Dadgum, Bobby is gone

I asked Robert to be a guest writer for my blog this week because of the retiring of Bobby Bowden. You may think that Robert should be the main writer of my blog after you read this, but I don't think there could be a better definition of what a great coach and MAN that Bobby Bowden has shown us throughout the years. Enjoy! Well done, Robert!

The day was January 1, 1994. As an 11 year-old I was glued to the television with my family as FSU took the field against Nebraska for what would soon be Bobby Bowden's first national title. Truthfully, I was partially excited just to be staying up this late since it was well past my bedtime. The atmosphere was electric and I knew if they were to win then all the 'Canes and Gators in my classes at Lakeland Highlands Middle School in Lakeland, FL would be quieted until next year. Only a few hours later, the FSU sideline emptied and Bobby was soaked in Gatorade when the 'Noles won, believe it or not, on a missed field goal by the other team. I remember vividly leaping around the room and then being hoisted on my dad's shoulders doing my best Broadway Joe imitation while wagging my index finger high in the air. The moment was captured by my mother on camera as my dad and I took a victory lap around the living room. To this day the picture remains one of my favorites and the memory one that I will forever cherish.

"Your reputation is what people say about you, your character is what God knows about you."

As Bobby Bowden steps down from his post after 34 seasons, we will continue to hear how much he meant to FSU and college football. We will hear how FSU was a women's school without a win when he arrived and how he constructed one of the most successful runs by any program in all of college sports. People will comment on what a good interview he was, how he always said what he meant and how great of an ambassador he was for the sport. Of course there will be some that bring up the discipline problems that plagued his program, the cheating scandal and the losses that became too much to stomach for the FSU powers that be. For now, however, I will selfishly ignore all of those voices and indulge in what Bobby meant to me as epitomized by the photo of a young Seminole fan celebrating in the living room with his dad. The time shared over football extended beyond Saturdays in our family. Whether over dinner the following week or on Sunday afternoons for "The Bobby Bowden Show" on the Sunshine Network sponsored by Golden Flake. The victories continued in droves through the years. No doubt about it Bobby was a winner. Yet over time the wins became harder and harder to come by. Eventually my family left Florida for North Carolina and I enrolled at UNC where my fervor for a different school and different sport quickly kindled. Yet that photo from the first night of 1994 forever represents the joy of victory and the bond between father and son that was created by the slow-talking charmer of a coach from FSU.

"I would want the boys that played for me to think they were better persons for having played for me."

The mystique of Bobby's career extends well beyond the playing field, a cliche that we too often use in our society to describe athletes and coaches. The quote above was taken from a recent interview with ESPN as his career was winding down which shows that finding meaning beyond football was his purpose. He represented all that was good about sport and always used the game as a means to change lives and share his faith. For such a role model, I'm sure my father and many other parents are thankful to him. If his measure for success was having his players think they were better people for having played under him, then in that too he far exceeded expectations. Not only the players, but the young fans who grew up listening to a man who was at the top of the sports world talk about what was really important in life are better for having watched him. I wish that I could have another season to say goodbye and listen to his unintentionally engaging halftime interviews. Instead one more bowl game will have to suffice. If they are to win one more for Bobby, I will probably not jump on my father's shoulders or jump around the living room. Inside, however, I am sure that my memory will take me back to that feeling when united by the Florida State Seminoles, my family and I shared a joyful moment in time that we owe to ol' Coach Bowden. Dadgum Bobby, you will be missed.

And...here are my picks:

Cincy vs Pitt-Cincy
Houston vs ECU-Houston
West Va vs Rutgers-Rutgers
Arizona vs USC-USC
FLORIDA vs bama -GO GATORS
Texas vs Nebraska-Texas
Georgia Tech vs Clemson-Georgia Tech