs with regard to this football program.

It seems that, in large part, the national media is taking the side of Bowden.  On the other hand, local media, young reporters, and many current FSU students (through their web sites, Facebook and MySpace pages) are not only against the coach, they are crusading to have him removed as soon as possible. 

Judging from information gathered on the internet and through word of mouth, it seems many alumni are split or torn.

THE PAST.  I was there, in the opposite end zone for the epic “Wide Right I” in Tallahassee in 1991.  I watched a 16-7 lead evaporate, and was in disbelief for an entire year.  I was in the opposite end zone the very next fall for “Wide Right II” as well down in the condemned Orange Bowl. 

Like many other students my age, I was part of a movement that took our team from pretenders in the mid-'80s to contenders; and then we became champions.  There were quite a few tough losses in the beginning.  Win or lose, though, these were games that put Florida State on the College Football map.

Much of it revolved around the Miami game...big wins in ’89 and ’93, both at home, were huge catalysts in propelling us to the lofty height the program reached and sustained for a mind-numbing 15 years. 

We felt as though we earned the right to be No. 1 through those years.  No one gave it to us; the chips didn't fall our way; we went out and took it.  The Seminoles would travel to anyone's back yard and pop them in the mouth. 

Long after I graduated, the team maintained a degree of success that will never be matched.  

There were other unforgettable moments.  The “Puntrooskie” in 1988 at Clemson.  The huge victory in Ann Arbor in 1991, when we beat Desmond Howard and No. 3 Michigan 51-31.  The back-to-back come-back wins in 1992 at Clemson and at Georgia Tech, which ushered in Charlie Ward's "Fast Break Offense" era in FSU’s inaugural season in the ACC.

The 31-31 tie in 1994, nicknamed “The Choke at Doak,” where the Noles came back from a 31-3 deficit against Spurrier’s Gators in the final 11 minutes.  The Sugar Bowl rematch game two months later, nicknamed “The Fifth Quarter.” 

The ’96 No. 1 vs. No. 2 game against UF, where our defense pounded on Danny Weurffel and upended the nation’s top team 24-21.  The ’97 thriller in the swamp, where Spurrier’s Gators beat the Noles 32-29 in the closing minute, spoiling the Noles shot at a title.

Marcus “The Rooster” Outzen’s shocking performance as back up QB turned starter in an upset win in Gainesville in ’98, which propelled FSU to the title game.

It all culminated in 1999, when the team went wire-to-wire, remained undefeated, ranked No. 1, and won a national championship against Mike Vick and the Virginia Tech Hokies.

It is ridiculous for anyone to shrug off what Coach Bowden has accomplished.  We would be remiss if we didn’t hold this man solely responsible for FSU’s football program going from anonymity to infamy; for FSU's athletic department becoming the model for all other NCAA programs; for raising billions of dollars for the school; for one of college football's truly breathtaking stadiums. 

The Seminoles’ 15-year run of 10 wins, top-five finishes, five appearances in the national championship game, nine straight ACC titles, and two national titles will never be matched.

THE PRESENT.  Take a look at what has transpired after that run.  In 2001, Offensive Coordinator Mark Richt left the program to become the Head Coach at Georgia.  Despite nominations from the Athletic Department and the Board of Trustees, Bowden insists he wants his son, Jeff Bowden to take the position.  

Circumnavigating the rules and procedures that are in place to prevent nepotism, Bowden claims he will resign if his son can’t be the Coordinator.  It didn’t take long for the nation to realize Jeff’s limitations. 

As the coordinator and the Quarterback Coach, freshman Chris Rix would never really blossom into the player he should become, and three seasons into Jeff’s tenure, the offense takes major steps backward. 

The nation’s best offensive line can’t block, points are down, the QB play is terrible, and the game plan is predictable and bland.

Fast-forward to 2006.  Linebackers coach Kevin Steele—whom many thought would be the eventual successor to Bobby Bowden—joins Nick Saban's staff at Alabama, and once again the Coach goes against the wishes of those that sign his checks, and brings back Chuck Amato, who was just fired from the Head Coaching position at North Carolina State, and elevates family friend Jody Allen to Defensive Ends Coach. 

He also deals with the school's displeasure with the offense: Jeff is finally asked to leave the program, but the Bowden family coerce the university to pay him $500,000—despite the fact that his contract expired—to walk away.  Bobby himself makes public statements and displays his anger and outrage at the situation.

It would seem that in some cases in the past nine years, Bowden has put his own wants in front of the program’s needs.  With the hirings of Jeff and Chuck, the Coach unknowingly set the program back. 

