Bobby Bowden will stay away from Florida State games

Bobby Bowden also plans to attend football games this year but will probably stay away from Florida State games. “Oh I will follow them on television and pull for them, but I want the other guy to have complete free reign,” he said. “I don’t want anyone to think I am looking over his shoulder. I plan to get out of his way and let him go. But I will definitely be pulling for him. I think there is a greater chance that I will be following Terry and Jeffrey at Northern Alabama. It’s just something I have never been able to do, and it will be great to sit in the stands with my wife and watch my kids coach. There is no doubt that I will do that. – Macon Telegraph

Assistant coaches’ salaries spiking in football

Trickle down economics are alive and well in college football. With many contracts being negotiated or finalized, nearly a dozen schools in the NCAA’s 120-school Football Bowl Subdivision have made deals under which they will be spending at least 38% more on their offensive or defensive coordinator in 2010 than they did in 2009. These increases come a year after four assistants — Tennessee’s Monte Kiffin and Ed Orgeron, Texas’ Will Muschamp and Washington’s Nick Holt — joined Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher in having deals worth at least $600,000 a year. (Kiffin and Orgeron have moved to Southern California, and Fisher has become Florida State’s head coach.) They also come amid continuing financial distress within higher education. – USA Today

East Carolina DC Greg Hudson to Florida State?

East Carolina defensive coordinator Greg Hudson remains the leading candidate to become Florida State’s linebackers coach, sources have told NoleInsider.com. Hudson has been offered the position and is leaning toward accepting the job. Sources indicate Hudson is expected to visit the FSU campus on Monday to get an up-close look at the program and if that visit goes well, he will likely accept the position. If he comes to Florida State, Hudon will likely have the additional title of associate head coach for defense in addition to linebackers coach. There is a chance, however, he may decide against it and while things are looking good for the ‘Noles to land Hudson, it is far from a done deal. Another source tells NI, “It’s not 100%. It could still go the other way.”- NoleInsider.com

Bobby Bowden to Retire

NoleInsider.com has confirmed through multiple sources that, barring a last minute change of heart, legendary Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden plans to announce his retirement from coaching Tuesday. Bowden, who has been the head coach at FSU since 1976, leaves the school as one of the winningest coaches in college football history. His 388 career victories are second all-time in college football history behind Penn State’s Joe Paterno. Bowden will coach his final game with the Seminoles in their bowl game. Florida State finished a 6-6 regular season with a 37-10 loss to in-state rival Florida last Saturday in Gainesville. Bowden’s final home game was a 29-26 win against Maryland to get the Noles to bowl eligibility for the 28th straight season. There are unconfirmed rumors that the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville may try to put together a West Virginia vs. Florida State matchup to honor Bowden’s last game as a head football coach. Bowden was the head coach in Morgantown from 1970-75 prior to taking the FSU job. He spent 1966-69 as the offensive coordinator for the Mountaineers. – NoleInsider.com

Bobby Bowden wants to coach FSU in 2010

Less than 24 hours after he made national news by saying he had some “soul searching” to do following his team’s 37-10 loss to No. 1 Florida, Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden had apparently found the answer. He wants to remain the head coach. “Right now I would like to come back,” Bowden said in his Sunday teleconference with the media. “The only thing I can say is right now, sitting right here - and I guess it could change in a day or two, it could - but right now, I would like to come back. “Still, I’ve got bosses. I’ve got people that would have to approve it.” – Tallahassee Democrat

Bobby Bowden to do some ’soul searching’

For the first time in his 34 seasons at Florida State as coach, Bobby Bowden seemed unsure if he wanted to continue his remarkable coaching career any longer. Only minutes after the Seminoles were demolished by No. 1 Florida for the second straight season, losing 37-10 in Bowden’s final trip to the Swamp, Bowden didn’t sound like he’d be coaching at FSU again in 2010. “I want to coach next year, but let me say I need to go home and do some soul searching,” Bowden said… FSU officials are expected to meet with Bowden and coach-in-waiting Jimbo Fisher on Monday, and an announcement regarding Bowden’s fate could be announced as early as Monday or Tuesday, according to the source… “I’ve got to see how I absorb the game,” Bowden told ESPN.com afterward. “I need to run the game through my mind a few times. I want to coach, but I’ve got to think about it.” – NoleInsider.com, an ESPN Affiliate

FSU to offer Bobby Bowden compromise?

