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Senior Seminole Even at 72, Bowden in no hurry to leave FSU jobPosted: Friday April 12, 2002 2:40 PM
Hang it up? Bobby Bowden has always handled retirement talk with a hearty laugh. He's got a football program to retool after a down year -- 8-4 is hell after 14 years of 10 or more wins -- and visions of a third national championship still dance in the old craw. The architect of perennial Florida State powerhouse is a W shy of passing the legendary Paul "Bear'' Bryant for second on the all-time list and Joe Paterno is clearly in sight. But hey, the coach is pushing 73 and found out last summer that he suffers from diabetes. So these days Bowden is at least willing to engage in talk about a replacement, even if he has no plans of stepping down. For the record, when the time comes, he endorses long-time FSU assistant Mickey Andrews .
"I see no end to my plans,'' Bowden cautions. "It's not like in two years I'm out. Or five years. I'm 72. I don't know how long I'm going to live, you know. But as long as I feel good, I have no desire to retire. "Here I am, I am amazed at this because when I was 50 or 55 I was thinking: 'Well, I'll get out of here by 62.' Then you get to 62 and there is no desire to get out. Then at 65, I wasn't ready. That is the same way that it is now. I simply have no desire to retire. Now, what could force me to change that? Well, No. 1 is your health. If my health were to break, I could say, 'Well, you better get yourself a younger guy.' Or No. 2, if you get to losing all the time. I couldn't go with that.'' Fear not, the program won't let Bowden lose. The assistants won't. If you look, the coaching resume shows 75 wins since his 65th birthday. This is as close as it gets to cruise control in the fast lane. Bowden is the George Burns of college football, as appreciated for the sideline prowess as the humor and belly laugh. He's a likeable character who tends not to get bogged down in the business of disciplining players. And cornpone lines aside, Bowden can still recruit stud athletes to his football factory. "I keep waiting for someone to say, 'Well, I'm not going to Florida State, cause Coach Bowden is too old and he ain't going to be there,''' he says, chuckling. "Man, it gets better. They must believe me.''
The latest batch features three of the better tailbacks in the country -- Lorenzo Booker from California, Leon Washington from nearby Jacksonville and Thomas "Hollywood'' Clayton from Virginia. Bowden loves them all, but on this day he's challenged to put a name with young Mr. Clayton. "Tom 'Hollywood, Hollywood . . . Hollywood,'' Bowden struggles. "What is 'Hollywood's last name? Henderson? He's from Virginia. I know 'Hollywood' is his nickname.'' Sounds like Tom Clayton, coach. Your first reaction is to chalk it up as a senior moment. But then you figure upwards of 100 recruits a year parade through his spacious third-floor office, the program itself is home to 80-odd kids at any given time and he's a season shy of 50 in the business -- and well, what's the big deal about "Hollywood''?
Bowden still has a zest for the game and a twinkle in his eyes, anyway. And the man who has never drank or smoked is mouthing the inch-long remnants of an unlit cigar as he sits behind his desk. He's dropped nearly 20 pounds after a routine physical last August revealed he suffers Type 2 Diabetes, the most common form of the disease that is known to afflict 16 million Americans. His treatment doesn't require insulin shots, but Bowden carefully monitors his diet and finds more time to exercise. "I feel so much better now,'' he says. "Laying off the sweets and carbohydrates is big. I love candy. I love cakes. I love ice cream. I've been out of control all my life, but not anymore.'' Bowden feels equally upbeat about the direction his team is headed. So much so that he envisions FSU contending for another national title, especially if California-born quarterback Chris Rix improves upon his spotty play as a redshirt freshman. Rix solidified his hold on the No. 1 job with a 12-for-19 passing performance in the spring game. The $2 million question, though, is who gets the nod when Bowden elects to step down. Bowden himself says he hasn't paid it much thought, then adds: "My own personal thinking is Mickey Andrews would be the guy that probably ought to succeed me.'' Andrews is a top defensive coordinator and was recently named associate head coach. The only drawback is age. He's 60 and figures to be nearing retirement when Bowden hangs it up. If not Andrews, then Bowden would still prefer the job be kept in the FSU family, meaning someone on staff or someone who's gone on to enjoy success at another major program. That pretty much confines the field to Andrews, Georgia coach Mark Richt , North Carolina State coach Chuck Amato and the three Bowden boys -- Jeff, Terry and Tommy . "My first thought always is loyalty to the staff, and then move somebody up,'' Bowden says. "But I really don't want to play a big role in that. It is not like administering that my sons follow in my path, because usually the guy who has coached as long as I have, it's not wise to follow him. And the best chance would be somebody already in the program that can keep it knocking along. "I know the athletic director and them tell me different, but I always felt like -- and I still feel like secretly -- that when I leave there ain't nobody going to ask me. The AD says, 'Oh yes, we are, too. We wouldn't dare do it without you.' But I know what happened to Coach Bryant when he retired at Alabama. I know what happened to all of them. They get a committee and go find a coach.'' Maybe so, only Bobby Bowden plans to hold the committee off as long as he can. Mike Fish is a senior writer for CNNSI.com. Comments? To e-mail Fish, click here.
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