Crazy in the Head Coaches

The two winningest coaches in Division I college football also happen to be the winninest active coaches in the sport. Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden have been coaching a combined 91 years at that level. In that time, they have amassed a total of 765 wins between the two of them.

They also have two national championships each.

In fact Paterno, the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions since 1966, has only one more win than Bowden, who has coached at a number of schools including Howard, West Virginia, and at Florida State from 1976 to the present.

Unfortunatly for fans of the Seminoles, that one game gap is about to widen significantly. The NCAA comittee of infractions announced that Florida State must vaccate victories in 10 sports in which student-athletes guilty of achidemic fraud participated between the years 2006 and 2007.

In the case, 61 FSU athletes are accused of receiving help while taking online tests.

That translates to 14 wins that Bowden and FSU will be forced to erase from their tally. Unfortuantly, the schools that lost in those games will not recieve credit for a victory either, and those games will basically be voided from existance.

This set back means that Bowden will probably retire behind Paterno after years of racing neck and neck. Bowden signed a one-year contract extension in January, but his assisstant coach Jimbo Fisher is set to take the reigns of the program by at least 2011.

Judging by the Nittany Lion's 11-2 record last year, in comparison to the Seminole's 9-4 finish, Bowden has a very slim chance of regaining the lead. Keep in mind, however, that Paterno turns 83 this year and maybe should turn in the clipboard sometime soon.

At 79, Bowden isn't too spry himself, but at least he is still able to prowl the sidelines like younger coaches, and unlike Paterno who resignes himself to the press box during game time to let his assisstants do most of the chest bumps and take the Gatorade baths at the end of the game.

All five of Paterno's kids are Penn State grads. All three of Bowden's kids have been college coaches. You might remember that Tommy Bowden was outed from Clemson last season.

Bowden and Paterno are two of only four active head coaches to have already been inducted into the college football hall of fame along with Chris Ault of Nevada and John Gagliardi of St. John's. In fact, Gagliardi is the wins leader of all college football with 461 wins. St. John's University competes at the Division III level.

In all fairness, I don't believe its fair to punish Bobby Bowden for something involving things he clearly does not understand, the Internet and academic standards.

Or maybe this means that Bowden is being negligent and that he needs to step down as head coach because he has grown out of touch with the sport and his program. He is a legendary coach that has overstayed his welcome and needs to learn how to let go.