APRIL/MAY 2001

CHARLIE BARNES

HOW DO YOU MEASURE THE SUM OF A LEGEND?

Bobby Bowden will be our Head Coach for a substantial while longer, and there is no doubt that at the conclusion of The Dynasty, he will be remembered for remarkable professional achievements. Under almost any definition, Bobby Bowden must be numbered among those counted as great men.
The numbers will tell the story. The number of 10-win seasons, the number of years finishing among the Top Four, the number of conference titles. We'll point with pride to the number of players who earned their college degrees and the young men who were drafted by the NFL.
But numbers aren't the only way to define the man. The memory of any human being is shaped primarily by a stream of mundane, routine encounters.
There is no better place to measure those encounters than on the Web sites devoted to Seminole athletics.
Many of the sites maintain message boards where fans can exchange comments.
One evening in mid-January, "Dr. Nole" asked, "Have you ever met/spoken to Bobby Bowden?" That one question opened the floodgates.
Yes, numbers paint the man large. But it's the small stories, our fans' memories of brief encounters with their Coach, that chronicle those endearing qualities so deeply interwoven into the legend.
Here are just a few of those responses.
This one is from "wrightnole": "Yes, a few times. One of the things I liked about Bowden is what you see is what you get. Not a whole lot of pretense. He's a class act. Probably one of the funniest guys I've ever been around."
This, from "anolefan": "We hosted his annual golf tournament and I just spoke to him briefly and took some pictures. He was great; very down-to-earth and very accommodating."
"Jedi Nole" wrote: "The first time, I shook his hand back at Doak Campbell Stadium after the 1977 defeat of Florida! I was a senior and everyone was going mad all over campus, jumping into the fountain in front of Westcott. I think between ten and fifteen thousand people went to the stadium to greet the team. EVERYONE was screaming and cheering the team, and going on the field with them I was on my boyfriend's shoulders (now my husband) and Coach Bowden walked by and shook my hand!!!"
From "Doc": "I chaired three of his golf tournaments & banquets, plus went to the Capitol and the White House with him twice. Most fun was picking Coach and Ann up at the airport, with much kidding about how much luggage she had, and driving them around Washington. He is as smart as anyone I know, very funny and inquisitive about anything historical, and very willing to listen and talk to any 'Nole."
There are Gators who sometimes swagger onto our boards looking to pick a fight.
One in particular evidently got sick of hearing about Bowden. He said that his impression was that Bowden was more of a "Jimmy Swaggert style of personality, and not someone I would care to know."
Some regular Gator visitors come in peace. Gator 'Huggy Bear' said, "Yes, I met Bowden after a prayer breakfast in 1994. I really thought he was a great man and I have liked him ever since. Not that I root for him when he plays the Gators or anything, but I do like him."
A writer named "animal robb" submitted this: "In my days as a Marching Chief, we occasionally took practice over at the stadium. After one of those sessions, a group of us were walking past the coaches' cars in the parking lot when Coach Bowden popped out of the Moore Center on his way to his car. We made the usual huzzah for him, and he turned and approached us. He took time to ask how we were doing - I remember copious use of the word 'Buddy' - and thanked us for all our hard work, time and spirit."
From "wanole": "I hit golf balls with him for an hour or so Really enjoyable and a hell of a nice man "
From "NC NoleMan": "He is a genuinely nice person who takes the time to talk to the 'unimportant' people as much as the bigshots."
From "noleanimal": "Last year, he came to my church to speak, and let me tell you if you haven't heard him speak behind the pulpit, it is truly inspirational. He spoke from the heart. Not one thing about football was mentioned."
From "omahanole": "The first I met him in the office I was overwhelmed. He had that huge desk, his golf clubs leaning against the wall and pictures of himself with Burt, Presidents, former players, etc. He was as nice as could be and it will be one of my favorite memories forever."
"Bret", a frequent message board participant, and prolific essayist for Seminole Territory, said he'd met Bowden only once. "The whole conversation lasted about twenty seconds. I apologized for taking his time, but wanted to thank him for something. He said, 'Nah, I got plenty of time.'
"... I thanked him again and started walking away. He said, 'No problem, buddy.'"
An entry on another school's message board reported: "There's some sort of love fest going on over on Seminole TerritoryIt's nauseating. They're blubbering on and on about their Coach."
One of his fellow rivals responded coyly: "What's that guy's name again?"
HmmmThe name would be Bowden, but call him "Bobby." "The Great."

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