10 - Florida State

The name is Bowden, Bobby Bowden.

And to borrow from an old James Bond movie poster, “Everything he touches turns to excitement!" for Florida State football.

FSU, which until the late 1940s was a women’s school, didn’t pick up the sport until 1947, when Ed Williamson was appointed the first coach weeks before the inaugural season. With no stadium, no scholarships, no pay and no nickname, FSU finished 0-5.

The program wasn’t ranked in any Associated Press poll until 1964, when it lasted two weeks at No. 10 before a 20-11 loss at Virginia Tech. It happened during Bill Peterson’s reign, when from 1960-70 the Seminoles went 62-42-11 and played in four bowl games, including a 36-19 victory against Oklahoma in the 1965 Gator Bowl.

But in the three seasons before Bowden arrived in 1976 and changed everything, Florida State was 4-29, including a pathetic 0-11 record in 1973 that led to talk of permanently dropping the program.

“I could think of only two jobs that would have been worse," Bowden wrote in his autobiography “Bound for Glory." “Being elected mayor of Atlanta shortly after Sherman left town or being the general who volunteers to replace George Custer during the last siege of the Little Big Horn."

In 2005, the Birmingham native who initially considered the Florida State job a stepping-stone and dreamed of someday coaching at Alabama or Auburn, celebrated both his 30th year at the helm, and having coached more than 1,000 Seminole players.

Not only do his 286 Florida State victories easily outdistance the seven previous Seminoles coaches combined -- by the way, he took over the FSU lead with win No. 63 in 1983 -- but his 359 career wins (he also coached at Samford and West Virginia) is the most in college football history among major programs.

Under Bodwen’s direction, FSU has captured two national championships (1993 and 1999), two Heisman Trophies (Charlie Ward and Chris Weinke) and at least part of 11 ACC titles.

He’s the only coach to ever lead his team to 10 or more wins over 14 straight seasons (1987-2000), during which it finished in the top five of the Associated Press poll each time. He also had an amazing 14-game unbeaten streak in bowl games (1982-95), though there was a 17-17 tie to Georgia in the 1984 Citrus Bowl.

In the Tuscaloosa News’ Best College Football Rankings, which is rating the Top 25 programs throughout the summer, Florida State is the first entry in the final 10. The Seminoles scored points in every category except grades, placing first in active players in the National Football League, and third in recruiting --- two staples of the program under Bowden.

One of the few FSU legacies that began before Bowden is Sod Cemetery, where chunks of the field from important Florida State road victories have been laid to rest.

The tradition began in 1962 after an 18-0 win at Georgia, and each “burial" has a small tombstone listing the date and score of the game.

Incidentally, SEC markers include Georgia (1962, 1964, 1984), Auburn (1962, 1987, 1988), South Carolina (1966, 1968, 1970), Alabama (1967), Florida (1967, 1977, 1979, 1987, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2003) and LSU (1979, 1980, 1983).

The school also boasts the unlikely high-profile trio of Lee Corso, Burt Reynolds and Deion Sanders.

“When those lights go on, it’s prime time for me," Sanders once said. “It’s like Jekyll and Hyde. When I have to put on a show, I put on a show."

But none of them have been honored with a bronze statue in front of the Moore Athletics Center. Bowden’s was unveiled on Sept. 24, 2004.

“At West Virginia, they sold bumper stickers that said “Beat Pitt," Bowden said. “When I came to Florida State, they sold bumper stickers that said “Beat Anybody."

Reach Christopher Walsh at christopher.walsh@tuscaloosanews.com or at (205) 722-0196.

The Tuscaloosa News Top 25 Rankings are based on ten categories, five all-time, five from the 2005 season, with points awarded similar to the weekly Associated Press poll.

2005 categories: Final AP poll, recruiting, attendance, NFL players and academics.

All-time categories: Bowl appearances, all-time AP Top 25, national championships, College Football Hall of Fame inductees and coaching legacy.

The rankings thus far:

10. Florida State

11. Georgia

12. Florida

13. Nebraska

14. Auburn

15. LSU

16. Miami

17. Army

18. Texas A&M

19. UCLA

20. Navy

21. Pittsburgh

22. Stanford

23.Ole Miss

24. Clemson

25. Wisconsin