Bowden Announces New Endeavor: Holding A Grudge
Bobby Bowden said Tuesday that he and his wife, Ann, will live somewhere other than Tallahassee when he officially steps down as Florida State coach after the Gator Bowl.
Speaking to reporters – via conference call – for the first time since the announcement last week that he won’t return for the 2010 season, Bowden made it clear that he didn’t want to interfere with his successor, current FSU offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher.
“I have always said I do not want to be where I’m looking over the coach’s shoulder and people are questioning me about what he does,” Bowden said. “I don’t want him to have to go through that. It’s kind of a hidden agenda for coaches that if you leave a job, leave town. Don’t sit there and second-guess the guy that follows you. People are going to do that. I want Jimbo to have a free rein.
“We’ll stay here [in Tallahassee] until Ann and I can get everything worked out, and then we’ll leave. But we’ve got to have some place to send your mail so we’ll have all our mail sent here to this house, and we’ll come back every month or so for it. We’ve got a condominium in Panama City, or maybe we’ll go back to Birmingham where we’re from.”
Bowden made it clear that he would not entertain offers from Florida State to stay on in another capacity. He talked about other options but said he had not finalized anything. The only thing he knows for sure is that he must find something to occupy his time.
“I don’t want to sit there and do nothing,” Bowden said. “That’s what puts you in your grave, doing nothing. I can’t think of anything better than go out and do what I call evangelizing. Talk to people about what I believe in.
Jacksonville.com
12/9/9
Magnolia Tribune
