Is It Time For Bobby Bowden to Call It Quits from Seminole Football?

As a diehard Nole football fan and alum of the Florida State University, it pains me to say that it is time for our great leader, Bobby Bowden to call it quits. No longer do the Noles place fear into their opponents heart when they walk onto the field of Doak Campbell Stadium. No longer are sports casters raving about the quality of Nole players who step on the field. It has gotten so bad that very rarely are the Noles seen on prime time stations. Instead they are playing on ESPNU or ESPN classic stations. What has happened to the good quality players that once made up the Seminole football team?

I was there in the early 1990's when Charlie Ward and the rest of the hungry Nole players one the title. It brought pride to all of Tallahassee and all Noles everywhere. We were the team to beat and everyone around us were scared to meet with us. There was no stopping Nole football!

I remember when students would literally fight in lines or sleep for days in tents hoping to get "good" student tickets just to watch the Noles play, even if it we were playing a team we knew we could be. It was all about team spirit and watching our Noles take care of business. We were the team to beat for we were FSU.

I remember those days when Mickey would yell at players to get their act together with spit flying out of his mouth. I remember the passion and fire the defense players had when Mickey spoke as it seemed to stir up a hidden desire which burned deep within the players. Once it was time for the defense to get back on the field it was all over.

I remember those days when Bobby would not explain why the team was not making plays or not scoring the way they should. The only thing Bobby had to say was "dang nabbit" and the view audience knew he meant business. If Bobby ever threw that hat down, you knew he was highly upset with his players and the needed to fly right or sit down. There was nothing stopping Bobby back in those days as his love for the game was evident on every play and every decision he called on the field.

Nowadays there seem to be less of Mickey's yelling, Bobby's "dang nabbits", and all around less of passion among the Nole players. I mean we still have great speed and great talent but it just seems like the players have gotten complacent with the fact that they are NOLE FOOTBALL PLAYERS. I know that for many this may seem harsh but FSU football is one of the life lines that breathes throughout Tallahassee. Instead today, it looks like the Nole players have stopped trying and altogether stopped breathing.

I know there is no way that we will every return to the glory of the 1990's as the players on those squads were phenomenal. I just want our current Nole players and the rest of the football staff to realize that it is hard for Nole fans to sit down and watch our team get beat at home--- did you forget that we "choked" other teams in the Doak and not the other way around? I get so tired of ESPN commentators talking about how badly the Noles are playing or how we have NEVER been unranked for SO many years as we have in the 2000s. I just want that good ol' Nole football back and from a fan is that too much to ask?

So if it means starting from scratch with a new batch of football staff members to reclaim that Nole glory then so be it. I would rather Bobby go out in a blaze of glory than to retire than to be considered the "coach with the most wins ever in college football who lost it all at the end." From a diehard Nole fan, what will it take for FSU football to win again?

April Lisbon-Peoples is a growth and development coach who enjoys inspiring her clients to find their life's purpose through becoming visionaries. She the founder and CEO of Running Your Race, a coaching practice designed for individuals who are ready to awaken their visions and create their destiny.

April has written various articles focusing on elevating and motivating people as they aim towards reaching their highest potential. She aspires to help her clients live their dreams while gaining and maintaining a level of healthy success. So if you are ready to fly like the eagles and see your vision come to past, then visit her at http://www.creatingmyvision.com or e-mail her at creatingvision@gmail.com

History of College Football

The origins of American College Football began in the 1800's in England. In Europe, the term football generally means what Americans called soccer. The American game of football evolved from the British game of rugby. It did not, however, come directly to America, but has developed through some twists and turns in its history. We will take a look at the origin of American Football, and some of the steps taken to bring it along to the game we now recognize as American College Football.

In the mid 1800's, kids in public schools in England were playing a game with a ball that involved picking it up and running with it. It became known as rugby football because of its popularity and further development at Rugby School, one of the UK's leading co-ed schools and one of the oldest public schools in England (founded in 1567).

British soldiers stationed in Canada introduced the game of rugby to our continent and it was soon played in Canadian colleges. The first recorded game of "football" was actually a soccer game, played between Rutgers College (Rutgers University) and the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) on November 6, 1869.

