Column: Bowden Bowl I was Supposed to be Bobby vs. Terry
When it comes to the 1999 season for Florida State football, there were a lot of memorable firsts.
As many fans of the garnet and gold are aware, the Seminoles became the first team in the history of the AP Poll to go wire-to-wire as No. 1. The season was also the lone perfect campaign in the legendary tenure of head coach Bobby Bowden. FSU capped the 12-0 campaign with a 46=29 victory over Michael Vick, Frank Beamer and Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl. “We're #1! – The Story of 1999 Florida State Football” will air on ACC Network on Sept. 19.
The Oct. 23 contest against Clemson that season marked the first time that a father and son squared off as head coaches in major college football history. In what would be FSU’s closest game of the season, Bobby Bowden’s Seminoles overcame an 11-point second-half deficit to tame Tommy Bowden and the Tigers, 17-14.
The contest came to be known as “Bowden Bowl I.” During Tommy Bowden’s Clemson tenure, he matched up with his father’s FSU team nine times, finishing a respectable 4-5 in the series.
While Tommy and Bobby Bowden made history in 1999, it was nearly another Bowden son who was first to challenge his father — Terry Bowden.
Terry Bowden coached Auburn from 1993 to 1998, leading the Tigers to a 47-17-1 record and one SEC Championship appearance. His tenure on the plains was highlighted by a perfect season in 1993.
Unfortunately for Terry Bowden, Auburn was on probation for his first season at the helm and ineligible for postseason. Instead, he had to watch from home during bowl season as his father led FSU to its first national championship. Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward engineered a game-winning drive in a narrow 18-16 victory over No. 1 Nebraska in the Orange Bowl.
On Oct. 23, 1998 — one year to the date before Bowden Bowl I — Terry Bowden resigned midway through the season. Auburn was in the midst of a 1-5 start and struggling with recruiting and off-the-field issues.
Although Bowden did not make it to 1999, the season opener that year was scheduled to be a matchup of father and son as Auburn was slated to make the trip to Tallahassee. Following a 3-8 finish in 1998, Auburn hired Tommy Tuberville. The Tigers ultimately paid $500,000 to back out of the scheduled Thursday night showdown at FSU.
Terry Bowden’s resignation eliminated the chance of any potential matchup with his father. He went on to begin a broadcast career and wouldn’t return to coaching until 2009 — Bobby Bowden’s final season at FSU. Terry Bowden spent three years at North Alabama, an NCAA Division II program, before going on to coach Akron and Louisiana-Monroe where he currently serves as head coach.
With the possibility of a Terry vs. Bobby contest already out the window, the cancellation of the 1999 contest ultimately thwarted a potential revenge game for the Bowden family. Instead, FSU began its national championship campaign with a 41-7 trouncing of quarterback Tim Rattay and Louisiana Tech.
Chris Weinke found Anquan Boldin for a pair of touchdowns while FSU wide receiver Peter Warrick put on a show with 162 yards from scrimmage, including an electrifying 20-yard touchdown run in which he reserved field and put the Seminoles ahead for good. Auburn opened its 1999 season by rallying past then Division I-AA program Appalachian State, 22-15.
Over his 34 years as head coach at FSU, Bobby Bowden faced Auburn nine times, going 4-5 in those contests. None of those matchups, however, took place over his final 19 seasons. The legend passed away on this day two years ago.
While neither a Bowden Bowl nor a revenge game between FSU and Auburn ever materialized, it’s hard to picture that matchup being any sweeter for Seminole fans than the lone matchup between the schools since. To cap the 2013 season, Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston engineered the greatest comeback in BCS National Championship history as FSU erased an 18-point deficit to top the Tigers in Pasadena, 34-31.
The victory concluded one of the most dominant seasons in college football history. Under Jimbo Fisher, a former assistant under both Terry and Bobby Bowden, FSU beat its opponents by an average of about six touchdowns per contests that year.
The title team also features a handful of holdovers, such as Jacobbi McDaniel and Demonte McAllister, from Bobby Bowden’s final recruiting class. As thrilling as the victory was for fans of the garnet and gold, one can safely conclude that it wasn’t as nerve-racking for “Mrs. Ann” and the Bowden family as any of the matchups between Tommy and Bobby were — or the one between Terry and Bobby would have been.
- Mike Ferguson is the lead writer for Double Fries No Slaw. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson. For all of his work, “Like” or “Follow” Mike on Facebook.
