TOMMY BOWDEN

Age:  54

School:  Clemson

Alma Mater:  West Virginia, 1976

Conference:  ACC

Salary:  $2,250,000

Official Bio:   www.clemsontigers.com

Years Coaching:  11

Career Record:  87 - 46  .654

Years at School:  9

Record at Clemson:  69 - 42   .622

2007 Record:  9 - 4  .692

2007 Cost per Win:  $138,889

Attorney/Agent:  Ricky Davis

Contract:    

December 2008 Buyout:  $2,500,000

Coaches Hot Seat Analysis

After the 1980 season at Florida State, Bobby Bowden had completed his 11th year as a head coach (West Virginia & FSU, not counting Howard years), and his record was 86-40 (.683).  In 11 seasons as a head coach at Tulane and Clemson, Tommy Bowden is 87-46 (.654).  There is not that much of a difference between the records of father and son, but over the next 20 years (1981-2000) Bobby Bowden won 198 games.  We seriously doubt if Tommy Bowden will approach his father's years as a head football coach, but Tommy does stand at a crossroads where he can either continue to turn in average to barely above average seasons at Clemson, or he lay down a marker that his indeed more than just the son of Bobby Bowden.  Anyone that was lucky enough to watch Bobby Bowden's FSU football teams between 1987 and 2000, witnessed a run of football that is not likely to be equaled in the game again:

Bobby Bowden at FSU 1987-2000

1987 - 11-1 

1988 - 11-1

1989 - 10-2

1990 - 10-2

1991 - 11-2

1992 - 11-1   (ACC)

1993 - 12-1   (ACC & National Championship)

1994 - 10-1-1   (ACC)

1995 - 10-2   (ACC)

1996 - 11-1   (ACC)

1997 - 11-1   (ACC)

1998 - 11-2   (ACC)

1999 - 12-0   (ACC & National Championship)

2000 - 11-2   (ACC)

We will have a lot more to say about why we think Bobby Bowden put together this 14 year run of great football in his profile for 2008, but at the core of Bobby Bowden is a passionate desire to succeed and win that is often present in sports figures that come from less than comfortable backgrounds.  The real challenge for someone raised in a privileged environment is to find the hunger and the motivation to win at the highest level, and we often wonder if Tommy Bowden really does have that same deep desire to win.  Tommy certainly has the technical skill, the competence, and the ability to hire a very good coaching staff, but is the fire really there to not only win an ACC Conference, but a National Championship as well?  We shall see, because 2008 is the year for Tommy Bowden and Clemson to take center stage.

Coaches Hot Seat Bottom Line

We predict that Tommy Bowden and Clemson will have a 11-1 record in 2008.

Talk about a schedule that is set-up for an ACC Conference championship and an opportunity to play in a National Championship Game, 2008 is such a schedule for the Clemson Tigers.  The opening game is against an improving, but not quite there yet Alabama team in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.  With all of the talent that Bowden has coming back to Clemson, a win over Alabama should be expected, and that win against the Tide would set Clemson up for a run through the ACC with the toughest game coming on the road against Wake Forest on October 9.  We believe that Jim Grobe and the Deacons will find a way to beat a more talented Clemson team, but if Tommy Bowden and the Tigers do find a way to win that game in Winston-Salem, a 12 win season is a real possibility.  The toughest games for Clemson besides Wake Forest on the road will be Alabama in the opener, Florida State in Tallahassee, and Virginia in Charlottesville.  Clemson should be favored or at worst a pick 'em in every game they play in 2008, and there is no reason that Bowden and Tigers cannot run the table and find themselves in the ACC Championship Game come December.

2008 is the year for Tommy Bowden to step out of the shadow of his father and for Clemson to win their first ACC Conference championship since 1991.  If Clemson can finish at 11-1 and win the ACC, they might just get a shot at the whole enchilada.  On the other hand, if Tommy Bowden turns in an 8 win or worse season in 2008 with all of the talent on this football team, there will be some real questions if Bowden is the right man to be leading the Clemson football program.

2008 Coaches Hot Seat Prediction:        11-1

Will Tommy Bowden be back for the 2009 season?        YES