Sports Sense

The other day I wrote about Joe Paterno, one of the great coaching icons who is still getting it done at Penn State at age 82. But another senior citizen coach is not faring nearly as well.

Florida State’s Bobby Bowden is facing the inevitable end of his coaching career. Calls for his ouster are getting louder than ever.

Questions about Bowden’s tenure are happening during a season that started with great promise but is now quickly unraveling. Florida State has just two wins and three losses this season.

The losses have dampened enthusiasm for the team and have made the soon to be 80-year old Bowden especially vulnerable to calls that he step down.

On Monday the chairman of the university’s board of trustees made it clear that he wants to see Bowden gone at the end of this season. The school already has an agreement with a coach in waiting in offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher, who is to be paid a reported penalty of 5 million dollars if he is not named Florida Sate’s head coach by the 2010 season.

But indications are Bowden wants to keep coaching. Which means it is looking more and more like it won’t end smoothly for either Bowden or Florida State.

There have been many great teams at Florida State. For years, from the seventies thru the nineties, Bowden’s Seminoles would finish no worse than the top ten. Florida State won national championships in 1993 and 1999. That defined success at Florida State. But now it seems those were many years ago.

The central figure in all of Florida State’s football success has always been Bobby Bowden. Bowden remains down home and syrupy, the epitome of “Aw shucks,” which only enhances his engaging personality.

But most importantly Bobby Bowden has been a big winner. He is number two on the all-time major college victory list behind Joe Paterno. And like Paterno did at Penn State, Bowden singlehandedly built Florida State into a national power.

The folks in Tallahassee want a winner again,. They look across the state at the University of Florida and wonder why they can’t do what the Gators are doing.

The University of Miami appears to be re-emerging. And it doesn’t help that upstart South Florida is also starting to make a name for itself. Which puts even more pressure on the historical expectations at Florida State.

I know age is a factor in pushing Bobby Bowden out. There aren’t too many coaches his age. Only one I can think of. But Florida State was a powerhouse. The Seminoles aren’t any longer. That’s as big a factor as anything.

So as much as I feel for Bobby Bowden and his desire to continue coaching, change sometimes has to be forced. Even if in some eyes it might be too soon or for the wrong reasons.

UPDATE

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I watched an old-fashioned Big Ten football game Saturday afternoon. Penn State against Illinois. It turned out to be an easy Penn State victory 35 to 17.

I decided to sit through this relatively meaningless game as a way to honor the past. Years ago a game like this actually mattered but I also remember that we only had a couple of TV channels from which to choose.

I was struck most by the sight of octogenarian Joe Paterno back patrolling the sidelines looking as lively as he did 20 years ago when he was only 62.

Okay, yes I admit it. Any post I write about Joe Paterno must deal with his age. It’s hard to shake it. From a news standpoint the only thing that really matters is that JoePa is very old and he’s still winning. By the way he is the winningest coach in major college football history.

But the other not so nice story that we can’t politely talk about, is that we are also looking for the first sign that this old dude is slipping. Is he going to mix up some names? Does he know where the game is being played? Come on be honest I know that crosses your mind – right?

But even looking closely I don’t see a hint of slippage in Joe Paterno.

What I do see is a guy who can still mix it up, command the sidelines and win.

Now the hard to please will grant Paterno his much due props for being a miracle of old age, but they will also quickly point out that Old Joe still can’t beat Iowa, USC or any of those teams in the SEC. True that. But should that matter?

Years ago a game like Penn State/Illinois was the Game of the Week. But unfortunately not anymore.

So, no, it was not a pretty game by 21st Century standards, but it was definitely old school. With a smart old guy on the sideline keeping things nice and steady.

That was good enough for me.

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DavidBurnett Coaches, College Football, NCAA Illinois, Joe Paterno, old, Penn State