December 1, 2009

Steve Megargee
Rivals.com College Football Staff Writer

MORE: A look back: Bobby Bowden career timeline

When Florida State coach Bobby Bowden announced his retirement Tuesday at age 80, it left Penn State's Joe Paterno as the game's lone elder statesman. It also assured that Paterno -- not Bowden -- will end his career with the most wins of any coach in major-college football history.

But it shouldn't diminish Bowden's status as the architect of perhaps college football's most remarkable rebuilding project. Bowden finished his career with a 388-129-4 overall record in 44 seasons, including a 315-97-4 mark in 34 seasons at Florida State.

Bowden didn't build Florida State's program from scratch. The former all-women's college started playing football nearly three decades before Bowden took over in 1976. He instead brought the Seminoles back from the ruins: Florida State was a combined 4-29 in the three seasons leading up to Bowden's arrival.

"When I was at Alabama [as a student], all I heard was, 'Beat Auburn,' " Bowden used to joke. "When I was at West Virginia, all I heard was, 'Beat Pittsburgh.' When I got to FSU, their bumper stickers said, 'Beat Anybody.' ''

Nothing in Bowden's head coaching background (four years at Samford, six more at West Virginia) suggested he eventually could turn a dormant program into an annual national title contender. Yet that's exactly what he did.

In his second season on the job, Florida State went 10-2. In his fourth season, the Seminoles were 11-0 in the regular season. One year after that, the Seminoles woke up on New Year's Day with a legitimate shot at the national title but lost to Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl.

The Seminoles cooled off somewhat over the next five years -- though they still won at least seven games each of those seasons -- then began a run of dominance never seen before or since. Florida State won at least 10 games every season from 1987 to 2000. During that stretch, the Seminoles also became the first team to post 14 consecutive top-five finishes in The Associated Press poll.

The Seminoles gave Bowden his first national championship in 1993 and added a second title in '99, when they also became the first team to go wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team in the AP poll. FSU also won 12 ACC titles in the Bowden era despite not joining the conference until 1992.

Bowden came achingly close to winning five more national championships.

In 1991, FSU was ranked first in the nation before losing to No. 2 Miami 17-16 when Gerry Thomas' 34-yard field-goal attempt with 29 seconds left sailed wide right. One year later, Florida State's only loss of the season came to Miami when a potential game-tying 39-yard field-goal attempt by Dan Mowrey also went wide right. In addition, the Seminoles played for the national title and lost in 1996 (to Florida), '98 (Tennessee) and 2000 (Oklahoma).

"They're going to chisel on my tombstone, 'He played Miami,' '' Bowden quipped after the 1991 loss to the Hurricanes.

The Orange Bowl loss to Oklahoma that capped the 2000 season began a gradual but steady fall for Florida State, which hasn't recaptured the glory years of the 1990s.

After staying together for most of the dynasty years, Bowden's loyal crew of assistants gradually splintered. Offensive coordinator Mark Richt took over Georgia's program. Longtime defensive assistant Chuck Amato left for N.C. State before eventually returning. Florida State's high-octane offenses began to sputter after Bowden's ill-fated decision to promote his son, Jeff, to offensive coordinator after the 2000 season.

Yet even though the Florida State of today is a far cry from the Florida State of the 1990s, the Seminoles still haven't endured a losing season since going 5-6 in Bowden's first year on the job. Florida State heads into its bowl this season at 6-6.

While he occasionally showed a stubborn streak while encountering on-field struggles and off-field problems in his final seasons, Bowden spent most of his career as the nation's most outgoing and approachable coach. His strong faith and folksy demeanor proved a winning combination wherever he went, whether he was literally preaching to the choir at a church, rallying his supporters at a booster function or speaking to a recruit's mother on an in-home visit.

"I think people are good before I think they are bad," Bowden once told the Tallahassee (Fla.) Democrat. "Too many people, the first time they see somebody, don't like 'em right away. My first reaction is I like 'em. I don't know of a person in this world I detest."

His contributions to the game on and off the field have left a remarkable legacy. Bowden and Paterno were inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in December 2006, causing a change in the rule that nobody could be enshrined before retirement. A statue of Bowden already is outside Florida State's playing field, which was renamed five years ago in his honor.

While he won't end his career as the king of the hill, Bowden still earned his place alongside Paterno, Bear Bryant and Knute Rockne on the college football coaching equivalent of Mount Rushmore.

MORE: A look back: Bobby Bowden career timeline

Steve Megargee is a national writer for Rivals.com. He can be reached at smegargee@rivals.com.