Tommy Bowden weighs in on FSU

Former Clemson coach Tommy Bowden said he was disappointed by the comments of Florida State Board of Trustee chairman Jim Smith, who earlier this month called for FSU coach Bobby Bowden to step down after this season. ” [Smith] is a highly-educated man and those matters usually are handled behind closed doors,” Tommy Bowden said. “I have done this a long time and have worked with a lot of presidents, ADs and trustee members and I never have seen something like this handled that publicly by a person of his background. “My father will sit down at the end of the year and make a decision. Obviously, he has made a lot of good decisions over the course of his career. I get a little discouraged that some people don’t have enough faith in him to know that he’ll sit down and make a decision that is best for the university after the season. I don’t think he would jeopardize FSU’s chances to move forward.” – Yahoo!

Tommy Bowden Wants Back Into Coaching

The former Clemson coach wants back in the business. He is living in Panama City Beach, Fla., but he’s staying busy with various speaking engagements. “If the right situation comes up, I would be interested,” he said. “I will wait and see what opportunities come open. I had a chance to talk to a couple of schools after last season, one below I-A and the other in the Northeast. But I just decided to sit out this year.” Tommy Bowden, 55, coached Clemson from 1999-2008, compiling a 72-45 record (43-32 in the ACC). He led the Tigers to eight bowls but never was able to lead the program to an ACC title. – Yahoo!

Urban Meyer Supports Bobby Bowden

How do I know the end is near for Bobby Bowden?   Because on Monday University of Florida football coach Urban Meyer came out in support of the iconic Florida State coach.  Rule of thumb: When the coach of your biggest rival likes you and wants you to stay, it usually means it’s time to go.   ”I have great respect for coach Bowden, and we’ve become pretty good friends,” Meyer said Monday as pressure mounted for Bowden to step down at the end of this season. “It’s the nature of the beast. It’s not the positive part of this coaching profession. There are so many positives, and that’s the back end of the negative. I just have a lot of respect for him.” – Orlando Sentinel

Tommy Bowden on Bobby Bowden

So when Jim Smith, chairman of Florida State’s board of trustees, publicly stated recently he believes it’s time for the Bobby Bowden era to end at FSU in favor of Jimbo Fisher, it didn’t shake the foundation of the Bowden family. “It’s a big boys game,” said Tommy Bowden, one of Bobby’s coaching sons, prior to serving as guest speaker at Monday night’s CellularSouth 1st and 10 Club meeting at Heron Lakes Country Club. “Terry (North Alabama head coach), myself and my father always understood that. If you can’t handle criticism, then you don’t need to get into (coaching).” As for Smith’s statements, Bowden — who was fired in the middle of last season at Clemson — said there’s no one better prepared to handle such a situation than his father. “At 80,” Bowden said of his father, “you don’t feel much pressure. Maybe his bladder,” he joked. – Mobile Press-Register

Dabo Swinney the Wrong Hire at Clemson?

Sometimes, you get what you pay for. Last fall, Clemson had a chance to completely remake its program following Tommy Bowden’s departure. Starting in mid-October, athletic director Terry Don Phillips traveled the nation, talking with seasoned coordinators and sitting head coaches in search for Bowden’s optimal replacement. In the end, he settled on a choice he had available all along — interim coach Dabo Swinney — who had never been a head coach, much less a coordinator. Five games into Swinney’s first season, that decision threatens to turn the Tigers’ 2009 campaign into a learning experience, but not a winning one. Following Saturday’s disastrous 24-21 loss at Maryland, Clemson is 2-3, 1-2 in the ACC, heading into this week’s much-needed open date. And unless an anemic offense improves soon, even six wins and an Emerald Bowl trip might be a stretch. It’s time to admit the truth: like it or not, Swinney and much of his offensive staff are learning on the job, and that’s no way to win college football games. Right now, the Tigers have a rookie head coach, a 30-year-old, first-time offensive coordinator (Billy Napier) and a rookie quarterback (redshirt freshman Kyle Parker). Their offense has scored two offensive touchdowns in its last 13 quarters. – Independent Mail

