Bobby Bowden

Legendary former Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden says Penn State should remove the statue of Joe Paterno because the statue will be a constant reminder of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Bowden made the comments in a radio interview with Cory Giger in State College, Pa. "Should his statue be removed? In my opinion, yes," Bowden said. "Now the reason is, Penn State's job now is to try to forget this thing. But every time somebody walks by and sees that statue, they're not going to remember the 80 good years, they're going to remember this thing with Sandusky.

As Penn State tries to move on following Thursday's grim reminder of how the university failed to stop Jerry Sandusky from molesting boys on its campus, the school announced it is planning to renovate the areas where some of the incidents occurred. A university spokesman confirmed Friday that the school is planning to make renovations to the shower and locker room areas of the Lasch Football Building, saying the move has been in the works since shortly after Sandusky's arrest last year.

The chairman of the Florida State University trustees wants football Coach Bobby Bowden to retire at the end of this season. Jim Smith said Monday the arrangement with Bowden as head coach and his designated successor, Jimbo Fisher , as offensive coordinator isn't working. "We've got too many bosses out there," Smith said. "Jimbo is in a very, very tough situation where people assume he has a whole lot more authority than he really has. He's getting blamed for a lot of things that's just not his fault."

Legendary former Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden says Penn State should remove the statue of Joe Paterno because the statue will be a constant reminder of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Bowden made the comments in a radio interview with Cory Giger in State College, Pa. "Should his statue be removed? In my opinion, yes," Bowden said. "Now the reason is, Penn State's job now is to try to forget this thing. But every time somebody walks by and sees that statue, they're not going to remember the 80 good years, they're going to remember this thing with Sandusky.

Tim Tebow and Bobby Bowden left final footprints on Florida Field, on the same Saturday, in the same November. Goodbyes don't get any higher or lower. Camera flashes went off for Tebow as they did for the Beatles at Shea Stadium, and the Florida quarterback was definitely the ticket to ride. In his last home game as a Gator, Tebow passed for three touchdowns and ran for two in a 37-10 win over Florida State. Everyone wanted to celebrate, including one Southeastern Conference official who helped Tebow off the ground after a play.

Florida State signed Coach Bobby Bowden to a five-year contract extension that will pay him almost $1 million annually. The agreement, which will keep Bowden, 66, at Florida State through at least the 2000 season, will pay him $975,000, including $150,000 of state money. The bulk of the salary includes $275,000 from radio and television appearances, $225,000 for promoting Nike products, and $200,000 from speeches and public appearances. . . .

Don't ask Bobby Bowden's secretary if the 67-year-old coach is slowing down. "I wish he would, it would make my job easier," said Sue Hall, Bowden's administrative right arm for the past 18 years. "I think it's worse than ever." At a time of life when most people are beginning to enjoy retirement, Bowden is gearing up for another "Game of the Century." For the fourth time in five years Saturday, Bowden leads his team into a No. 1 vs. No 2. matchup--this time with archrival Florida.

It feels like the humid old days, when FBS stood for Florida Bowl Series and Saturday in America titled like a teeter-totter toward Tallahassee. From 1987 through 2001, three of Florida's finest ear-holed institutions combined to win seven national titles. And here we are this week, talking about Florida's keys from east to west. Florida is No. 1, Miami is No. 11 after a momentous win over Oklahoma and the state's Big Three is once again represented in the top 25: Florida, Miami and . . . South Florida.

The raffle tickets were drawn hours ago. Sterno flames hiss against the bottoms of now empty silver buffet serving trays. The blue-hair from the Class of '36 has been introduced, along with most everyone else in the Sweetwater Country Club ballroom. Isn't it time for him yet ? A branding iron is presented. A babbling infant is shooed from the room. A heckler interrupts the longest introduction speech since Jimmy Stewart's filibuster in "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington."

When Florida State's football team struggles, as it did in Saturday's 28-21 loss to Boston College, fingers start pointing at the coach in charge of the program, Bobby Bowden. "FSU's program should never, ever reach a point where we start saying of the Seminoles, 'Yippee, at least they played 'em close,' " wrote Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel. "And, sadly, that's exactly what I was thinking Saturday when FSU furiously rallied from an 18-point deficit and tied the score late in the game before ultimately dropping a 28-21 decision to a blah Boston College team that couldn't finish in the top half of the SEC. "When I asked Bobby how he responds to fans and those of us in the media who think he should step down, he understandably became defensive.

