Ahhhh, forget him. Everyone knows that he is still a far cry from JoePa’s total wins in I-A football. He can pound the table all he wants. He’s been mailing it in for seasons now.

Bowden’s not worth worrying about.

I could give a hundred reasons why Joe Paterno’s a better football coach than Bobby Bowden without ever mentioning total wins.

hate Bowden, but everything I have ever read indicates that Paterno likes him and has a lot of respect for him. That changed my opinion of him. I figured, why should I hate him if Joe Paterno doesn’t. Paterno has skin in the “fight” and I don’t, so what’s the point.

My guess is this is the way Bowden always acts and that he isn’t a d-bag. I think he is probably a harmless old awe-shucks kind of guy.

Joe say about Bobby is they are both friends and they have mutual respect for each other…and why not…really they are a dying breed in this sport and the likes of which will not be seen again…I for one believe that Bobby was joking and I guarantee that if JoePa heard the same thing about Bowden that he would be laughing and cracking jokes too…just b/c they are getting old doesn’t mean they can’t laugh at each other

in this case to make a story out of JoePa and Bobby’s normal reactions. When either of them are asked about the other, especially wtih regards to retiring or health, they both get miffed, as would I. His response was probably a pissed off face and his hands slamming down the same – like “hey, get off our f-in backs already – I don’t want to hear about it and he doesnt want to hear about it.” No story there really, same ole hat from both of them – but spin it off as only a few eye-witnesses could and he may have a money making story if anyone falls for it. Even if Bowden felt that way which I don’t think he does – he wouldn’t be so foolish as to show it. Besides, if he can’t put together some quality wins this year – he’s already been replaced.

In one of Lou Holtz’s books, he recalls a game in the early 70’s when Bobby Bowden coached WVU and ran the score up on him at William & Mary, and then delivered this quote standing at midfield: “It’s your job to keep the score down. … If you don’t want to get beat badly, get better athletes, coach better, or change the schedule.” That part is linked here.

The second half of the story is omitted from the Google Books preview, but a few decades later, Lou Holtz, coaching Notre Dame, upsets one of Bowden’s perfect seasons at FSU. After the game, he throws this jab at a distraught Bowden: “Hey Bobby, if you don’t like the score, you can get better athletes, coach better, or change the schedule.”

And that is why I will always respect Lou Holtz.

I do respect how Bowden treated Jack Lengyel as he was rebuilding the Marshall football program. The movie even captured it fairly well.