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http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07354/843196-144.stm

Terry Bowden in hunt
Pressure builds for him, not HollidayWEST VIRGINIA
Thursday, December 20, 2007
By Chuck Finder, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

At one point yesterday, West Virginia seemed ready to name a new football coach.

Mountaineers administrators apparently settled on longtime assistant Doc Holliday and prepared to call a news conference as early as today to announce this former West Virginia linebacker and Hurricane, W.Va., native as their next head coach.

It may well have caused them pause, however, when another graduate, Terry Bowden, received resounding public support. One source referred to it as an "all-out offensive."

Bowden, interviewed Tuesday for the vacancy created when Rich Rodriguez exited his home state and old school for Michigan, is a son of former Mountaineers coach and Florida State legend Bobby Bowden.

The elder Bowden yesterday placed a telephone call on his son's behalf -- and hardly his first such this week -- to West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin, a de facto member of the Mountaineers' search committee.

Bowden the father was not the sole caller, either. A sizeable contingent of boosters, fans and others telephoned various West Virginia administrators to express their support for the younger Bowden, a former Auburn, Samford (Ala.) and Salem (W.Va.) head coach, though such officials as the president declined to return most, if not all, of their calls, sources said. With a faction of prominent donors withdrawing their financial support after they felt the administration mishandled Rodriguez and caused him to leave, West Virginia officials are attempting to distance themselves and their decision from boosters.

Athletic director Ed Pastilong, a longtime friend and former Mountaineers roommate of Manchin's, and assistant athletic director Mike Parsons have been at the forefront of the interview process, with new President Mike Garrison and the governor also taking part in behind-the-scenes discussions, evaluations and resolution.

"You know more than I know," Holliday said of that report to media after Florida's Capitol One Bowl practices in Gainesville, Fla., yesterday afternoon, his first day back at work after being absent Monday and Tuesday. Holliday is assistant head coach and safeties coach at Florida.

Meanwhile, associate head coach Bill Stewart yesterday put the 11th-ranked Mountaineers (10-2) through their first practice as official interim coach.

apparently he's gaining a lot of support with those angry boosters

QuikSStang wrote:One source referred to it as an "all-out offensive."

Do you think evryone yelled "All Out" when he walked in the door?

Heck, let's hire Doc Holiday if they are going to hire Bowden. His name is bad@$$.

Hmmm....I'm sure pops didn't call in a favor to get him that interview.


If Bowden gets the WVU job, it will be an inside the family kind of deal (ala West Virginia ).

Not saying it wouldn't be a great hire for them, but if Bowden ever gets a job anywhere, I would think WVU would be his best shot.

Bobby Bowden made a call to the WV governor, as reported by ESPN this morning

QuikSStang wrote:Bobby Bowden made a call to the WV governor, as reported by ESPN this morning

Well, that would tend to get you an interview, one would think!

huskerpony wrote:

QuikSStang wrote:Bobby Bowden made a call to the WV governor, as reported by ESPN this morning

Well, that would tend to get you an interview, one would think!

In Arkansas it used to get you laid.

Then it got you baptized.

But Bowden just has too much baggage for us.

mr. pony wrote:But Bowden just has too much baggage for us.

It infuriates me, too, Mr. Pony. I just want to walk up to Orsini and hit him in the head like McFly!

More likely Bowden held off SMU with the very hope that a job like WVU opened up.

Don’t know if you can blame SO for that.

SoCal_Pony wrote:More likely Bowden held off SMU with the very hope that a job like WVU opened up.

Don’t know if you can blame SO for that.

If that is indeed true--that Bowden was slow-playing SMU--you're right. But if Orsini never even contacted him or interviewed and he could have had him, to me, that is pretty much unforgivable unless we get someone that will make a bigger splash (yeah, right).

WVUers are clamoring for the school to hire him. The buzz around his potential hiring is all over the place. We will never know how well he would do as a coach until it happens again, if it happens again, but that type of hire would put SMU back in the news and people's minds for starters. It would almost give the national sports media a reason to have to follow the "return of SMU" because they will certainly be following the "return of Terry Bowden."