As a die-hard Nole football fan and Florida State University alumnus, it pains me to say that it is time for our great leader, Bobby Bowden, to step down from his job. The Noles no longer strike fear into the hearts of their opponents when they enter the field of Doak Campbell Stadium. Sports commentators no longer get excited about the quality of the Nole players who step onto the pitch. It’s gotten so bad that the Noles are very rarely seen on prime-time stations. Instead, they’re playing on classic ESPNU or ESPN stations. What has happened to the good quality players who once made the Seminole football team?

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

I remember when students would literally fight in rows or sleep for days in tents hoping to get “good” student tickets just to watch the Noles play, even if we were playing against a team we knew we might be. It was about team spirit and seeing our Noles take care of business. We were the team to beat because we were FSU.

I remember the days when Mickey would yell at the players to perform together while saliva was coming out of his mouth. I remember the passion and fire that the defensive players had when Mickey spoke, as it seemed to awaken a hidden desire that 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 didn’t explain why the team didn’t make plays or score properly. All Bobby had to say was “damn” and the audience knew he was serious. If Bobby ever dropped that hat, you knew he was very upset with his players and he needed to fly right or sit down. There was nothing stopping Bobby in those days, as his love for the game was evident in every play and every decision he made on the field.

These days there seems to be less Mickey yelling, Bobby “damn nabbits,” and less passion between Nole players. I mean, we still have great speed and great talent, but it seems that the players have become complacent with the fact that they ARE NOT FOOTBALL PLAYERS. I know this may seem harsh to many, but FSU football is one of Tallahassee’s lifelines. Instead, today, it seems like the Nole players have given up trying and stopped breathing altogether.

I know there’s no way we’re going to go back to the glory of the 1990s, as the players on those teams were phenomenal. I just want our current Nole players and the rest of the football staff to realize that it’s hard for Nole fans to sit back and watch our team get beaten at home. Did you forget that we “strangled” other teams in the Doak? and not vice versa? I’m so tired of ESPN commentators talking about how poorly the Noles are playing or how we’ve NEVER been out of the rankings for AS MANY years as we were in the 2000s. I just want that good old Nole football back And from a fan, is that too much to ask?

So if that means starting from scratch with a new set of football staff to bring back Nole’s glory, then so be it. I’d rather see Bobby go out in a blaze of glory than retire than be considered the “winningest coach in college football who lost it all in the end.” From a die-hard Nole fan, what does it take to make FSU football win again?