OFFICIAL: Bobby Bowden is gone!!!!!!

[YoFuggedaboutit]

According to a source, Bobby Bowden will announce his retirement tomorrow, effective immediately following the Seminoles Bowl game

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4701625


And there is a rage of joy throughout the land of Tallahassee. 


LIBERTY!!!!!    FREEDOM!!!!!!!   INEPTITUDE IS DEAD!!!!!!!!  RUN ABOUT HENCEFORTH!!!!!  PROCLAIM IT IN THE STREETS!!!!!!!

[YoFuggedaboutit]

BOBBY, YOU'RE FIRED!!!!!!!!!

[Denver_Bronco]

If you think that this is going to make FSU any better you are sorely mistaken. At any rate al it effectively does is ensure that all the top recruits go to South Florida or Miami.

[Dave Gray]

^^

True.

They are going to continue to suck for a few years, but this needs to happen anyway.  You can't have an octogenarian coaching your team.  It just doesn't work.

[YoFuggedaboutit]

Now Jimbo Fisher better turn this program around and fast, or I'll be pushing for his ouster. Give him three years. The first things Fisher needs to do is hire new offensive and defensive coordinators, then completely overhaul the defensive coaching staff.

[bsmooth]

Three years is a lot to ask with the competition in state now for recruits. Bobby hung on too long trying to beat Poppa Joe and now the program is going to pay for awhile.

[YoFuggedaboutit]

^^^^^^

I agree there.  The saddest part of Bobby's retirement is that if he had retired when he was 70 (also when Chris Weinke left), he would have gone out on top and had the respect of ALL of the fans...just like Mickey still has. More importantly the program would have remained intact! IMO, since 2001, Bobby's reasons for staying have been purely selfish. From the hiring and retaining Jeff, to the WINS record, to the "golden parachute" for Jeff and now to lining his pockets to get him to retire, it's clear that his motives are no longer the success of the program!

[Brian Fein]

FSU just took a huge step backwards. 

They will be terrible for the next 5 or 10 years.  Three years from now, you'll be begging Bobby to come back.

[CF DolFan]

Funny ^^^ I was just remembering how excited everyone was when Shula stepped down for us. didn't quite work out how we had planned it now did it? 

Nothing is guaranteed when it comes to sports ... that's for sure.

[JVides]

I feel bad for the old guy. 

Tommy, how can you say Mickey Andrews leaves with everyone's respect when the defense has been FSU's problem?  If Mickey gets to leave with everyone's respect, then so does the guy that put the program together.  I would think that a guy that played for Bowden would feel for him.

[Fau Teixeira]

I'm not a fan of college football in general, and i don't follow it much .. but i do know that FSU fans should show more class and deal with bowdens retirement the way it should be dealt with.

BB IS FSU football, he's the reason that that po-dung college in nowhere florida ever had a chance at titles over the past 30 years, he's the only reason why FSU got top recruits and now that he's not there. expect all those in-state kids to go to UF | miami | FIU | UCF | USF | FAU .. anywhere but a place with no future.

doormats of the ACC FSU = Duke

[YoFuggedaboutit]

I feel bad for the old guy. 

Tommy, how can you say Mickey Andrews leaves with everyone's respect when the defense has been FSU's problem?  If Mickey gets to leave with everyone's respect, then so does the guy that put the program together.  I would think that a guy that played for Bowden would feel for him.

Because Mickey's defense wasn't the problem until THIS YEAR.  Three years ago, he had four guys drafted in the first round.  He realized he doesn't have it anymore and he stepped down.  Bobby on the other hand hired his own son over other more qualified candidates for offensive coordinator, and hired a bunch of other cronies despite the fact that they couldn't coach.  I could go over each one, but I'm at work now and I don't have the time until later tonight.  Stay tuned for then.

[gocowboys31]

If you think that this is going to make FSU any better you are sorely mistaken.

Agreed, I've said it before the downfall of the FSU program has been Bowden's assistants not Bobby himself. They recruited all these mediorce players. Let's see if Jimbo fisher has  the kind of Charisma Bobby did on the recruiting trail. Rick Trickett is a joke. He was supposed to have a dominating offensive line this year, that line stunk. Dumbo Fisher isn't the man for this job. I would've gotten Kelly from Cinncinatti, Jim Grove from Wake Forest, Jim Leavitt from South Florida, or any Hot assistant from the SEC EXCLUDING Charlie Strong because he's going to Louisville. You will soon find out Fisher will fall right on his face.

[ethurst22]

In the 70's, FSU and UM had some atrocious football programs until Schnellenberger and Bowden came along.

I feel that Bowden did stay too long trying to last longer than that guy at Penn State but Bowden, even though with his missteps, should be respected for what he did and accomplished instead of see these days as an old goat who has lost touch with everything in life. FSU fans should be ashamed of themselves for cat-calling Bowden with vicious slurs and names.

