I know the news of Tommy Bowden's departure from Clemson today makes some (okay, one) of you mad (TJ) and makes some (okay, a lot) of you glad (Megan, Jessica, Brian, Gene, George, Tony, etc.). I do agree that it was time for Tommy to leave. This year, the stars were aligned for Clemson to not only win the ACC, but possible contend for a national title as well. Well, with a 3-3 record (and 2 of those wins coming against 1-AA teams), those hopes have been shattered. As an Alabama fan, I guess you could say that we are partially responsible for the "firing/stepping down" of Tommy considering we hit them in the jaw the first game of the season. But then again, he is, or was, the coach and could have and should have done much better with the talent that he has, or had.
However, I would like to say just a few things about Tommy Bowden. Tommy led the Tigers to a 6-2 record over their rival, the Gamecocks. Living in the upstate I know how big of a stat that is (bragging rights are everything). Trust me, Bama has dropped six in a row to Auburn. Beating your rival is always great. Owning your rival is even better! But, you can't own your rival and lose games you shouldn't and still think that all is well. Fans love to beat their rivals, but they love to win a lot of games, too. Clemson fans want an ACC title and they thought that was going to happen this year. Not so fast my friends!
Also, from what I've heard about the man, Tommy Bowden, is that he is a great man. He is a man of faith and has inspired many spiritually. However, being spiritual doesn't win ball games and not winning ball games in the southeast gets one fired. Here's hoping that Tommy finds a school where he can win and that Clemson finds a coach that wins more than Bowden.
Feel free to leave a comment on who you'd like to see as the next HC at Clemson.
8 comments:
I'd like to see Nick Saban at Clemson.(Hey, you said to say who we would like!!) ;0) Tommy is a good person- but football is a business, that's just the way it is and personal feelings have to go to the back burner.... He's got 4 million dollars to cry in- he's gonna be fine.
Okay, who would you like to see as Clemson's new HC besides Nick Saban?!?!
This is wrong on so many levels.
Tommy ran a clean program - he wasn't cheating like some of his predecessors. In fact, only Frank Howard won more consistently than Tommy Bowden did.
And while everyone is saying they should have won the ACC - real football people knew better. Wake Forest is a physical football team, and has perhaps the best coach in the land in Jim Grobe. How good did people expect the team to be with so many young offensive lineman?
Tommy is a good Christian man, just like his father Bobby. The NCAA needs more people like that. By firing Coach Bowden they're saying that it's more important to win (even if it means cheating as some Clemson coaches did in the past), than to be a man of high integrity. That's the wrong precedent to set.
Clemson will never get a big name coach after the way they handled this! If you were a big-time coach, do you really want to coach for a program that's second best in the state (the SEC has tons more money), that will quit on you halfway through the year?
Many people forget that Notre Dame did this to Bob Davie several years ago. After Notre Dame fired Coach Willingham, they wanted to get Urban Meyer. Coach Meyer called Bob Davie, who then told Meyer "trust me, son, stay away from this". The Irish are still paying for that mistake!!
Or ask Texas A&M how well this works. They fired RC Slocum who never had a losing record in 15 seasons as head coach. They felt it was time for a change - so they hired Dennis Franchione. Because of this idiotic decision, Texas A&M won't be relevant for another 10 years - alas Baylor's Chuck Reedy firing.
Similarly, what if Virginia Tech had quit on Frank Beamer, who's record was actually worse than Bowden's after 10 seasons?
I can't see a big name coach taking the job. But then again, Phillip Fulmer will probably be fired, so expect to see his name come up. Ditto for Auburn's Tommy Tuberville.
For those of you that don't read my blog, let me say that I've thrown away my Clemson T-Shirts, and my Clemson visor that I play tennis in!!
Now I've learned that the Tigers let coach Rob Spence go - that was just as bad of a mistake. Coach Spence was the offensive coordinator @ Toledo prior to going to Clemson. His offenses averaged close to 40 points per game. In addition, look at Toledo's record with Spence (5 9 + win seasons), and without (back to back 5-7 seasons). Anyone that knows football knows that the transition between systems takes a few years - and Spence wasnt given the opportunity.
Now maybe I'm "old school" - but I'm disappointed in the Clemson players. I'm the type of guy that does what the coach says. I played for coaches that make Bobby Knight look like a Disney Character. All I heard yesterday was Cullen Harper and CJ Spiller whine about how Coach Bowden yelled at the players. How well will they do in the business world if they cant take any criticism?
I will conclude my comments by saying this. I'm disappointed in Clemson's integrity, I'm disappointed in the Clemson players, and I hope for nothing but the best for Tommy Bowden, Rob Spence, and the Clemson Tigers (even the ones I'm disappointed in).
I don't know who I would like to see as coach. I don't want someone that will bring a lot of hype to Clemson (like a Nick Saban). We seem to have a problem with high expectations - like being ranked 9th. I don't feel sorry for Tommy at all! He knows that college football is a business. I'm sure he learned that from his daddy. What job fires you and then gives you 4 million! Not mine. As tempting as it is to switch to tide, my heart is still with the tigers. Oh, one more thing - bring Danny Ford back! That's for you Mommy Jess. - M
Oh my goodness, M, I hope you're kidding about the Ford comment!! I agree with TJ- I think Bowden is an incredible man and was a good influence on the players. Notice how our guys have not had the jail record like some other SC teams... I was hoping the team would do well this year and help secure Bowden's position, but they didn't. Unfortunately,and realistically, this is what happens in football. It is sad, but it's the way it is. My blood runneth orange and always will. This is just part of the business end of football that isn't so pretty. Seriously, Chris, I would like to see Dabo stay for a while and see what he can do. I like him a lot and the players seem to, too. Saturday is going to be very interesting!!!
Maybe Danny Ford can coach the Mean Machine!
Chris, nice meeting you yesterday. I'll start working on two tickets for you for a Bama game this weekend. Shoot me an email with a cell or contact number when you have a second. ctbamafan@aol.com
Roll Tide!
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