Despite the surprise ACC Championship win in ’05 (where the ‘Noles entered the matchup having dropped four straight games, including a thrashing at the hands of the Gators) the team has fallen into mediocrity.  The recruiting classes of ’06 and ’07 marked an all-time low for the program.

Anyone who has watched this team play can see the decline.  For most fans, alumni and observers, it seems the team gives a little less effort each year; looks a little less prepared each year; appears to be a bit more confused on the field each year; plays a little less organized each year; and makes more and more mistakes each year.

THE TRANSITION PLAN.  2007: enter Jimbo Fisher, the new Offensive Coordinator, and “Head Coach in Waiting” designee.  The former coordinator of the high-powered LSU offense, Jimbo is brought in to breathe new life into a stagnant FSU offense that seems to cost the team victories each season.

For the first time this century, the offense has improved upon the effort of the past.  In 2009, the Seminoles offense if tops in the ACC after five weeks, despite the 2-3 record.  FSU is the only team in the NCAA to average 400 yards of offense against three ranked opponents.  The recruiting classes of ’08 and ’09 were stunning.

Apart from the offense, though, the program appears to be chaotic.  Currently, there are rumors swirling about fighting amongst coaches, contradictory messages conveyed to players, and a defense that is nearly dead last in the NCAA in many categories, ranking 112th in overall defense.

When approached about the uprising, and the news of his removal being called for by a trustee, Bowden retorts, “What would I gain from stepping down?”

This is the problem many observers have.  Too often, Bowden funnels discussion and focuses conversation on himself.  What would he gain?  What about the team?  When was the last time Bowden made mention of what was best for the team? 

In another recent interview, Bowden was quoted saying, “At the end of the season I will evaluate myself.” ...Huh?!

It just seems that, on the surface, based on his own words, it’s all about Bobby up in Tallahassee, and not the team.  I recall listening to report after report when the cheating scandal and the NCAA’s ruling hit the press last year. 

The only thing that Bowden spoke out about was the vacating of 14 wins, which only affects him.  He really didn’t have much to say about the team, the program, or the players involved.

THE BLAME GAME.  Quite a bit rests with the university's powers-that-be.  Unlike the organized plan Wisconsin unveiled with it's HCIW plan, involving Barry Alvarez and Bret Bielema, FSU never set in stone the three most important facets of a HCIW process: a time table laying out the duties the designee will gradually take over, how the current Head Coach relinquishes control, and when the current HC vacates the position. 

Further aggravating the situation is the ambiguity of Fisher's true position in the convoluted pecking order on the Seminoles' staff.  It would seem that the HCIW is fourth in command, behind Bowden, Andrews and Amato respectively.

Thanks to these mysteries, the situation in Tallahassee is boiling over.  If the Seminoles continue the season on this dysfunctional course and the team finishes with a losing record, there's a chance Bowden may go quietly. 

However, if the Seminoles actually finish the year strong, a fiery Bobby Bowden will no doubt make things even uglier in the offseason.

It’s only one alum’s opinion, but I think the merits of one’s past can only hide the mistakes of one’s present for so long.  Bobby was once a great coach, but no one—no living human being—can keep up that fiery, energetic pace forever. 

No matter how high in regard we hold Bowden, everyone runs out of steam at work.  The forerunner of promise and FSU’s bulwark of power, Bowden lived, breathed, ate, slept and bled Garnet and Gold for 25 great seasons. 

But in retrospect, he should have rode off into the sunset at the close of that 25th season.

RETROSPECT.  In 2001, instead of demanding that his son be the OC, he should have allowed the athletic director to conduct a search, bring in some new blood, and pass the torch to a younger, more energetic coach in '02 or '03. 

It would have made sense: the team was in a major transition period: youth prevailed; a freshman QB led the team to an average season (by Seminole standards); the roster was decimated by early exiting superstars; the program would weather the Adrian McPherson issue; and anonymity and question marks prevailed throughout.

It was Bowden’s stubbornness that kept him on board; to attempt to achieve the impossible.  To his credit, that stubbornness is what help him reach the pinnacle of success through all the hard times and narrow losses in the '80s. 

But it’s that same stubbornness that refuses to allow him to see that this amazing run is over, his time has passed, and his program is heading downhill, despite his best efforts, and has been for eight years.

My only wish is that, at some point this fall, he realizes all of this. There’s one second on the clock, and it’s time he made a timely, unselfish call in life’s huddle (the call that’s best for this program)—to pull one last gadget play out of the Bowden "Bag of Tricks"—pass the team willingly to Fisher, give him his blessing, and let America know that FSU will return to glory very, very soon. 

Something tells me there won't be a fairy tale ending.  For the next two months, the Seminole faithful will watch each game with emotion tugging from all directions, knowing that every loss hurts that much more, and every win makes the offseason that much messier.