Maryland AD “will evaluate” Ralph Friedgen

In February, when Maryland Athletic Director Debbie Yow named offensive coordinator James Franklin the eventual successor to Coach Ralph Friedgen, the vision was for Friedgen to finish out his contract after the 2011 season before handing the keys to the program to the well-regarded Franklin, who had spurned lucrative NFL and college football coaching offers. But now, with the Terrapins (1-3) off to their worst start since 1997, Yow’s plan now faces significant challenges. Maryland will enter Saturday’s ACC opener against Clemson having not beaten a power-conference team since Nov. 15. Friedgen is in danger of having his fourth losing season in the past six years. And the Terrapins have not finished a season ranked in the top 25 since 2003… At least equally troublesome for school officials is that the fan base is responding, using its wallet. Season ticket sales have steadily declined the past five seasons. The first three home crowds this season rank among the smallest since 2002, Friedgen’s second season. And Maryland has yet to secure long-term commitments for 23 of the 64 luxury suites at refurbished Byrd Stadium… But what is Maryland — and more specifically Yow — to do? Friedgen is owed about $4.5 million for the two remaining years on his contract. Regardless of how this season unfolds, buying Friedgen out of his remaining two years is considered unlikely, particularly given economic conditions. When asked Tuesday if Friedgen would return as coach next season, Yow said: “I will evaluate the status of the program after we play the entire season, not now, with eight games remaining. My focus is on supporting the team and our coaching staff. That focus will continue [until] season’s end.”… But Friedgen is facing significant scrutiny and questions about job security for the first time in his nine-year tenure. When asked Tuesday to assess his own performance this season, he said: “Obviously when you are 1-3, you are not going to say you did a great job. I have no problem looking myself in the mirror. I put everything I have into this. I didn’t work any less. I really don’t think I am any less of a coach than what I have always been… Jack Reale, Friedgen’s Atlanta-based attorney, said he did not anticipate Friedgen’s buyout being an issue because “I don’t see him going anywhere. I know there’s some question about how things are going.” Another wrinkle to Yow’s plan for the program’s future is an obligation to pay $1 million to Franklin if he does not become head coach following the 2011 season. With depth at wide receiver and running back, much was expected of Franklin’s West Coast offense. But the offensive line has been a glaring weakness, and Maryland ranks 84th nationally in scoring offense at 23.8 points per game. – Washington Post

Al Groh Likely Done at Virginia

You mean Al Groh hasn’t been fired yet? Coaches more successful than Groh - who is 56-47 in nine seasons at Virginia - have gotten canned, so it would seem his ouster is imminent. The Cavaliers have endured losing seasons in two of the past three seasons and appear spiraling downhill this season with an 0-3 start. Losing to FCS member William & Mary in the season opener had to inflame what already was a hot seat. Then, last week the Cavaliers blew a 27-10 lead and lost 37-34 to Southern Miss. The Cavs are idle this week. Maybe the extra practice time will enable Groh to shore up areas in which the Cavs are struggling. Perhaps they will bounce back and have a strong run through October and November. But the Cavs couldn’t beat William & Mary, so their chances against North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Miami, Clemson and Virginia Tech don’t appear good. Can Groh survive another losing season? Not likely. – Yahoo.com

Al Groh on Way Out at Virginia?

Virginia coach Al Groh’s seat went from lukewarm to hot in one half. There were plenty of reasons to doubt Virginia’s bowl eligibility this fall — the Cavaliers lost their top five pass catchers from a year ago, their leading rusher, three standout linebackers, and brought in a new offensive coordinator with a new offense. There were no excuses, though, to lose to William & Mary, 26-14. There are never any excuses for seven turnovers. It was the Tribe’s first win over an FBS opponent since 1998 and the first against an ACC opponent since it beat — go figure, Virginia — in 1986. This loss will linger over the conference like Clemson’s did last year, but this one is even more embarrassing. – ESPN.com

Clemson Fires Bowden

Football Rumor Mill has confirmed that Clemson has fired Coach Tommy Bowden. WR Coach Dabo Swinney will take over as interim head coach.

