Bobby Bowden Set to Retire

ESPN is reporting Bowden will announce his retirement Tuesday.

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

I have to admit, I'm a little surprised they didn't give him one more season. Another legend rides off into the sunset.

Going to be strange not having Bowden in college football. Something tells me that this wasn't a welcome decision since apparently the School is just giving a press release announcing his retirement, they're not giving him a press conference.

The man is a LEGEND!! Give him a news conference, thats the LEAST they could do for THE MAN who practically put your program on the map!!!

Lots of things being said through the media right now. That's how the \"talking heads\" keep their jobs.

Coach Bowden not only left an impression at FSU, he touched a lot of lives and programs at other places. Once upon a time Coach Bowden was part of South Georgia College, located in Douglas, Georgia. My home town, born in 1940.

Coach built many bridges in South Georgia, which later on parlayed into a lot of high profile high school players ending up in Tallahassee. There was a time when UF was not the school that pulled those fellows out of South Georgia, it was FSU, and it was because of Coach Bowden. Coach had a tremendous run for many years and many responsible for that came from South Georgia.

There is another side to the coin. Coach Bowden started appointing people to run \"his program\" and some of the choices he made ended up putting him where he is now. Sometimes we try our best to help others and especially those in our family. Coach was in the same position that Coach Richt might find himself in today. Both of these coaches are very loyal, and I might add, hard headed. It is very difficult to look at family and friends and say the magic words . . . you are not needed in our program.

Coach Bowden's wife had some choice words for FSU about the stance they took with Coach. Understand that, it is family and it hurts.

This is a reason that Coach Saban and those like him tend to be successful, they have no problem moving people either in or out of the programs they run. With him it is a simple hire and fire if need be. College sports is far and away different than it was many years back. A lot of that is because of the \"talking heads\" and of course the many blogs.

Coach Bowden is a good man, has improved many young folks lives over a great number of years. While some might think that we have heard the last of Coach, don't bet the farm on that. He is still attached at the hip to college football. I wish Coach and Mrs. Bowden the best, they BOTH have earned it.

It would be funny if Stoops left for Notre Dame and Bowden took over.

Buc, you're from Douglas??? I'm originally from Waycross and have played a ton of golf in Douglas against Lyn Lott, Larry Hinson and others. Old stomping grounds. Know the Lott's pretty well (although haven't talked in YEARS). A lot of great golf rivalries between Douglas and Waycross players.......MANY very good players in south Ga. back then.

wlayton wrote:

Buc, you're from Douglas??? I'm originally from Waycross and have played a ton of golf in Douglas against Lyn Lott, Larry Hinson and others. Old stomping grounds. Know the Lott's pretty well (although haven't talked in YEARS). A lot of great golf rivalries between Douglas and Waycross players.......MANY very good players in south Ga. back then.

Douglas was my birth place for sure. Some pretty fair country golfers came out of that area, meaning Waycross, Douglas, Fitzgerald, Tifton and Ocilla. Playing with those guys, you had to have a pretty good game, which I am sure you did.

Strung tobacco, picked cotton, walked behind mules, kerosene lamps, feather mattresses, no refrigerators (ice boxes) and the beat goes on. Life was pretty simple then, people pulled together to get all of us through WWII.

Hoping that this FSU changing of the guard does not get out of hand. Will say this . . . . Jimbo Fisher is going to have a pretty good class of athletes coming back next year. However, feel FSU is going to feel the effects of this (dismissal ??) of Coach Bowden. This could benefit UGA in more ways than one. Just a thought.