To some, he's a legend. To others, he's senile.
He's the winningest coach in Division I-A history and just a dadgum nice guy.
Florida State coach Bobby Bowden is no doubt one of the faces of college football, but in his 32nd season in Tallahassee, he's enduring as much criticism as ever.
The 78-year-old Bowden is thought to be out of touch with his team and sometimes with reality, and since it looks like his tenure with the Seminoles could be drawing to a close, we at the alligatorSports Brand Picks Column wanted to find a nice place for him to go after his career as a coach is over.
We called up Julie Lerner, lifestyle enrichment director at HarborChase of Tallahassee, an assisted living community, to size up the joint for Bowden.
"It's a retirement community for seniors who need a little bit of assistance with activities of daily life," said Lerner, who has a nephew at UF. "We have four levels of care, starting from those who are pretty much completely independent."
OK, this sounds good so far. But would HarborChase cater specifically to Bowden's needs?
"A lot of our residents are here because they have memory loss issues," she said. "They can't remember to take their medicine, what time to eat a meal or to do laundry, so we are there to be reminders."
Bingo!
For a guy that once referred to FSU backup quarterback Xavier Lee as "the other guy" and often comments on players by their numbers, not names, memory is a chief concern.
Although, after seeing some of the shellackings the Seminoles have taken in the last few years, you can't blame Bowden for wanting to forget some things.
When Bowden does leave FSU, it will definitely be an emotional separation. It goes without saying that the patriarch of Seminoles football will still have some connection to the program.
Luckily, all the garnet-and-gold action can be caught in the common room at HarborChase on Saturdays, so Bowden won't miss a thing.
Actually, he might be just as involved in the game as a TV viewer as he is now on the sideline.
"My activities assistant is a big Florida State fan, so she leads them in the Indian War Chant thing with the arm hatchet-chop, whatever you call that thing," Lerner said.
Sounds like the head coach would be right at home, err well, in the home.
"I think when people think of a retirement or assisted living home, they think it's kind of somber and depressing," Lerner said. "Not here, we're doing all kinds of wild things and we have a good time."
Without a doubt, all the amenities and services of HarborChase would suit Bowden just fine, and his wife can join him in a plush, one bedroom apartment reserved for couples.
There is one last thing though. The home would have to be able to accommodate Bowden's celebrity status.
"My assistant said (Bowden) would be a real ringleader around here," Lerner said. "He'd be involved in all of the activities and heading them up.
"He'd probably like it here. It's a pretty happening place, I have to say."
It's settled then. Bowden to HarborChase.
Now, onto the picks!
Leading off with a record of 65-45 is Bryan "absentee-sports editor-in-chief" Jones, who involuntarily worked from the road Tuesday evening, giving his thanks at 80 mph down I-95. Nice try, buddy.
Not far behind at 64-46 is alligatorSports.org editor Brian, "Why drive in one lane, when you can use both?" Steele, who hopes his podcasting skills will one day land him a job at Lincoln Financial Sports.
Lagging in third at 60-50 is Mike "David Garrard may only score touchdowns on Sundays, but he can score on me any day of the week" McCall, who, like any diehard Eastern Carolina fan, roots for North Carolina in basketball. Go figure.
With a record of 59-51 and fulfilling her womanly duties in a cleanup role is assistant sports editor Jenna "Everytime Dan Werner scores a basket, an angel gets its wings" Marina, who decided to learn Spanish when she discovered she would be headed to Columbia for the South Carolina game.
And in dead-ass last place with a piss-poor record of 56-54 is Nick "Unless they bring "Prison Break" back, I'll be making my own writer's strike official" Zaccardi, who, like Marion Jones, will not be attending the Olympics in Beijing this year.
| BJ | JM | MM | BS | NZ | JL | |
| USC-ASU | USC | ASU | USC | USC | USC | ASU |
| Miss-MSU | MSU | MSU | MSU | Miss | MSU | Miss |
| Clem-SC | Clem | Clem | SC | SC | SC | SC |
| Tenn-UK | Tenn | Tenn | UK | UK | Tenn | Tenn |
| UConn-WVU | WVU | WVU | WVU | WVU | WVU | WVU |
| WF-Vandy | Vandy | WF | WF | Vandy | WF | Vandy |
| MD-NCST | MD | MD | NCST | MD | MD | MD |
| UGA-GaTech | UGA | UGA | UGA | UGA | UGA | UGA |
| Tul-ECU | ECU | ECU | ECU | Tul | Tul | Tul |
UF-FSU BJ: UF 52-41; JM: UF 59-49; MM: UF 35-20; BS: UF 35-17; NZ: UF 34-23; JL: UF 37-23
