Florida State and Bobby Bowden

Let me be clear on this. Bobby Bowden is not my favorite coach.

That having been said, he is a great individual and a great coach. Look it up at the link at the end of this blog. Florida State football was nothing before Bobby Bowden arrived. He deserves better than he has gotten from Florida State at this time in his life.

There are players that have earned the right to play the game by their actions on the field of play. There are rare and special players that have earned the right to play the game by their actions on and off the field of play.

Bobby Bowen is one of those rare and special people that have earned that right by his actions on and off the field. He is football to Florida State! He has earned the right to decide when he will step down as coach.

Florida State has shown its lack of class by its very actions in the handling of this event. Florida State, the faculty-not the students, has decided that the won-loss column is way more important than the right-wrong column. They have shown their lack of class. What do they work for, the betterment of the student or tenure? Ever wonder what their won-loss record is?

I hope that I will not be disappointed by the actions of his players, past and present, in this matter. They need to stand together and back their coach. The present team should not have to be asked or prodded into action. They should stand as one and tell Florida State that they will not play in any bowl game this year unless this travesty is righted. They should also tell the university that they will transfer to another university if their coach is not reinstated to his rightful place as their head coach for as long as he wants to coach and mean it. Coach Bowden has stood up for many of his players and now it is their turn to stand up for what is right. I will be interested to see how many men are on his football team.

The students of Florida State also need to get involved. Unless this travesty is corrected, they need to contact anyone that is considering coming to Florida State to play football and tell them that they will do everything that they can to get them a football scholarship at any other university. They have the means and the power to do this. The internet has given it to them. The university cannot compete with student power, student resolve and student ingenuity. Let Florida State find out where the real power is. Where are the BLACK HATS when you need them?

Bobby Bowden’s assistant coaches need to step up for their boss. I’m sure he has done that for them. They ALL need to make it clear that they are behind their boss and that NONE of them will take over his position under these conditions.

Now we come to his past players. They also need to step up to the plate and tell Florida State that they will not support that university unless he is reinstated.

Right is right and someone other than I needs to say it. The university will listen if enough people speak out. I only hope that someone will speak up for each of you when your time comes, and it will. Each of you may face being fired or laid off even though you gave your life’s blood for your place of employment.
I hope that I will not be disappointed with the assistant coaches, the players- past and present, and the student body of Florida State University. I am already disappointed with the faculty of the university.

As a side note to all of this. I think, and I hope I’m wrong, that Bobby Bowden will be dead within 3 years of this farce of fairness. Many people have died from the loss of what they love. I think that his life is his family, his players- present and past, this university and the game.

Let me be clear on this. Bobby Bowden is not my favorite coach, but this is not right. I’ve said my piece, now it is your turn.

http://www.nationalchamps.net/NCAA/database/floridastate_database.htm (see coaches section)