The rugby style game continued in New England, gaining popularity, until 1874. Harvard University played Montreal's McGill University. The differences in the University's games led to a set of "compromise" rules to be adopted. Harvard University then took these hybrid rules and made them their own.

The matchup between Tufts University and Harvard University on June 4, 1875 is considered to be the first game of American Football, possessing more characteristics of the game we now enjoy. The ball was egg-shaped, eleven players were on each team, and they would stop forward movement by tackling the ball carrier.

The sport left its rugby roots and was well on its way to becoming a unique sport with the influences of Walter Camp, the "Father of American Football". Additionally, he promoted the sport by publishing articles in the popular Collier's Weekly, Harper's Weekly, and others.

As college football entered the 20th century, it became increasingly violent. So much so, that President Theodore Roosevelt threatened to ban the sport altogether. Instead, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) was formed. Because of the number of player deaths caused by high impact, the NCAA was considering the benefits of widening the football field so the game would "open up" more. But Harvard University had just gone to great expense in constructing a nice stadium, and the wider field would have rendered the expensive project useless. Instead, the forward pass was introduced.

American Football has progressed still further from 1905, but in generally minor steps. Today, there are approximately 120 NCAA Division I, BCS football teams. The season runs from about Labor Day to the beginning of December, with the Bowl Championship Series going from late December to mid-January. And the popularity of American College Football continues to soar.

Shannon McGlon works and writes for Online Commerce Group, an e-commerce company. She is married to a life-long college football follower and a die-hard Auburn Tigers football fan. For more information on college football, go to http://kickoffzone.com.

Top 3 College Football Teams

Based on their history, performance record and current form, following are the top 3 college football teams.

Florida Gators College Football Team

University of Florida is represented by Florida Gators football team in the Eastern Division of Southeastern Conference. The home games are hosted on Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium also commonly known as "The Swamp". 2009 will the 5th season for the team under the coach Urban Meyer.

The University of Florida shifted from Lake City to Gainesville in 1905. James Forsythe coached them for 3 winning seasons. In 1909 the team was coached by G.E. Pyle. In 1910 for the first time, Gators came face to face with most of their current rivals. They for the first time faced South Carolina in 1911 and Auburn and then Georgia in 1915. They became member of Southern Conference in 1922. Gators later became members of Southeastern conferences in 1932. Gators tasted their first long-term success in the 1960's under Coach Ray Greaves. The 1984 team which was famously known as "The Great Wall of Florida" is considered one of the best teams in Gators' history. Glen Hall was the successful coach of the team from 1984 to 1989. The 1990s were the golden years in the history of Gators. They finished in the SEC for the 3rd time in 1990. They won SEC championship in 1991 for the first time. Then they won SEC championship games for four years from1993 to 1996. They again won the championship in 2000. Urban Meyer was appointed the head coach in 2005. They again won the SEC title in 2006. They also won the 2009 BCS National Championship Game in January, 2009. The main rivals of Gators are Florida State, Georgia, and Miami.

Texas Longhorns College Football Team

The Texas Longhorn football team represents the University of Texas in Austin, Texas. In 2008 they became the second team when they achieved 832 wins passing Notre Dame's 831 wins. They ranked no. 2 among the seven, who have won 800 or more than 800 games. They ranked third with winning percentage of 71.8%, no. 2 in bowl game appearances and no. 8 for the number of games played. Four Division-1A national championships have been won by Longhorns in 1963, 1969, 1970 and 2005. In 2008, Longhorns have been ranked seventh among the college football programs since 1936 by ESPN. Home games for Longhorns are hosted at Darrell K. Royals - Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin. Mack Brown is their current head coach.

USC Trojans Football Team

The USC Trojans football program was started in 1888 and is the member of NCCA Division 1A and Pac-10. Pete Carroll is their head coach currently. Trojans ranked no. 5 consistently in AP and BCS polls in recent years. UCA has bagged eleven national championship titles and won most numbers NCCA's men's team and individual title than anyone else and is ranked 3rd in co-ed team titles. Their main rivals are Notre Dame, UCLA, Stanford and California. USC Trojans play their home games at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, one of the largest stadiums in United States.

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