Bowden enjoying life at the top

MIAMI (AP) _ The Florida State caravan of motorcycles, police cars and buses pulls into the parking lot, and out hops a man wearing maroon from head to toe. <br><br>Walking briskly to the practice field,

Saturday, December 30th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

MIAMI (AP) _ The Florida State caravan of motorcycles, police cars and buses pulls into the parking lot, and out hops a man wearing maroon from head to toe.

Walking briskly to the practice field, he leads the way for the assistants and players, security personnel, reporters, photographers and fans.

At 71, Bobby Bowden shows no sign of slowing down.

``Concessions to age?'' he says. ``I don't cut back. I can't let that change. If it does, you start going downhill.''

Bowden stubbornly clings to the pinnacle of college football. The third-ranked Seminoles (11-1) will bid for their third national championship since 1993 when they play top-ranked Oklahoma (12-0) Wednesday in the Orange Bowl.

Bowden's longevity is perhaps the most remarkable aspect of his success. For 25 years in Tallahassee, professional hazards ranging from burnout to boosters have left him unscathed, and the occasional scandal has left him untarnished. He remains widely beloved by fans, rivals and his players.

``Tallahassee is a warm, fuzzy place, and it starts with him,'' says Jim Gladden, an assistant to Bowden since 1976. ``He makes you feel comfortable. You never get the feeling with Coach Bowden that there's a hidden agenda. What you see is what you get.''

What you see is the antithesis of the moody, egomaniacal, paranoid control freak that is the prototypical head football coach.

Bowden is none of those things. He delegates well. He takes naps. He laughs a lot. And he relates to players more than 50 years younger than him.

``Fads and times change, but people still want to know that you care about them and you're going to treat them fairly,'' Seminoles offensive coordinator Mark Richt says. ``Coach cares about the players' well-being more than about the wins and losses. That's all they need to know.''

Wins and losses are also important, and Bowden excels there, too. He is 315-86-4 (.783) in 35 seasons, and his win total ranks behind only Paul ``Bear'' Bryant (323), Joe Paterno (322) and Pop Warner (319). He'll probably pass Bryant next season.

Last year Bowden turned 70, celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary, reached 300 wins and led the Seminoles to their first unbeaten season since 1950. He achieves milestones so often that the prospect of winning back-to-back national championships is almost an afterthought.

``That would just be another nice thing, that's all,'' he says. ``Winning the game itself would be as meaningful as anything.''

Yet no one appreciates better than Bowden the reign of Florida State, a forlorn football school when he came to Tallahassee in 1976. He went 5-6 the first year and hasn't had a losing season since.

``When I came to Florida State, we were Homecoming University,'' he said. ``We were on everybody's schedule as the homecoming opponent.''

For 13 years in a row the Seminoles have finished ranked in the top four. They've beaten Florida, Miami, Notre Dame, Michigan, Nebraska, Penn State and North Carolina. They've gone 16-4-1 under Bowden in bowl games.

When Georgia hired Richt this week as head coach, Bowden cackled.

``It's changed, hasn't it, when Florida State furnishes an assistant coach as the head coach at Georgia,'' he said.

Like Steve Spurrier at Florida and Butch Davis at Miami, Bowden benefits from the most fertile recruiting base in the nation.

``There are so many players from the state of Florida, we can't get them all,'' he says. ``Miami can't, either. Neither can Florida. Half of them are going to get out of the state.''

By all accounts Bowden is a terrific salesman, wooing prospects with his quick wit and charming Alabama drawl. These days he's trying to sell his players on the idea that Florida State _ a 12-point favorite _ has reason to fear Oklahoma.

``This is our sixth Orange Bowl. It's their 17th,'' he says. ``We're trying to win our first back-to-back. They've done it twice. So we don't know what to be scared of.''

The logic is dubious, and he knows it, so he rocks on his heels with laughter.

The man in maroon seems to enjoy being Bobby Bowden.