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Bobby Bowden on 2011 Seminoles: ‘I think they’re back’
2011 Florida State football, Alabama, Atlantic Coast Conference, Bobby Bowden, Christian Ponder, EJ Manuel, ESPN, Florida State, Florida State football, Jimbo Fisher, Orlando, Peter Warrick, football — posted by Coley Harvey on June, 16 2011 3:06 PM
OK, a little context first. Bobby Bowden, the former Florida State coach who holds one of college football’s most impressive win totals, spoke to the Orlando Sentinel on Thursday just before taking part in an event in central Florida hosted by State Farm. Coincidentally, the event he was preparing to participate in was being held at the same time and in the same hotel as the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics convention.
Part of a multi-person Sentinel team dispatched there to actually cover the NACDA convention, our Rachel George caught up with Bowden (yes, for those familiar with her name, she’s our Florida Gators beat reporter … and yes, she informed him of that fact during the interview). During the interview, she picked Bowden’s brain about several of today’s hot-button college football topics. From what I’ve read of the session in its dadgum entirety, it was vintage Bobby Bowden: candid, frank and friendly.
As you probably know, the former coach has been on the road often in recent months, traveling the globe giving speaking engagements and shopping a book.
Anyway, let’s get to the reason why you’re clicking this link: hearing Seminole Nation’s old leader talk about the current-day Seminoles …Here’s what Bowden said when asked about whether he still keeps up with FSU and whether the program is “back” to the national prominence he helped establish in the latter decades of the 20th century.
BOBBY BOWDEN
I keep up with them, I just don’t go up there because I’ve always said when I retire, I’ll get out of the guys’ hair. That’s what I’ve tried to do, but I do keep up with everything they’re doing. I really think, my opinion, next year, No. 1 if they get by Oklahoma (in Week 3). They’ll be favored every game from then on. I think they’ll be good if they don’t get unlucky. You have to have some luck to get to the finals. You can be the best football team in the country and be unlucky and not make it. I think if they can get by Oklahoma and then don’t have bad luck, they might.
I think they’re back. I think they’re back. I think they showed it last year.
The Seminoles had a 10-4 showing, won the ACC’s Atlantic Division and beat South Carolina in the Chick-fil-A Bowl last season. Those efforts came after a string of mediocrity that took FSU from being a consistent name in the national championship conversation to an occasional blip on the BCS radar screen. In three of the Seminoles’ four seasons before 2010, they finished 7-6.
Bowden, the longtime coach who had led the program since 1976, was dubbed part of the problem. He had this coach-in-waiting thing going on with current coach Jimbo Fisher, he was getting up in age and the fan base was roiled by the lack of winning it had become accustomed to. So out Bowden gracefully bowed, stepping away from FSU and football at the end of the 2009 season.
Fisher is entering his second season with the Seminoles and general expectations for his team’s success are just as high as Bowden’s appear to be. Can Fisher take FSU back to the point where the Seminoles are going on runs like they did in the 1990s (14 consecutive years of top-five finishes in the AP poll, a string of conference championships and occasional appearances in national title games)? Here’s Bowden’s take:
You had that great run. Do you think they’re on that level now?
We had that, in the 90s, we had that great run year after year after year after year. … I would think that this football team would be on that level. Now, I thought we were lucky some of those years. If he can get some luck, I think he can be right there with them.
***
Finally, Rachel asked Bowden about his former quarterback, Christian Ponder. The right-handed signal-caller was the last true starter Bowden coached (yes, he coached current starter E.J. Manuel in a few of E.J.’s early starts, but at the time, Manuel still was deemed a true backup). Ponder also was the first quarterback Fisher, before becoming head coach, had the opportunity to develop at FSU. He went 12th overall in April’s draft to the Minnesota Vikings. Some pundits considered Ponder’s selection rather high. What did Bowden think?
I was pulling for him, hoping, you know. It kind of surprised me because I was just afraid some of those other guys would go ahead of him, and yet, I knew he was deserving. You know what? You know, here’s the thing about it. Almost all quarterbacks got arms. They all got good arms. So it gets down to this (points to head), the guy who can make the decisions of where to throw the ball. He’d be an A-plus in that area. I’m so happy for him. I coached his daddy you know, years ago. I’m so happy for him. Give him time and be patient, and I’m sure they will picking him in the first round, I think he’ll do well. It’ll take a while. It’ll be a struggle early. It always is.