[YoFuggedaboutit]

OK, let's take a look at some of the coaching hires Bobby has made since his team last appeared in the National Championship game:

2000 Joe Kines: Linebackers - Was hired to coach the linebackers after Chuck Amato, who was a defensive coach at FSU for 18 years, took the head coaching job at NC State. He only coached the position for three years and his system never really meshed with Mickey Andrews. He also drew criticism for being a poor recruiter. After three seasons he left (or was asked to leave) and ended up becoming the defensive coordinator at Alabama for then head coach Mike Shula.

2001 Jeff Bowden: Offensive Coordinator - After six years as Florida State's wide receivers coach was promoted by his father to replace Mark Richt (hired as UGA's head coach) as FSU's offensive coordinator. Reportedly, there were several inquiries from high profile candidates from other schools/NFL that were not considered. Nepotism rules at FSU were circumvented in order to promote the younger Bowden into this job. After several years of slumping offenses, Dave Hart and the Seminole Boosters put together a package for Jeff Bowden to step down after the 2006 season because Bobby would not fire his own son.

2002 Jody Allen: Defensive ends - After being a high school offensive coordinator, a wide receivers coach at a Division 1AA program, and a graduate assistant coach at FSU for two years he was promoted to defensive ends coach replacing longtime assistant coach Jim Gladden. Still on staff at FSU coaching defensive ends but will likely be let go this offseason.

2003 Kevin Steele: Linebackers and executive head coach - Signed on shortly before national signing day in 2003 and was credited with helping to sign five-star linebacker Ernie Sims who later said he did not want to play for Joe Kines. The Seminole defense, especially the linebacker unit, made some improvement under Steele but where he really excelled was on the recruiting trail. Was named the Rivals.com National Recruiter of the Year for the 2005 class. Left after the 2006 season to take a defensive coordinator position under Nick Saban at Alabama.

2005 Mark McHale: Offensive line - Signed to replace longtime coach Jimmy Heggins, who was pushed out after several years of poor recruiting and an underachieving offensive line. Even though an informal agreement was in place for McHale to come on as the new OL coach in early January, Bowden agreed to let him finish out at Marshall until after signing day. As a result, FSU lost out on several potential OL recruits and ended up signing just one player that year who failed to qualify. While he was considered a czar of zone blocking, McHale struggled recruiting and during his brief two-year tenure FSU signed several overweight linemen that failed to pan out.

2007 Rick Trickett, Jimbo Fisher, Lawrence Dawsey, Dexter Carter and Chuck Amato - Jimbo Fisher and Rick Trickett have received the bulk of the credit for FSU's improved offense which has put up better numbers every year since their arrival and has ranked in the top two in the ACC two years running. Dawsey, a former FSU All-American player, was hired on to coach receivers after a stint as a graduate assistant at LSU and two years coaching receivers at USF. He got some heat in 2008 and early 2009 for the receivers being involved in an inordinate number of off the field problems. However, since earlier this year the unit has stayed out of trouble and put forth a solid performance on the field. Carter, another former FSU All-American, was a bit of a surprise hire based on his lack of experience coaching. The running game has improved under his tenure but the book is still out on his coaching. Amato returned to FSU after being fired as NC State's head coach. The defense has declined the past two seasons and he has received much of the blame. Amato, who was once considered a top notch recruiter, has failed miserably on the recruiting trail since his return.  He is clearly not the same as he used to be and will likely be let go this offseason.

2008 James Coley: Tight ends & Recruiting coordinator - John Lilly opted to join his good friend Mark Richt at Georgia leaving an opening at recruiting coordinator and tight ends coach. While Coley is technically a hire of Bobby Bowden, he was really brought on board by Jimbo Fisher. Coley has brought a ton of energy to FSU's coaching ranks and has an excellent reputation as an outstanding recruiter, especially in South Florida.

If any diehard Noles fan subjected themselves to the last three blowout losses to Florida, then they know that FSU never came close to putting up a fight in any of those games. Yes, there is a talent disparity between the two programs but not enough to explain the three lifeless efforts. Do you really think the talent disparity between FSU and UF is that much greater than Texas and Texas A&M or Alabama and Auburn? You can't put everything on recruiting class rankings (as FSU has proved the past few years) but based on the rankings over the past five years FSU should be much closer to UF in talent than in some of these other rivalries but it doesn't show on the field.

The obvious answer is that coaching hasn't been up to par. I really don't mean to pile on Bobby Bowden, but it's obvious that he has made some questionable hires over the past decade.   It has definitely been hit and miss for Bowden in the hiring deparement since the start of this decade with the misses coming more frequently than the hits.