The End of an Era

So...after a dramatic roller-coaster ride of a season, Bobby Bowden has announced his retirement from the position of head football coach at Florida State University. He has been a fixture at the school for the 34 seasons he served as head coach, and it's a sad day for many of us to see him go.

To those of you out there running off at the mouth about "good riddance" and the like, I say to you that Bobby Bowden has done more for the game of college football than almost any other coach out there, certainly more than any University of Florida coach ever did. It's easy to come into a position as coach and ride out a winning season, it's easy to resign when the going gets tough, but it is NOT easy to build a championship program from the ground up and see it through for 34 seasons.

I know there are plenty of people out there ready to point fingers at some of the troubles that the team has faced in the last years, and I'll be the first to agree. To those members of the team who participated in the events that led to the loss of 13 (I think?) wins over the last few seasons, shame on you. I know it's only the most recent in a series of scandals and disappointments in FSU's football program, but still. It's bad enough to cheat, but then, when you get on the field and act like a second-rate team no on'e ever heard of, it really begs the question--what's the point here? Why strut around acting all big and bad like you're SO athletically talented that you can't be bothered with a simple music theory class if you're not going to prove it on the field? Who do you think you are, Deion Sanders? Let's be honest here, people--I took that very same Music Theory for Non-Majors class. If you showed up, you passed it. There is NO reason to cheat, and for anyone to do so is not just ridiculous, it's downright shameful. But don't just be ashamed at having so little self-respect that you cheat in a freshman-level cakewalk, be ashamed that you let down your supporters, those boosters who donate the millions of dollars that allow you to participate in the program you are in, and the fans who spend their hard-earned money to buy tickets and travel to watch you play. Be ashamed that you let down your teammates and your coaching staff. Be ashamed that you let down the head coach that built the program that you've snubbed, that gave you the opportunity to not just get an incredible education, but to play a sport you love for a team that has a tremendous history and legacy.

I say at this point, Bobby Bowden should be allowed to leave on his own terms, in his own time. Jimbo whatshisname can wait until bloody 2015 if he needs to; there wouldn't BE a Florida State football program for him to inherit without the man he's so eager to replace. If Bobby wants to give his critics the middle finger, or ride Renegade around the stadium in a loincloth and ceremonial headdress, or die on the damn field, I say that it's his prerogative. At this point, the man has earned the right to do any damn thing he pleases.

Don't get me wrong, Florida State is a beautiful university with hundreds of amazing academic programs, but let's face it: the school is on the map because of Bobby Bowden's contributions to its football program. It's often hard for us "academics" to accept that we owe much of our financial backing to the athletic programs, but there's really no denying it. In this case, I don't mind so much. For as long as I can remember, I have been a fan of Florida State football, and I never wanted to attend any other university. The two have always been linked for me, in a large part because of Bobby Bowden. I've never been ashamed to support the Florida State Seminoles, even in losing seasons, even when we lose to Florida or Miami, because no matter what we did, we always did it with class, and I felt like that meant something.

I suppose that's enough for now. I'm so sick and tired today of hearing crap from people--mostly Gator fans, and most of whom have never even set foot on the University of Florida campus--all the smack talk only goes to show that they will never in their lifetimes have the class that Bobby Bowden has in his little finger. Bobby...you will be missed.