With his trademark “dadgums” and thick Southern drawl, legendary former Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden made an appearance on LSU’s campus. Bowden was the keynote speaker Saturday at the annual LSU Football Coaches Clinic.LSU coach Les Miles was thrilled to have Bowden make an appearance.”It’s an honor to have coaching legend Bobby Bowden be a part of our Coaches Clinic,” Miles said. “I have always respected and admired Ccoach Bowden because of what he has meant to the game of football.”Bowden — who ranks second in all-time Division-I victories — said he does not like to talk football strategy at these clinics, but he instead enjoys giving lessons of what he has learned in his more than 50 years of coaching.”I don’t talk X’s and O’s. I don’t know enough about them,” Bowden joked.But Bowden did touch on a wide array of topics, including how football players have changed throughout the years.”People ask me if kids have changed over the years,” Bowden said. “No, they haven’t changed. The parents have changed. They’ve quit raising their kids.”Bowden continued to tell the coaches to prepare for criticism, but to stick with their original plan.The former Seminoles head man also reminded the coaches they will probably be considered failures at some point in their careers but to keep pushing through.”Churchill, Edison, Nixon, Lincoln, Lombardi, Benjamin Franklin,” Bowden rattled off. “They all made mistakes, but they found a way to succeed. You’re not going to win all your games, but you find a way to change and win some.”Bowden was also asked about a former Florida State running back, Baton Rouge native and Catholic High School graduate Warrick Dunn.Dunn made an obvious impact on Bowden and his family.”I enjoyed coaching Warrick as much as any boy I’ve ever had,” Bowden said. “He was like a child to me. I’d take him right now.”Bowden also said his biggest mentor when he was a young coach coming up through the ranks was Paul “Bear” Bryant at Alabama.Bowden coached at Samford University, then known as Howard College, in Birmingham, Ala., from 1959-1962 and was only 50 miles away from the Crimson Tide’s Tuscaloosa campus. Bowden would regularly attend their practices to see what techniques Bryant used to be successful.He touched on having three sons in coaching as well.”I never wanted my boys to go into coaching,” Bowden said. “So of course three of my sons decided to go into coaching.”But Bowden said the worst was having to compete against his son Tommy head-to-head when he coached at Clemson.”I hate to see him lose, but I hate to see me lose more,” Bowden said.Bowden closed the day by thanking the coaches in attendance for grooming and producing so many talented players.”A lot of our success at Florida State came from Louisiana,” Bowden said. “There are enough great players from here to play anybody in the country.”
 
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Contact Rob Landry at [email protected]