More to come…

The Firing Line: Focus on Tommy Bowden

“The Firing Line” at Football Rumor Mill focuses on coaches around the country who are in serious jeopardy. The latest edition centers on Clemson Coach Tommy Bowden…

The same rites could have been administered to Tommy Bowden’s coaching career at the school. In fact, Clemson fans might want to begin passing the hat. They will need to pony up $4 million to buy out Bowden’s contract and send him on his way at season’s end. It is not likely Terry Don Phillips, Clemson’s athletics director, will make a coaching change at midseason. He often has said he waits until season’s end to make that call. For now, though, it appears Bowden is the program’s caretaker for six more games. – The State

The Tommy Bowden fan club arrived in a minivan and left in a Toyota Corolla. Times are tough, and tougher after a 12-7 loss Thursday night at No. 21 Wake Forest… We all got fooled again. Tommy Bowden’s Clemson teams do not win 12 games in a season, or 11 or 10. They win seven or eight. No more than nine. No fewer than six. We should have known better. But meet the new boss. Same as the old boss, for now. He is 9-for-9 getting Clemson teams qualified for bowl games. Fans of a lot of other college football programs will take that. A lot of Clemson people will not. – Post & Courier

Entering the season, it was tough to ID an obvious coach in danger of losing his job in the ACC. Six schools had made hires in the last two offseasons, Bobby Bowden and Frank Beamer probably should be able to dictate their own departures, Jim Grobe probably is near that status, Al Groh was last year’s league coach of the year and Ralph Friedgen’s contract made him reasonably safe barring a total freefall. As for Tommy Bowden, he had a fat new contract and his best roster ever. Clemson fans were already restless when the Tigers choked two weeks against Maryland. It can only be worse tonight. Bowden’s buyout is $4 million — it shrinks to a mere $3.5 million if he’s dismissed after Dec. 1 — so money might be an issue now that it seems pretty certain Clemson won’t win its first ACC title since 1991. But with the Tigers scuffling along as they are wont to do, perhaps it won’t be. – Washington Times

Thursday night was a great chance to watch Tech’s next ACC opponent: Clemson. They say Tommy Bowden always wins the game he needs to win to avoid getting fired. Thursday’s visit to Wake Forest was supposedly another one of those do-or-die moments. Well, it won’t be pretty around Clemson this week. The Demon Deacons won 12-7 and all but ended the Tigers’ chances of capturing the ACC’s Atlantic Division. Wake is 2-0, Clemson 1-2 in conference play. – Atlanta Journal-Constitution

It’s a 12-game season. Plenty of time for his Clemson football team to turn things around. His problem: At this rate, Bowden might not be around long enough to preside over a dramatic about-face. If a home defeat to Maryland didn’t warrant reaching for the panic button, then surely Thursday night’s 12-7 defeat at No. 21 Wake Forest did. – Post & Courier

This is Bowden’s 10th year at Clemson, and he’s never had a losing season, overall or in conference. But he’s never won an ACC title, and his teams inevitably stumble on the biggest stages. That’s not good enough at Clemson. Ask Ken Hatfield. The contract extension Bowden signed after last season? The buyout is a reported $3.5 million after Dec. 1, chump change when donors demand change. Conversely, Jim Grobe has lifted Wake Forest (4-1, 2-0) to heights unknown for the small Baptist school. Since enduring three consecutive losing seasons from 2003-05, Wake is 24-8 overall, 13-5 in the ACC. Grobe is a clever strategist and sound manager — his practice of mass redshirting freshmen was a masterstroke. But he and his staff also have recruited a caliber of athlete rarely seen in the Deacons’ program. – Daily Press

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