The Marching Chiefs paying homage to Bowden at halftime of the Gator Bowl
2010 is approximately 84 hours old and I think it is already the most depressing day of the year. After two weeks partaking of a little hobby I call “not working” the holidays are now in the rear-view mirror and ahead stretch four and a half holiday-less months. It is cold outside (even in Florida) and there is really nothing to look forward to. Even the NFL playoffs promise uninteresting games that we (literally) just watched. If you think I am blocking my calendar next Saturday to watch the re-match of last night’s Bengals/Jets abortion, you have the wrong guy. Even the BCS title game, usually a highlight, features possibly the two least likable coaches in America (now that Charlie Weis has been canned and Urban Meyer is technically not UF’s coach).
What a contrast to the first day of the year when not only did we get to bid farewell to the greatest college coach of all time (that’s right I said it) but also improbably saw his team play a solid Bowl game and ensure that he would not book-end his career in Tallahassee with losing seasons.
Thankfully, due to the enormous success of this website, I was able to attend the game – boosters don’t get private jets for just anyone. Since all of you were the reason for my attending the least I can do is report back on what I saw and learned.
- The morning of the game I awoke in Orlando to rain showers. Not an auspicious beginning to the day as we had a 3 hour drive ahead of us and had (of course) celebrated the New Year the night before – out at a party all the way until 12:03 or so.
- Driving on the interstate at 7 AM on New Year’s morning is an interesting experience. Needless to say the roads were pretty quiet. In fact once we fueled up with Dunkin Donuts (I went with the extra large coffee and 2 doughnuts, yet another wise and healthy eating choice this weekend) and hit the interstate, I would guess that 75% of the cars we saw were FSU fans heading north to Jacksonville for the game. We only saw a few West Virginia fans heading to the game, but Doug (he of the FSU/Miami bachelor party a couple years ago) ran them off the road so that their fiery wrecks were hidden by the vegetation and their charred remains wouldn’t be found until we were already comfortably at the game.
- Spending most of the year outside of the football mad south, you quickly forget about the school pride of fans down here. We (conservatively) estimated one fan to have 14 FSU magnets on the side of the car. There was also the rather paradoxical camo FSU flags one pickup truck (naturally) had sticking up from its bed tool box. Taking things a little too literally (as I have done on occasion), I question the wisdom of buying a flag (to ostensibly draw attention to your school pride) in camo (which is designed to hide or ‘camoflage’). In response it is pointed out that I don’t necessarily need to voice every thought in my head.
Note: I was the only one that got the extra large coffee. Draw your own conclusion.
- When we arrive at the game, it is approximately 45 degrees and drizzling. Prime tailgate weather if ever there was. We park in a parking garage and after (jealously) laughing at a guy wearing FSU pajamas and a garnet and gold striped robe, we decide to don our parkas and start heading to the stadium for the ‘Nole Walk’.
- The Nole Walk is contrived as an opportunity for FSU fans to say their goodbyes to Coach Bowden, as bleachers are lined up along a path that the team will walk to enter the stadium from their buses. Have I mentioned it is 45 degrees and raining? Yet, there are hundreds already lined up when we get there.
- The Gator Bowl has offered free tickets to former Nole players (presumably seats freed up by West Virginia fans waylaid by ‘traffic accidents’ on the way to the stadium) and before the team arrives a large number of former players walk down the path and line one side inside the ropes. We try to identify as many as we can but can only find a few faces we recognize – among them Thad Busby, Sam Coward and Heisman Trophy winner Chris Wienke. If you watched the highlights of the game later on ESPN you saw PFB favorites Derrick Brooks and Warrick Dunn hugging Bowden at the end of the game. They didn’t appear in the Nole Walk that morning – most likely because (1) they are too smart to stand in 45 degree rain, (2) they had a private suite where they were given free drinks, all-the-lobster-they-can-eat and massages and (3) Brooks didn’t want to ruin his awesome leather cowboy hat/jacket combination.
- After Bobby and Ann walked by us as quickly as possible (yes, great idea to make an 80-year old man walk through the cold rain), they were followed by the team. When we noted that Doug was wearing the same jacket as the team, we joked he should jump the ropes and try to join them for the walk into the stadium, if for no other reason than to listen to the other fans say “How is that guy on the team? No wonder we lose 6 games per season now.”
- Later at our seats in the stadium, as game time approached, the Bobby-fest began in earnest. They called Bobby to the middle of the field and showed a video of career highlights for him, followed by the SouthEast Toyota dealers presenting him a Camry that may go down as the least situationally-appropriate gift of all time. Way to go all-out guys. Were you out of used early 80’s hatch-backs? I think I saw Ann scrambling up to a suite to get that baby posted on eBay before halftime.
