Sara D. Davis / AP file

Under Bobby Bowden this season, Florida State is only 4-3 and is in last place in the ACC's Atlantic Division.

For some reason, the same doesn’t happen with coaches. Young ones and middle-aged ones get fired all the time, but when one comes along who does great things for 20 years or more, he becomes an Emperor for Life because no one has the courage – or, more to the point, the heart – to rip the clipboard out of the gnarled hands of a person who has authored so many wonderful triumphs over so many year.

It just doesn’t seem right to show such men the door, so no one does – not at first, anyway. Only after several years of disappointing results does the desire to win again get the upper hand on sentimental attachment.

Such legends are rare. In the NFL, coaches who stayed too long include George Halas of the Bears and Tom Landry of the Cowboys. In college, Bear Bryant ruled the Alabama sidelines forever before finally being eased into a retirement that ended in death in less than a year. Today, Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden continue to coach even as they close in on 80 years of age.

I’ve already noted that Paterno has a second lease on his job. But Bowden doesn’t, not as long as he keeps the inept Jeff around and does nothing to return to those glorious days of yesteryear.

There are plenty of candidates to replace Bowden, and the first one should be his son – not Jeff, but Tommy, the coach of Clemson, which may be on its way to winning the ACC this year. Some people have suggested getting Steve Spurrier to return to the state of Florida, but in my book, Spurrier is closer to the end of his career than the beginning. I’d rather have someone young and fresh who has yet to build a name for himself than someone older and not nearly as fresh who brings the big name with him.

The fans are suggesting Rich Rodriguez, who’s  done a great  job at West Virginia, Bobby Petrino, the offensive genius who has turned Louisville into a national power, or South Florida  coach Jim Leavitt. Another name that gets raised whenever there’s a job opening is that of Rutgers coach Greg Schiano, who insists he’s staying in New Brunswick, even though his old school, Miami, is very high on him to solve its coaching problems.

I’m not going to tell the Seminoles who they should hire. Any of the above could get the job done, and there are surely others out there who also could. But before they can hire anyone, they have to get rid of the glorious gentleman who has done so much for so many years, a legend whose time has passed him.

Retire Bobby Bowden. Fire Bobby Bowden. Vote Bobby Bowden off the island. Call it whatever you want. Just get rid of him and get back to winning.

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