There comes a point when every family patriarch must put his foot down, when the family begins to crumble from both inside and outside forces. In trying times like these, even the most kindly grandfather reaffirms his grip. Then he squeezes.
For Florida State coach Bobby Bowden – the winningest coach in Division I-A history, whose team visits Colorado (1-1) on Saturday night – that time came last year. A 7-6 record, FSU’s worst since his 5-6 inaugural season in 1976, forced Bowden to do something he had never done in his 41 years of head coaching.
Clean house.
It started Nov. 26 when his son, Jeff Bowden, resigned as offensive coordinator. Then, after the Seminoles went from preseason No. 10 to finish unranked for the first time since 1986, Bobby started chopping heads. Out went running backs coach Billy Sexton, quarterbacks coach Daryl Dickey and offensive line coach Mark McHale.
“It was one of the toughest things he’s ever had to do,” said Terry Bowden, Bobby’s son, former Auburn coach and now ABC analyst. “In his 50 years as a coach, there’ve been individual circumstances. He’s probably had to call a guy in and said, ‘Why don’t you get another job. Things aren’t working for various reasons. I won’t fire you. You can say you left me.’ But that only happened a couple of times.”
Bobby Bowden inspires loyalty in assistants. Defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews has been with him for 24 years. Defensive tackles coach Odell Haggins is in his 14th year, tight ends coach John Lilly his 13th. Bowden has tried to repay the loyalty.
“It’s difficult down inside but not difficult physically,” he said. “You lose a coach and you replace a coach. Now the sentimental value you miss. You do what you have to do, but it bothers you.”
Counting linebackers coach Kevin Steele, who resigned to become Alabama’s defensive coordinator, Bowden has had to replace five coaches. The way Florida State’s offense has crumbled in recent years, he had no choice.
FSU’s scoring average of 25.2 in 2004, 28.9 in 2005 and 26.5 last year are the three lowest totals since a 21.8-point anomaly in 1981. The 2005 rushing average of 94.0 yards per game was the school’s worst since 1947, and it improved only to 96.5 last year when it was last in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Last year’s total offense mark of 330.3 yards a game was its lowest since 1974.
Only one Seminole offensive player – tackle Alex Barron in 2005 – has been selected in the first round of the NFL draft in the past five years.
At 77, Bowden had grown as stale as his offense, critics said. His recruiting had dropped off since Chuck Amato left for North Carolina State in 2000 and Mark Richt went to Georgia the following year.
Bowden’s loyalty to his son, fans harped, had plunged the program into mediocrity. Since winning the 1999 national title and the 2000 ACC championship, FSU hasn’t finished higher than 11th and is 15-13 the last two years.
His son was one assistant who didn’t get fired. He resigned, against his father’s protests.
“Much of the criticism we get in coaching is unfair,” said Terry Bowden, who will seek a coaching job this offseason. “It’s unfair that bad guys win and good guys lose. Much of life is unfair. Was Jeff the reason the program didn’t win as much? I don’t think so. It’s much bigger than that. The defense hasn’t played as well as in the championship years. Recruiting isn’t as good. Dad has removed himself from the day-to-day operation.
“A lot of coaches who aren’t here anymore are very good.”
Some new ones, however, are quite good. Bobby Bowden went to Louisiana State and lured away offensive coordinator guru Jimbo Fisher, who has installed a more balanced attack, not to mention some much-needed intensity.
Bowden brought in offensive line coach Rick Trickett, who helped build West Virginia’s spread offense, and former FSU great Dexter Carter as running backs coach. Amato has returned as linebackers coach after getting fired at N.C. State.
“I like (Fisher’s) foundation,” Bowden said. “It’s very fundamental, basic. He has the ability to attack all areas on the football field. Whatever the other team does, he has an answer for it.”
However, the team that runs onto Folsom Field will not resemble the glory teams of the ’90s. After losing to Clemson 24-18, FSU had to come back from a 17-3 deficit to beat Alabama-Birmingham 34-24 last week. No Seminole has rushed for 100 yards since current starter Antone Smith had 137 against Rice in Game 4 last year, and quarterback Drew Weatherford is still erratic. He finished seventh in ACC passing last year (2,113 yards, 12 TDs, 11 interceptions).
FSU received a scare when Andrews was laid up with pneumonia recently, but he will make the trip. How many more trips Bowden can make no one knows. Another disappearance from the rankings may show it wasn’t his staff as much as it could be him.
“If he didn’t think he could be successful, not right the wrong, not right the ship, if he didn’t think he still had it, he’d quit,” Terry Bowden said. “But if he won a championship, he’d want to win another one.”
Staff writer John Henderson can be reached at 303-954-1299 or jhenderson@denverpost.com.
