The First Family of Football

David Asman of FOX Business America's Nightly Scoreboard caught up with the Bowden clan at a fundrasier for The University of North Alabama, where Terry Bowden has landed as head coach.

Certainly, things did not work out well at FSU for Jeff Bowden, but he has landed there with Terry where I wish them nothing but the best. Tommy Bowden will enter the world of college football broadcasting after his stint at Clemson ended a year ago.

Meanwhile, Bobby Bowden is getting ready to lead the 2009 Seminoles, where expectations are high for Florida State to take a big step toward returning to prominence in college football. This season will be that step as 2010 shapes up to be a season to challenge for the national championship, a season which I feel will be the last for Bobby Bowden.

I think it is very important for FSU fans to recognize the impact Bobby Bowden has had on Florida State University. He is a great man on and off the field and it will be my pleasure to cheer him and our Seminoles on again this year.

Take a listen to the interview as the first family of football discusses life in and around football:



Thanks Coach and Go Seminoles!

The Coaching Carousel

Last fall, in the aftermath of Rich Rodriguez's rather puzzling bolt from West Virginia to Michigan, Florida State fans had a weekend of uneasiness as offensive coordinator and "coach in waiting" Jimbo Fisher was strongly considered for the job at Morgantown, which is close to where his mother resides.

Now, with an opening at Auburn (it is like a soap opera out on the plains), where Fisher spent time as an assistant under Terry Bowden, rumors persist that FSU is in yet another battle to keep Fisher, even though agreements were made after last year to prohibit this type of flirting.

Who knows what is going on behind the scenes? If Jimbo is a Nole, than great. If not, he should be on his way. What I do know is I have grown tired of these developments.

At any rate, it looks as though Florida State is heading to the Champs (Tangerine) Bowl here in beautiful downtown Orlando. Back in 1958, FSU was scheduled to take on Buffalo in the Tangerine Bowl, but the The Orlando High School Athletic Association, leaseholder of the stadium, would only allow Buffalo to participate if it left the two African American players on the team home. The Elks Lodge, sponsors of the game, protested this ruling to no avail. Buffalo's coach let the team vote, and they unanimously rejected the bid, for they were a team and would not be the team if they did not have all their players. ESPN recently did an outstanding lengthy story on this.

Buffalo had since endured decades of losing and had never been to another bowl game, until 2008. Former Nebraska all star quarterback and later assistant coach Turner Gill was hired two years ago. Since joining the MAC conference in 1999, the Bulls were 9-56 in conference play prior to last season where the Bulls, even with a 5-7 record, shared the divisional title.

The outstanding coaching job Gill has done has not gone unnoticed. On Friday night, Buffalo defeated previously undefeated Ball State, who has two first round NFL draft picks on their offense in quarterback Nate Davis and tight end Darrius Hill, to capture the MAC Championship. Buffalo will finally be bowling, led by an African American coach, who as gifted as an athlete he was, is even a better person. What goes around comes around.

Should Jimbo Fisher take the money and run to Auburn, it would be a serious blow to Florida State as the 'Noles would have to start from scratch searching for a replacement for the legendary Bobby Bowden and the recruiting implications could be staggering. Hopefully Fisher stays put, but if he does leave, I know how to do some quick damage control, and that would be to hire Turner Gill as the new coach in waiting. Someone is fixin to, and for darn good reason.

Timing Is Everything

Slap me upside the head for subscribing to The Orlando Sentinel, but in reading the sports page this morning I came across a note that according to the Samford athletics department, Samford will play at Florida State in 2010.

Bobby Bowden, after his freshman year at Alabama, became a Little All America quarterback at Howard (now Samford) and began his coaching career there in 1959.

When Terry Bowden, coaching Salem College, took the job at Samford in 1987, quarterback Jimbo Fisher joined him at Samford for his senior campaign and was named Division III Player of the Year. Fisher, like Bobby, began his coaching career as an assistant under Terry at Samford before they went to Auburn together.
With all the Samford history going on, I wonder if during the game Bobby might coach the first half and turn the game and the program right on over to Jimbo for the second half?

The timing sounds about right! Go 'Noles