GREAT Article: The Tide That Binds (Bobby Bowden)

[Petrey]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/feature/featureVideo?page=bowden/bama

"One of my goals in life is to go back to Tuscaloosa and attend a football game," Bowden said. "You know, just for old times. Sit up in the stands. Of course, it looks so different now. One of these days, I hope I can do that."


He gazed up at his office ceiling, lost in the reverie.


"I hope we ain't playing Florida State."


We?

 

[Petrey]

Wow, were we stupid or what?

No kidding...

 

[theBIGyowski]

I read an article earlier today that mentioned something his wife said. She said she was glad he never took the Alabama job because he would have just ended up as another coach in the line of coaches at Alabama since Coach Bryant. I believe she is right and I'm glad he went to FSU. It allowed him to make something of himself. And he is no doubt still a big Alabama fan...and always will be. I really do hope he gets a chance to go to an Alabama game after he retires.

 

[Bama1970]

I read an article earlier today that mentioned something his wife said. She said she was glad he never took the Alabama job because he would have just ended up as another coach in the line of coaches at Alabama since Coach Bryant. I believe she is right and I'm glad he went to FSU. It allowed him to make something of himself. And he is no doubt still a big Alabama fan...and always will be. I really do hope he gets a chance to go to an Alabama game after he retires.

I think he would have made a name for himself at Bama and saved us a lot of misery over the last 25 years. JMHO.

 

[RT1941]

I think he would have made a name for himself at Bama and saved us a lot of misery over the last 25 years. JMHO.

You are right about that!

 

[Crimson Cat]

Great read. Thanks for posting. I've always liked BB. Shoulda, coulda, woulda.

 

[tuck]

"Auburn and Alabama didn't play in those days," Bowden said. "It wasn't like you had two schools. It was just Alabama."

Its good to know that things havent really changed much over the years.

Awesome article and coach bowden may have inadvertantly done some big time recruiting for us with all of those quotes. :biggrin:

 

[CrimsonNeck]

I think he would have made a name for himself at Bama and saved us a lot of misery over the last 25 years. JMHO.

IMHO, you are dead on! Hammer this is Nail; Nail this is Hammer. Bowden would have achieved at Bama like he did at Florida State. Bama's admin at the time made a huge blunder & there is no reason to debate the matter. Can you imagine all the heartache that could have been avoided but for an overly an@l-retentive President UA was saddled with at the time (but that is just my assessment). Bowden did not achieve at FSU because he landed at FSU. Bowden achieved because he is a gifted motivator, a gifted coach, has always surrounded himself with quality position coaches & he is a gifted citizen. He would have successed where ever he accepted a job. I dare say with the talent that was on hand when Perkins left, that Bowden would have successed as quick, probably quicker, than he did at FSU.

 

[P. C. Pachyderm]

"I was captivated by that band and that song and of course, the Tide, the Tide." - Bobby Bowden

Hmmm ... that would make a pretty good signature tag line for somebody.

Good stuff ... never knew he was smitten so badly by Bama fever.

 

[Bama1970]

Oh well, that was '87 and this is '07 and we HAVE the BEST coach in the country now!!!!

 

[BamaFanKyle]

Great article!!

 

[Big tide fan forever]

I read an article earlier today that mentioned something his wife said. She said she was glad he never took the Alabama job because he would have just ended up as another coach in the line of coaches at Alabama since Coach Bryant. I believe she is right and I'm glad he went to FSU. It allowed him to make something of himself. And he is no doubt still a big Alabama fan...and always will be. I really do hope he gets a chance to go to an Alabama game after he retires.

Agree

 

[Really Big Bama Fan]

Wow, were we stupid or what?

Not "we," just that future Penn State President, Joab Thomas.

 

[37bamagrl]

"I hope we ain't playing Florida State."


We?

WOW...those last two lines say it all. the man's got Bama in his blood and once it's there, it never leaves!

i hope he gets to go to that game at Bryant-Denny someday....

 

[lafella]

One things for sure, they don't makem like that anymore.

 

[GrayTide]

It's hard to say how CBB would have done at Alabama. Remember FSU did not join the ACC until, I believe 92-93 and played as an independent prior to that. Not taking anything away from his record just to say had he taken over in 1987he would have immediately faced lot tougher competition than he faced at FSU every year. On the other hand he has been a great recruiter, motivator and offensive strategist who would have brought Mickey Andrews to Tuscaloosa with him as DC. Those two at Alabama would have given SOS all he wanted during the 90's and we would have avoided all that other crap we went through. What might have been.

 

[Tide Pride La.]

Think about this too, we would have had the two most successful Coaches of all time.

 

[Anchovy]

Sure we probably should have hired him but to think that Bowden would have automatically succeeded at Bama is false. First and foremost Bowden and Florida State came along at the right time. It is no coincidence that FSU and Miami both gained national prominence at the same time. That time being when the NCAA limited scholarships and in a talent rich state like Florida that benefited FSU and Miami. Bowden also benefited from relatively weak schedules. Bowden probably would have done well at The University but everyone thought that Fran would succeed at Texas A&M given his Texas ties.

 

[Really Big Bama Fan]

Sure we probably should have hired him but to think that Bowden would have automatically succeeded at Bama is false. First and foremost Bowden and Florida State came along at the right time. It is no coincidence that FSU and Miami both gained national prominence at the same time. That time being when the NCAA limited scholarships and in a talent rich state like Florida that benefited FSU and Miami. Bowden also benefited from relatively weak schedules. Bowden probably would have done well at The University but everyone thought that Fran would succeed at Texas A&M given his Texas ties.

You forget that Coach Bowden learned by watching the teams of Frank Thomas and Paul Bryant. He has forgotten more about coaching football than Fraud-phony ever knew...

 

[Bamaball2001]

"He won't fill the roles he envisioned growing up in Birmingham. Bowden saw himself throwing jump passes for Tide coach Frank Thomas, just like Harry Gilmer, Bowden's boyhood hero from the neighborhood."

Didn't coach Bryant play for coach Thomas?