I know that this is a hockey blog and trust me, HM is one of the most passionate NHL fans around, but I would be remiss if I did not pay my respects to one of the most legendary figures in sports who announced his retirement today. Bobby Bowden, who is retiring after 44 years as an NCAA coach, is in large part responsible for my sports fanaticism. Before I went to Florida State, I was just your average sports fan. But witnessing Bowden's fun n'gun offense during the golden years, I became a full-fledged sports junkie. Bobby spent a record 34 years at FSU and led the Noles to two Championship titles. He was known for his on the field "trick plays" but better known as a fair coach who listed his priorities in the following order: "God, Family, School and Football."
Listening to a Bowden press conference after a win or loss was always an adventure, you never quite know what he's going to say but you can rest assured it will be funny and probably prefaced with his signature term "dadgummit." Yes, the football program has seen its fair share of scandals, wide rights (I was there for both - ugh) and has fallen in recent years from its perch at the top, but no one can argue with the indelible footprint that Coach Bowden has left on this game he's loved for so long.
So HM will be tuning in to whatever bowl game FSU ends up in to witness the legendary Bowden on the Seminoles sidelines one last time, hoping the boys can give him his 389th win. And somewhere in the big blue yonder, HM's mom - the biggest Noles fan I've ever known - is wiping away a tear and doing an enthusiastic tomahawk chop to say good-bye to our favorite coach....
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