Jimbo Fisher has a chance to answer a tantalizing and long-standing question about Florida State football. Is it a program the way Alabama is a program, or a one-man miracle mirage? From the mid-1970s until last year, Florida State's football identity had been inextricably linked to Bobby Bowden. Florida State was a former women's college with little football pedigree … and on the brink of collapse. The school was 4-29 and had considered dropping football when Bowden was hired in 1976.

Matt Holliday is staying with the St. Louis Cardinals, agreeing Tuesday to a seven-year, $120-million contract that is baseball's richest deal of the off-season. The Cardinals announced Tuesday they had agreed with Holliday on a multiyear contract subject to a physical. The team said a formal announcement was likely by Thursday. The outfielder's agreement includes $119 million guaranteed over seven seasons plus a $17-million vesting option for 2017 with a $1-million buyout, a person familiar with the deal told the Associated Press.

Bobby Bowden never led any of his Florida State teams to the Rose Bowl. But the recently retired Bowden, whose coaching career spanned nearly six decades, will have an emotional stake in Thursday night's Bowl Championship Series title game between No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Texas in Pasadena. Texas Coach Mack Brown is a friend and Florida State alum . . . but that's not it. No, Bowden said, "I would have to go with 'Bama." There's no choice, really. Bowden's love affair with Alabama football dates to his youth.

Manny Pacquiao says he is planning to file a defamation lawsuit against Floyd Mayweather Jr ., the fighter's father and Golden Boy Promotions In a statement posted Friday on his website, Pacquiao claims that his character has been damaged and tarnished by accusations he says are untrue. "Enough is enough," Pacquiao said in the statement. "These people, Mayweather Sr., Jr., and Golden Boy Promotions, think it is a joke and a right to accuse someone wrongly of using steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs.

Bobby Bowden said Monday evening at his home that he has not made a decision about his coaching future at Florida State and plans to meet with university officials again today. Bowden told the Associated Press that he is still sifting through "options presented to him." Bowden met with Florida State President T.K. Wetherell and Athletic Director Randy Spetman for an hour Monday morning. The Tallahassee Democrat and ESPN.com are reporting Bowden is expected to announce his retirement.

Tim Tebow and Bobby Bowden left final footprints on Florida Field, on the same Saturday, in the same November. Goodbyes don't get any higher or lower. Camera flashes went off for Tebow as they did for the Beatles at Shea Stadium, and the Florida quarterback was definitely the ticket to ride. In his last home game as a Gator, Tebow passed for three touchdowns and ran for two in a 37-10 win over Florida State. Everyone wanted to celebrate, including one Southeastern Conference official who helped Tebow off the ground after a play.

The Times' Chris Dufresne unveils his preseason college football top 25, one day (and team) at a time. No. 15 Florida State Florida State won't be the same without Bobby Bowden as coach, but maybe not worse. Bowden, who took over the program in 1976, retired as one of the all-time greats and will be remembered for transforming a former women's college into a football powerhouse. Things hadn't gone well lately, though, and Florida State couldn't wait any more for coach-in-waiting Jimbo Fisher, effectively pushing Bowden out after last year's 7-6 season.

One thing is certain. Today's "game of the century" won't turn out like the last one. Thirty years ago, No. 1 Notre Dame and No. 2 Michigan State--both unbeaten and untied--played in East Lansing, Mich., to determine the fate of mankind, or so it seemed. The game ended deadlocked, 10-10, and spawned a new rallying cry: "Tie one for the Gipper." Both coaches played it safe. With two minutes left, Michigan State's Duffy Daugherty punted on fourth and four at his own 36, with a stiff wind at his back.

A cadre of murderers and rapists, several of whom victimized young girls, will be set free from state prisons this month after state courts agreed that a decades-old law defined life sentences as only 80 years long. Dozens more inmates could be released in coming months unless the state can figure out a legal recourse to keep them behind bars, officials said. Gov. Bev Perdue, a Democrat, called them "dangerous criminals" who have repeatedly been denied parole. One of the 20 inmates set for release, Bobby Bowden, had argued that a law adopted in 1974 defined life sentences as just 80 years.