A Florida State official said university president T.K. Wetherell leans toward keeping Bobby Bowden for 2010 (with conditions), but it’s not definite: “T.K. makes his mind up and then waffles.” FSU officials privately have discussed giving Bowden the option to coach one final season (which he wants), while also allowing coach-in-waiting Jimbo Fisher to hire and fire assistants this offseason and essentially run the program, even with Bowden there. Of the 11 trustees, three strongly want Bowden gone, and several others see merit in a change. – Miami Herald

Bowden eyes 2010 return, but FSU has made no decision

Bobby Bowden, 80, wants to stay another season at Florida State, his wife and associates say. There are others who want him to move on. FSU officials who’ll make the decision with Bowden in the coming weeks aren’t publicly leaning either way. Three days before what could be Bobby Bowden’s final game on the sideline of Florida State’s Doak Campbell Stadium, this much is clear: If left to him, he’ll be back as Seminoles coach next year, and Saturday won’t be a farewell. Bowden said as much in an interview with USA TODAY on Tuesday, disclosing he has made a decision on whether he’d like to return for a 35th season: “You can figure it out. … Here I am, 80 years old, and I’m just as excited now as I was 50 years ago as far as going on the field and looking at film and making decisions here in the office.” The uncertainty irks Ann Bowden… “They’ll have to fire him for him not to go another year … If they’ve got guts enough to do it, let them do it.”… FSU athletics director Randy Spetman said a verdict on his return will be a “partnership decision” reached by himself, Bowden and school President T.K. Wetherell at the end of the regular season. He doesn’t discount Bowden’s 314 wins in 34 years with the Seminoles’ and their elevation to a dominant program in the late 1980s and ’90s. “You have to give that a great amount of thought,” Spetman said. “How do you take care of that? What’s the right direction? … What’s best for an individual who helped build the program and for the university?” – USA Today

Florida State’s Bobby Bowden laughs off UAB rumors

Bobby Bowden laughed on Tuesday after Florida State’s practice when he was asked whether he’d heard the latest Internet speculation about his future ? that he’s going to coach at UAB after he leaves FSU. The Bowden to UAB rumor has spread on Internet message boards in recent days amid questions about Bowden’s future at Florida State beyond this season. “I have heard that,” Bowden said of the UAB rumor, laughing. “I have heard that. And [Bowden's son and former Clemson coach] Tommy’s going with me. Have you heard that? Yeah, I’ve heard that. “I’ve even had people from Birmingham call. I don’t know where it started ? there or here or what.” Bowden shook his head and said, “You know, you hear so many different rumors, you get immune to them.” – Orlando Sentinel

Bobby Bowden has own timetable for exit from Florida State

Florida State coach Bobby Bowden continues to give indications that if he has anything to say about his future, it will include coaching the Seminoles beyond this season. The latest hint Bowden gave that he will not slip quietly away after this season came in a radio interview he gave Wednesday to an AM station in Raleigh, N.C. Bowden also told host David Glenn of Sports Radio 850 “The Buzz” that he will not discuss his exit strategy because he doesn’t want a highly publicized countdown to the end. “I know I am in the last years - I say plural - of my career,” said Bowden in a transcript of the interview available on ACC Sports Journal. “My days are numbered. I did not want to say, ‘Well, I’m going to leave at this time.’ I already know when I’m going to leave. And [coach-in-waiting] Jimbo Fisher knows when I’m going to leave. He and I have talked about it.” – Florida Times-Union

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