One of Florida State University's most powerful alums said Sunday that this should be Bobby Bowden's last season as the Seminoles' football coach.
Jim Smith, the chair of the university's Board of Trustees and a 1962 graduate of FSU, also said it is time to eliminate any doubt about
Jimbo Fisher's
role and responsibilities in the football program.
"My hope is frankly that we'll go ahead, and if we have to, let the world know that this year will be the end of the Bowden Era," said Smith, who has served as Secretary of State, Chief of Staff in the Governor's Office and State Attorney General. "… I do appreciate what he's done for us, what he's done for the program, what's he done really for the state of Florida.
ADVERTISEMENT
"But I think the record will show that the Seminole Nation has been more than patient. We have been in a decline not for a year or two or three but I think we're coming up on seven or eight. I think enough is enough."
Smith said the change in command should not come until after the season.
"We are dependent on the goodwill and the financial resources of thousands of people to make this program work effectively," Smith said. "And we don't have any goodwill out there right now. … People have had it.
"The Board of Trustees, and I think, the President - we can't ignore that. That's a fact."
Bowden said on Sunday he "knows in the back of his mind" when he will retire. Bowden added that it will be a decision he will make after the season, and after meeting with Wetherell.
Smith confirmed that FSU President T.K. Wetherell and legal counsel Betty Steffens have been working in recent weeks on finalizing a head coaching contract for Fisher, the offensive coordinator who was named "head coach in waiting" in 2007.
The Democrat has learned that a contract with Fisher would include a five-year term.
"The President intends to announce we've negotiated a contract with Coach Fisher," Smith said.
The board of trustees is not involved in the matters of evaluating or approving contracts of FSU athletic staff. But Smith said that it would be accurate to say the group is encouraging Wetherell to move ahead with the Bowden succession plan, or at least a new contract for Fisher. Wetherell announced his retirement in June, and the university is currently searching for his successor.
Wetherell did not return phone calls seeking comment on Sunday.
"T.K. and I have talked about this," Smith said. "The reason there is some sense of urgency is we're in the middle of this presidential search and the last thing we want to do is have a brand new president … faced with having to deal with this problem. So I think that is another reason it is moving along a little bit, and a very important reason."
That contract is expected to grant Fisher the authority to replace long-time defensive coordinator
Mickey Andrews, who is expected to retire at season's end, and to make other changes on the coaching staff.
A deal for Fisher would also quash rumors that impact FSU's recruiting efforts. It was one of the reasons Wetherell came up with the succession plan in December 2007.
Smith said the focus on Fisher's head coaching contract is "driven to a great extent by some of the unfortunate comments that (Bobby's son) Terry Bowden has made in the Alabama press that we are going to magically find $5 million to pay Jimbo Fisher off so his dad can continue to coach here. … That has hurt us in recruiting and lots of other ways.
"To announce this contract I think would put an end to that kind of foolish conversation. Because we know who the head coach is going to be, and we've known that for two years and it's going to be Jimbo Fisher."
After two straight losses and a 2-3 start to the 2009 season, Fisher himself has caught some heat from fans.
"They just have to deal with the reality," Smith said. "A couple of years ago the decision was made that he would be the coach in waiting. I think that has yielded us two good recruiting years. I think if we had not done that, we would have had dismal recruiting the past two years.
"I think Jimbo Fisher is the real deal. I think he will be an excellent head coach. We made that decision a couple of years ago. I think it was a good decision there."
Without a clear succession plan for Fisher to take over, the perception of instability in the program has cast a long shadow of uncertainty that has made Florida State an easy target on the recruiting trails and has left thousands upon thousands of Seminole fans disenchanted. The fact that Fisher has not been received as the clear voice as the top assistant coach on Bowden's staff has "blurred lines of authority," Smith said.
FSU won national championships in 1993 and 1999 under Bowden, now nearly halfway through his 34th season at FSU. An unprecedented run from 1987-2000 of 14 consecutive seasons of top-five finishes and double-digit victories has been considered the standard in
college football
.
Since that run ended with the 2001 season, FSU has won 10 games in a season just once and has participated in a
BCS Bowl just three times.
"We're not paying to support an average or mediocre program," Smith said. "We're paying for a quality program, and we're not getting that right now."