Information from Coley Harvey and Orlando Sentinel
2011 Florida State football, Alabama, Atlantic Coast Conference, Bobby Bowden, Christian Ponder, EJ Manuel, ESPN, Florida State, Florida State football, Jimbo Fisher, Orlando, Peter Warrick, football — posted by Coley Harvey on June, 16 2011 3:06 PM
OK, a little context first. Bobby Bowden, the former Florida State coach who holds one of college football’s most impressive win totals, spoke to the Orlando Sentinel on Thursday just before taking part in an event in central Florida hosted by State Farm. Coincidentally, the event he was preparing to participate in was being held at the same time and in the same hotel as the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics convention.
Part of a multi-person Sentinel team dispatched there to actually cover the NACDA convention, our Rachel George caught up with Bowden (yes, for those familiar with her name, she’s our Florida Gators beat reporter … and yes, she informed him of that fact during the interview). During the interview, she picked Bowden’s brain about several of today’s hot-button college football topics. From what I’ve read of the session in its dadgum entirety, it was vintage Bobby Bowden: candid, frank and friendly.
As you probably know, the former coach has been on the road often in recent months, traveling the globe giving speaking engagements and shopping a book.
Anyway, let’s get to the reason why you’re clicking this link: hearing Seminole Nation’s old leader talk about the current-day Seminoles …Here’s what Bowden said when asked about whether he still keeps up with FSU and whether the program is “back” to the national prominence he helped establish in the latter decades of the 20th century.
BOBBY BOWDEN
I keep up with them, I just don’t go up there because I’ve always said when I retire, I’ll get out of the guys’ hair. That’s what I’ve tried to do, but I do keep up with everything they’re doing. I really think, my opinion, next year, No. 1 if they get by Oklahoma (in Week 3). They’ll be favored every game from then on. I think they’ll be good if they don’t get unlucky. You have to have some luck to get to the finals. You can be the best football team in the country and be unlucky and not make it. I think if they can get by Oklahoma and then don’t have bad luck, they might.
I think they’re back. I think they’re back. I think they showed it last year.
The Seminoles had a 10-4 showing, won the ACC’s Atlantic Division and beat South Carolina in the Chick-fil-A Bowl last season. Those efforts came after a string of mediocrity that took FSU from being a consistent name in the national championship conversation to an occasional blip on the BCS radar screen. In three of the Seminoles’ four seasons before 2010, they finished 7-6.
Bowden, the longtime coach who had led the program since 1976, was dubbed part of the problem. He had this coach-in-waiting thing going on with current coach Jimbo Fisher, he was getting up in age and the fan base was roiled by the lack of winning it had become accustomed to. So out Bowden gracefully bowed, stepping away from FSU and football at the end of the 2009 season.
Fisher is entering his second season with the Seminoles and general expectations for his team’s success are just as high as Bowden’s appear to be. Can Fisher take FSU back to the point where the Seminoles are going on runs like they did in the 1990s (14 consecutive years of top-five finishes in the AP poll, a string of conference championships and occasional appearances in national title games)? Here’s Bowden’s take:
You had that great run. Do you think they’re on that level now?
We had that, in the 90s, we had that great run year after year after year after year. … I would think that this football team would be on that level. Now, I thought we were lucky some of those years. If he can get some luck, I think he can be right there with them.
***
Finally, Rachel asked Bowden about his former quarterback, Christian Ponder. The right-handed signal-caller was the last true starter Bowden coached (yes, he coached current starter E.J. Manuel in a few of E.J.’s early starts, but at the time, Manuel still was deemed a true backup). Ponder also was the first quarterback Fisher, before becoming head coach, had the opportunity to develop at FSU. He went 12th overall in April’s draft to the Minnesota Vikings. Some pundits considered Ponder’s selection rather high. What did Bowden think?
I was pulling for him, hoping, you know. It kind of surprised me because I was just afraid some of those other guys would go ahead of him, and yet, I knew he was deserving. You know what? You know, here’s the thing about it. Almost all quarterbacks got arms. They all got good arms. So it gets down to this (points to head), the guy who can make the decisions of where to throw the ball. He’d be an A-plus in that area. I’m so happy for him. I coached his daddy you know, years ago. I’m so happy for him. Give him time and be patient, and I’m sure they will picking him in the first round, I think he’ll do well. It’ll take a while. It’ll be a struggle early. It always is.
Information from Coley Harvey and Orlando Sentinel