Bowden: 'I can see the end, I don't know when it will be'

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. — It has been an eventful offseason for Bobby Bowden, who is set to begin his 33rd year as the football coach at Florida State.

The school has put a succession plan in place so that Jimbo Fisher, FSU's offensive coordinator, will become coach when Bowden retires.

After consecutive 7-6 seasons, some fans are starting to wonder if that is going to be sooner rather than later.

Things are not great off the field, either. In December some of Bowden's players were involved in an academic cheating scandal that will keep seven starters out of the first three games of the 2008 season. There also have been arrests (WR Preston Parker) and academic suspensions (OT Daron Rose) in recent weeks.

Bowden, who turns 79 on Nov. 8, remains undeterred.

He insists that it is possible to rebuild the program and win his third national championship. He begins this season leading Penn State's Joe Paterno by one win (373-372) on the NCAA's Division I-A career victory list. On Monday evening Bowden sat down for an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution to discuss these issues and more.

Q: Right now, do you know how much longer you want to coach?

A: Here is what I'm telling recruits. I've always signed a five-year contract, so I could tell a young man and his family I would be there his whole career. Now I'm on a one-year contract. I'll decide at the end of the year if I want to sign another one-year contract. I know I want to coach this year, and I know I'm not going to coach until I'm 83. That's all I know. But things are different now because for the first time I can see the end. I don't know when it will be. But I can see it.

Q: You've made it clear that you would like to win one more national championship before you retire. Given where the program is after two consecutive 7-6 seasons, do you think that's possible?

A: Over the past five or six years I've felt that if we had one or two great players we would be back to where we used to be. If we had had Charlie Ward or Chris Weinke playing quarterback the past six years, where do you think we would be? We don't need 30 players. We need a couple of difference makers. We had a couple of bad games against Wake Forest (30-0) and Florida last year (45-12), but most of the games we've lost by a touchdown or less. This group of freshmen we're bringing in has a chance to contribute right away. If we can get one more class like this, I think we'll be back in the fight.

Q: How did the relationship with Fisher work in the spring, and how is it working now?

A: Some people thought that Jimbo needed to follow me around and see some of the things I do, but he doesn't need that. He's his own man and knows exactly what he wants to do. He's been meeting with some of our key boosters by himself to map out his plans. That's a good thing. The Florida State people are getting to know him. That is what this time is all about.

Q: There was an academic cheating scandal at Florida State that involved a significant number of football players. As the head coach, how did that affect you, and did you feel responsible?

A: It didn't bother me because I knew there was no involvement by me or my staff. But I didn't know about it until the president told me. My staff didn't know about it until I told them. I know some people will say, "You're the head coach,' but there are a number of things like this that the head coach does not know.

Q: When was the last time you talked to Joe Paterno?

A: Joe and I got together last March at a Nike convention, and we had a very nice visit. But we never talk about the record. Neither one of us will bring it up.

Q: But you do want the record, right? You do want to retire as the all-time winner in Division I-A.

A: It's one thing I never lose a minute's sleep over. But yeah, I would like to be the guy who won more games because there's nobody behind us. Once one of us sets the record, it's going to stand for a long time. Jimbo was introducing me at one of the booster meetings and pointed out that if he coached 37 years and won 10 games a year, he would still be behind me. I guess that puts it into perspective.

Q: I've heard that you would really like to get to 400 victories. It would take you three seasons to do that.

A: To me that would work out just about right. If I could get there, and with Jimbo set to come in, then it would be pretty clear that it was time to get out.

Q: Will you know when it's time to go?

A: I think I will hear the voice telling me it's time. Of course, it could always be Ann (his wife). But my goal is the same. I want to win another championship. Then I want to drive off into sunset, I hope, and not be carried off.

Tony Barnhart writes for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.