Set us up for trouble?

Bobby Bowden, who was the best coach in college football and like Swinney grew up in Alabama and played (his freshman year) at Alabama, wanted to come to UA after Perkins. Joab Thomas and the so called search committee screwed that one up.

All that history, though, eventually led to Nick Saban, and other hires might not have, so I'm good. If you have to go 24 years between the best coaches ever in college football, with a national title somewhere in the middle, that's ok. It's like fate that Alabama has had the 2 best college football coaches ever. Clearly, The Big JC is an Alabama fan.
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Growing up in Birmingham, Bowden listened to Alabama football games on the radio and was a devoted fan. His dream growing up was to play and coach the Crimson Tide. He actually accomplished the first. After graduating from high school in January 1949, Bowden enrolled at Alabama and practiced with the freshman football team that spring. But, after one semester in Tuscaloosa, Bowden married his high-school sweetheart, Julia Ann Estock, and returned to Birmingham.

He attended Howard College, played on the football team and then was head coach there from 1959 to 1962.

By the mid-1980s, Bowden was entrenched at Florida State. Bowl games and double-digit win seasons were the expectation in Tallahassee. The 1986 season had been a bit of a disappointment with FSU managing a 7-3-1 record but the Seminoles were invited to play in the All-American Bowl against Indiana... in Birmingham.

After downing the Hoosier 27-13 on New Year's Day, Bowden was asked how long he would consider if offered the Alabama job. "Like that," he said, snapping his fingers.

And Bowden's name was definitely linked to the job, along with Howard Schnellenberger, Gene Stallings, Danny Ford and Jackie Sherrill. University of Alabama President Joab Thomas formed a search committee which he chaired and the search began in earnest. Bowden was contacted bysearch committee which he chaired and the search began in earnest. Bowden was contacted by several people associated with the program asking if he would take the job. He said he would talk to Thomas if a job was in the offing but he had no interest in interviewing for the position.

Gaylon McCollough, a former player under Bryant, acted as a liaison between the candidates for the Alabama job and the committee. McCollough, following Perkins suggestion, recommended Georgia Tech's Bill Curry for the job and also reached out to Bowden. McCollough later claimed the invitation was for an interview only. Bowden clearly thought otherwise.

When Bowden entered the third-floor conference room of Birmingham's Medical Towers building (which housed the UA System Chancellor's office) he was surprised to see more than a dozen people there. It was an interview. And, for more than an hour, the group questioned Bowden about his process and goals. Then, when the questions ended, Thomas told Bowden, "Thank you for coming, Bobby." There was no job offer.

"I left," Bowden later wrote. "And the the only thing I could think was, They didn't offer me the dadgum job!"

Bowden said Thomas called him a few hours after he returned to Tallahassee that night to tell him that Alabama had decided to hire Bill Curry." That came as a surprise to quite a few folks in Tuscaloosa where the perception on the Alabama side was that Bowden's hiring was a done deal.

"I went to bed just thrilled," said UA sports information director Wayne Atcheson. "The next morning the first news I heard was that Bobby Bowden had withdrawn his name and Bill Curry would be our coach."

McCollough later suggested that concerns that Bowden would not be able to coach black athletes was a factor for the decision. Bowden pointed out that he had already coached black players at West Virginia. McCollough also criticized Bowden for lacking a "plan" to help players become good students and productive citizens.

Bowden said he was heartbroken but the decision had been made. For a time, anyway.

This post was edited on 6/1/21 at 8:16 am