- The other highlight of the pre-game was the much-replayed planting of the spear by Bobby at mid-field. Despite receiving a completely inappropriate text from my Florida Gator friend Craig, it was oddly exciting to watch an 80-year old man raise the spear above his head like Rafiki carrying Simba in the Lion King before jamming it in the ground. The Mountaineers must have known that was a bad omen for the game.
- Despite the best efforts of our Road-Warrior like drive to town that morning, there were quite a number of West Virginia fans in attendance. I bet they really enjoyed being the sacrificial lamb at the altar of Bowden. Got to love the impartiality of the bowl system.
- Once the game actually started, the Bobby-love drew to a very quick end as the main problem that plagued the Noles all season immediately showed up again. Namely, the defense’s inability to stop an offense.
- Before we knew it, the Mountaineers were up 14-3, the Noles missed a field goal and the Mountaineers had the ball. Doug and I agreed a touchdown there and the game was effectively over. However, if the beatification process requires three miracles, now is the time to start counting because Jamie Robinson intercepted Jarrett Brown and the Noles marched down the field and scored to cut the lead to 14-10 (Miracle #1).
- As the second quarter wore on, the Noles scored again to make it 14-13. More importantly to all of us shivering in the stands, the clouds parted and the sun came out (Miracle #2). The TV announcers apparently at this point made a joke that Bowden was so powerful that he had made the clouds depart. This is just plain ridiculous. Obviously, the clouds parted because God wanted to see his favored son win his final game. That is really the only logical explanation.
- It should be noted that the announcers were Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson. While I didn’t hear their announcing it is safe to say there is a 94% chance Verne thought he was announcing a first round March Madness game and that every comment made by Danielson was some sort of back-handed compliment that appeared to say nice things about Bobby, while in reality enforcing Danielson’s belief that the most important coach coaching his “final” game that day was Urban Meyer. There is something a little sad and ironic about having the SEC’s biggest cheerleaders announce Bowden’s final game. Sort of like an announcer/former NFL coach actually making negative comments about Tim Tebow during his final game.
- Once the sun came out, there was something else in the air. A hint of inevitability. As the second half started, it just seemed like there would be no stopping the Noles on this day. Sure there were a few moments of concerns – like early in the fourth quarter when the score was 23-21 FSU, and Doug and I recalled seeing a stat that FSU’s offense had averaged 30 points on the season, while the defense gave up, on average, 31 points and we both realized there was a very plausible scenario in which FSU would lose 31-30 (for the mathematically challenged: FSU scores a TD, WVU answers with their own TD, stops FSU’s offense and kicks a field goal in the final moments) – but for the most part I don’t think anyone in that stadium looked at that second half and felt that the Mountaineers would come back and win once they fell behind. FSU was playing just too well and too inspired.
- After the game and an interminable delay, the trophy presentation started and Bobby was given an opportunity to speak to the crowd who had stayed behind to chant his name into the setting sun. Unfortunately about 25 seconds into his speech the sound cut out and we were all left wondering what was going on. Apparently what we missed was EJ Manual winning the least deserving MVP award since ELI Manning’s Super Bowl MVP. But if it keeps EJ happy through next season on the bench, it is worth it.
- After leaving Duval County behind on the way home that night, we stopped for barbeque at Sonny’s. There was something a little strange about walking into a restaurant and seeing the entire waitstaff decked out in Gator clothes (we were somewhere east of Gainesville) while all of the customers were in Seminole gear. I am going to go out on a limb and suggest tips left that night didn’t exactly set a record.
- Our night was capped off with the Florida/Cincinnati game. While the Gators made Cincinnati looked like they should have been in the running for the Florida 5-A state high school title rather than the BCS, the highlight was the aforementioned announcing of Brian Billick. Never has an announcer been less reverential of Tebow (Miracle #3). Taking the un-emotional eye of an NFL professional Billick pointed out the many flaws in Tebow’s game.
- Billick also used the following phrase to describe Tebow’s fake handoff to a running back: “look at how long and deep he rides him in”. Which, ironically, could also be used to describe Gary Danielson’s typical announcing of Tebow and could be used by (less sophisticated) web-sites as a way of making a joke about Tebow’s relationship with Riley Cooper. Thankfully we are better than that around here.
- But, to paraphrase Mark McGwire, I am not here to talk about Tebow. I have done that enough. Instead, I am here to honor Saint Bobby. A man who literally changed the landscape of college football; put Tallahassee and Florida State on the map; produced some of the greatest players we have seen and helped many boys become men. Though he will no longer coach the Seminoles, he will always the THE coach of the Seminoles. Goodbye and good luck Coach Bowden, we are all better for having you in our lives.
Dadgummit, I think I might cry.
