Bowden: Please Let Me Come Home

By Jay Coulter
jccoulter@gmail.com

Undoubtedly you’ve heard the news that Terry Bowden wants back into coaching. It’s hard to believe it will be 10 seasons next year since he roamed the Auburn sidelines.

Since Rich Rodriguez accepted the Michigan job, Bowden has been screaming to anyone that will listen that he wants the West Virginia job. It would certainly make for an interesting storyline next year when Auburn travels north to face the Mountaineers.

But does anyone honestly believe that West Virginia would take a chance on a coach who hasn’t walked the field since the days of the Clinton Administration?

And let’s not forget; before there was Bobby Petrino, there was Terry Bowden. West Virginia should be leery of hiring a coach who walked out on his team half-way through the 1998 season out of fear of losing his job at the end of the year. When the going gets tough, you just leave. Right Terry?

It was a gutless, shameful act that resulted in Bowden being put in coaching purgatory for the last decade. SMU even looked the other way when he showed interest in its job a few weeks back.

In Bowden’s mind, he’s a redeemed man, who in recent years has spent time watching and commenting on college football and that has somehow made him a better coach.

At the beginning of the year he announced that he would be an "unpaid" adviser to his dad at Florida State. That worked out well. The vaunted Seminole offense, with its 7-5 record, will be taking on Kentucky in the Music City Bowl.

Thanks for the help son.

Bowden has become an embarrassing caricature of his former self. He’s practically thrown himself on his alma mater, proclaiming the position to be his dream job.

Surely no one in their right mind would call coaching football in Morgantown, West Virginia, a dream job? That’s a reach even for an alumnus. Ask Rich Rodriguez that question.

The irony in all of this is that Clemson coach Tommy Bowden (Terry’s brother) gave Rodriguez his first real break by promoting him to offensive coordinator at Tulane and then taking him to Clemson.

In turn, Rodriguez made West Virginia into a national power that will ultimately look at Terry Bowden and say, "We can do better."

You can never escape your past. Right Terry?