Bye-Bye Bobby (Daggummit!)

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Bobby Bowden announced yesterday that he will retire at season's end. That doesn't come as much of a surprise considering the pressure he was receiving from FSU president T.K. Wetherell, and athletic director Randy Spetman. I am one of those people who said he has earned the right to retire whenever he wanted. How could you not extend that courtesy to the man who built the FSU football program into what it is today?

Imagine this scenario: The year is 1975, you are the athletic director of a school whose football program has won four games in the previous three years combined. You are looking to hire a new football coach to take over next season. In walks Bobby Bowden, a coach who had 9 winning seasons out of his 10 as a head coach. He makes the following offer: "Listen here. If y'all hire me, this is what I'll do for ya. I will coach for 34 years, and only the first will have more losses than wins. Within two years, I'll get this team to win 10 games and a bowl game. 'Fore long, I'll get my boys to win 11 straight bowl games. This program will become one of the elite programs in the whole daggum country. We will win two National Championships, and spend a 14 year stretch finishing in the top 5 of the AP poll. And by golly, this program will be infinitely stronger than when I walked in here today. There is one catch though: three of my last four seasons here will end with FSU unranked in the AP poll. Whadda ya say?"

Do you take it? Damn right you do. Anyone with half a brain would take it. That is why I find it so mind-boggling (and frankly, disappointing) that the powers-that-be at FSU have so quickly forgotten that Bowden did more for the entire university than any other man before him. If you think his impact was only on the field you are clueless. His football success brought the national visibility and income to help FSU grow by leaps and bounds as an educational institution.

Here is some perspective on how great Bobby Bowden actually was at FSU. 1987-2000 was his best stretch, and arguably the most dominant in college football history, here is a quick comparison against the 10 other most prestigious programs in college football:

Total Domination

We will NEVER see a stretch like that again in college football. EVER. One thing that is particularly telling is the bowl streak. Give Bowden a few weeks to prepare, and the opposition doesn't stand a chance. His overall bowl record was 21-10-1.

Coaching Accomplishments:

~ 2nd most coaching victories in Division 1-A with 388 (Joe Paterno 392) .

~ One of three active coaches elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.

~ National Coach of the Year award winner in '79, '80, '91, '96, '99.

~ Coached the Seminoles to 2 national titles ('93, '99).

~ 1999 Seminoles were the only team to spend every week of the season at #1 on the AP poll.

~ Set NCAA record with 11 consecutive bowl victories (14 consecutive without a loss).

~ Led Seminoles to 28 consecutive bowl games (Longest streak in NCAA).

~ Played for a National Title 5 times since 1993.

~ Led Seminoles to 6 BCS bowl games (2nd most).

~ 41 winning seasons out of 43 years as a head coach.

After 33 years of such success, people associated with Bobby Bowden and the Seminoles have become spoiled. After getting to the pinnacle of collegiate football success, how do you stomach three seasons of less than 8 wins? Why would you settle for anything less than the delicious taste of contending for a national title every year? It's simple. You do it for the same reason you wear that goofy-looking reindeer sweater that Mima crocheted for you for Christmas when you were 17. You do it because no matter how many times Pop-Pop called you John-Roby-John, it can never come close to being as important as all the things he did for you growing up. You do it because without him, there is no way you would have become the man you are today.

Now that he is gone, you are still getting called by the wrong name. But now it is by your asshole boss who is calling you "Rodney"; only, he never even knew your name in the first place.

My First Word Was "Ball" (And Have Not Stopped Talking About Balls Since)

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I have been a huge sports fan since even before I can remember. The first words out of my mouth was "ball." I don't remember saying it, yet my mother is constantly reminding me. Practically every picture of me as a kid is of me kicking/thorwing/dunking a ball. I loved sports, and in return, sports have been good to me.

The Miami Dolphins have been the most steady NFL franchises since their birth in '66. In my life, they were always good, but never great, but that was good enough for me. There was Shula, there was Marino, and there was always hope.

The Miami Heat came to town in 1988. I was immediately hooked. That's what happens when your mom's boss has season tickets, yet doesn't really like basketball. Add Alonzo Mourning, Pat Riley, and you have a team good enough to compete with Michael Jordan in the Eastern Conference Finals. I consider 1998 a win. One Dwyane Wade later, and boom, Championship.

The Florida Panthers wasted little time going from expansion team to Finals runner up. That was truly the most fun I have had during any playoff run, as I was young enough to lose myself in it completely.

The Florida Marlins also jumped straight from expansion team to winners, taking the 1997 World Series in only their fourth year. They won again in 2003, making in two in 10 years. A far cry from the curse of The Bambino, and other such dysfunction.

The Miami Hurricanes, Florida State Seminoles, And Florida Gators, all of whom I have followed at some point in my life, are three dynasties that have controlled the landscape of college and professional football for the better part of three decades. 10  National Titles in 26 years made watching college football in Florida exciting year-in and year-out.

My college years were exciting at UF. Besides the 2 Football Titles, The Gator Basketball team won back-to-back titles. I was living in Title Town.

All told, I have seen 15 championships wins, plus 8 championship game runner-up performances. That's the whole point, right? Championships.


That's what I thought.


But recently, during the current run that the Gators Football team is on, I have realized that being the best is not what it is all about. As we speak, Coach Urban Meyer is leading the Gators on an unprecedented run, winning 2 out of the last 3 BCS Championships, and 19 consecutive games. But why is this season not enjoyable? The Gators are the best and everyone expects them to be the best. As expectations mount, appreciation for what they have done dwindles. Any other team would be chomping at the bit to get where the Gators are. Yet, all you hear from ESPN is how they have not produced explosive scores, and instead of cheers from the stands, you hear complaints about the playcalling. Simply winning is no longer good enough. They want perfection. They want title after title. But to me, the best part was getting here.

Do you remember 2006? Do you remember how much it hurt when Auburn beat the Gators on some close/questionable calls in October? Do you remember how loud the Swamp got when Jarvis Moss blocked that field goal to stave off Spurrier's Gamecocks in November? Do you remember having your friends over for Bowl Selection Sunday in December, fingers crossed to see if the Gators would get a crack at the Buckeyes in January? Do you remember the deflating feeling of watching Ted Ginn Jr.run back the opening kick-off? Do you remember the subsequent rush of watching the underdog Florida Gators smack around, befuddle, and completely dominate the Heisman Trophy winner and the #1 team in the country?

I remember, and it was awesome. It made me want to jump around on University Avenue like a crazy person. Not because you are obligated to do so when you win, but because you feel great and you can't keep it inside. You felt like you were part of something great. Maybe the voice you lost along with 90,833 of your closest friends made the difference. Maybe that group of 85 players was just the perfect mix of talent and heart to get the job done. Maybe it was both. Instead of demanding another championship, hope that you are lucky to see another, and appreciate that it is still a possibility.

The time has come to appreciate the moment you are living in. Just ask any Cubs fan, this feeling is rare, and championships can be few and far between.