'Biblically Correct'

If Bobby Bowden hadn’t made it as a college football coach, he would have been a good country preacher.

But Bowden hit the big time at Florida State and has achieved legendary status in 34 years with the Seminoles.

He is the second-winningest coach in the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I) history, one win behind another legend, Joe Paterno of Penn State. Bowden is 382-123-4 over 43 years as a head coach. JoePa is 383-127-3. Bowden is 79 years old, Paterno 82.

Neither coach shows any signs of getting out of the college football rat race any time soon.

“I got a time in mind, but I won’t say,” Bowden said prior to delivering the Sunday morning worship service at Mount Vernon United Methodist Church in Rocky Face. “A one-year deal means I can stop anytime I want.”

Will he coach one more year more than Paterno?

“I don’t know if I’ll live one more year than Joe. We don’t talk about it (a rivalry with Paterno) when we’re together, but we’re the only two up there,” said Bowden, nattily attired in a light gray suit and striped lavender tie. “It’ll be 30 or 40 years before anyone can catch us. I’ll be in the grave by then.”

Bowden admitted he keeps up with Paterno’s game each Saturday during the season.

“After games, I’ll find out,” he said. “Sometimes I’ll check at halftime. After the game somebody will always tell me how he did.”

But Sunday was Faith and Football Day at Mount Vernon. Bowden has managed to balance the two throughout his illustrious career, captivating media representatives and a full-house congregation in a two-hour time frame.

“Many coaches do the politically correct thing,” Bowden said. “I don’t believe in that. I do the biblically correct thing and try to do it the right way. We have a chaplain (at Florida State). We have FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) and I’m big in that. But it’s all voluntary.

Bowden’s well-publicized faith even comes in handy when he’s recruiting high school prospects. It sure worked with Lowndes cornerback Greg Reid, player of the year in Georgia.

“He (Reid) had a spiritual connection with coach Bowden right away,” Lisa Akin, Reid’s mother, was quoted by The Associated Press as saying last week after Reid signed with the Seminoles.

Bowden also said he writes to the parents asking them if it’s OK if he takes “their boy” to church.

“Out of my 34 years at Florida State, I’ve only had two parents say no,” the coach said.

Bowden’s Christianity also comes into play when Seminole players get into off-field trouble, and he’s seen his fair share of incidents over the years in Tallahassee.

In fact, the Seminoles are now awaiting whether the NCAA will cut scholarships over an academic cheating scandal that already caused two dozen players to miss four games. Bowden has dealt with a variety of player transgressions, including drinking and drugs.

“That bothers me terribly,” he said. “You usually find out at 2 in the morning when the police call saying they’ve arrested one of your boys. It’s not just at my school. It’s all over the country. That’s the way it is. It’s a sign of the times.”

Bowden preaches to his players to be exemplary role models, and most have little or no trouble having a positive effect on young people they come in contact with.

It’s the same for Bowden.

Alex Mashburn, a 9-year-old student at New Hope Elementary School was directly behind Bowden on Sunday, holding up two 8-inch-by-11-inch paper signs, colored in FSU colors, in support of the coach.

“This is just amazing,” Mashburn said. “My former music teacher has gone back to college and he’s at Florida State and I’m doing this for him.”

A three-man pick-up-Bowden team left the church at 4:20 a.m. Sunday for Chattanooga where they boarded a private plane and flew to Tallahassee. They arrived back at the church at 9:10 a.m. They left the church at 12:05 p.m. to catch the flight back to Florida.

Before his departure and after a glowing introduction by Pastor Bill Curington, Bowden captivated the larger crowd with football tales and how his faith has served him – and how he has served the Lord – over four decades in the game.

He was humorous.

He was biblically serious.

And always inspirational.

He broke the ice by saying his wife, Ann, goes with him to most speaking engagements within a 50-mile driving radius of Tallahassee.

“She drives everywhere we go,” he said. “I just hold the wheel.”

Bowden also told the audience that his wife also likes to watch all the TV cooking shows.

“I come home one day and she’s watching Emeril,” he said. “I asked her why she always watched those cooking shows? You never cook’ And she said, ‘Well, you watch football.’”

He had hooked everyone.

Bowden went on to say that nothing in life is guaranteed except Jesus Christ. You may have a beautiful home, he said, but over time it will crumble. A football victory is certainly not guaranteed. People may enjoy a great career and make a great amount of money, but you sure can’t take it with you.

“Did you know last year 51 billionaires died,” Bowden said. “Boy, I’d try and hang on as long as I could. I’d take every pill there is.”

That story, as did others, brought instantaneous laughter.

Among his closing comments, Bowden implored those in attendance to remember that God doesn’t reject man, men reject God.

“If you’re not saved,” he said, “I hope something I’ve said will trigger you to get with it. … Make yourself available. I’m going to tell you folks what I tell my team after our last game each year.This is the last time we’ll be together unless you go to heaven with me.”

At that moment, everyone believed Bobby Bowden.

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