Off The Bench is proud to have its third guest blogger. Remember, boys and girls, you can email us a blog, if its relevant, well written, and/or we like it, we’ll put it up. This was written by my mom Kathy Morash. Congrats to 30 somethings blogging!
Jim Tressel’s troubles are nothing new lately for Head Coaches in any collegiate
sport. Resently, Tressel resigned from his position as the head football coach at Ohio State University. He, the university, and the football program are all embroiled in a scandal involving football players trading memorabilia for cash and tattoos. The star quarterback is under investigation for taking illegal funds and other items from various people. The whole thing is a complete mess. It is sad really for everyone involved. But there was a time, not too long ago that a scandal similar to this happened at Florida State University. Bobby Bowden managed to skate through Free Shoe U practically unscathed. What is it that Bobby Bowden, one of the greatest coaches of all time, did that coaches like Tressel, Bruce Pearl and others can learn?
The term “free shoe u” was quipped by one of Florida State’s biggest rivals’ coaches (The one and only Steve Spurrier when asked about it). It was a tongue in cheek comment, but it stuck. The Free Shoe U scandal had nearly everything: Street 
agents routinely meeting and cavorting with players, thousands of dollars in free merchandise being openly doled out to athletes, stories of trips to Vegas, women, cash payments and even bigger promises for players from the highest-profile college football program of the era. (anyone remember Deion Sanders?)
Bowden didn’t know that four carloads of his players were taken to a local Foot Locker in November of what would eventually be a national championship season (1993) and allowed to literally clear the shelves with the entire tab being picked up by a “businessman”. He didn’t know that tens of thousands of dollars were being spent on what amounted to a recruiting pitch for Florida State’s aspiring pro ballers. Not only did he deny it, but he did it with an almost cartoonish like character and a plain talking Southern accent that endeared him to the public. He was someone that people could relate to. Human.
There is evidence, however, that Tressel knew what was going on and turned a blind eye to it. The most obvious case being that of his quarterback, who was apparently
late for team meetings, workouts and practice and, when he did decide to show up, did so in a very flashy car that no college kid from a background such as his could even think about affording (see right). Coach Tressel allowed this to happen frequently. Ultimately, it is that type of behavior that brought the team and his career down. Although Bowden may have the reputation as an everyman, I am almost positive that consistently being late or not showing up to team functions was never tolerated by Bowden.
Both Tressel’s construct of his character – however genuine or artificial – and his error in judgment with Tatgate were self-inflicted. Tressel wrote books on how to be a moral and righteous leader. Bowden had no holier-than-thou image when any of his teams’ scandals went public. The smoking gun in Tressel’s case is the email trail. It is doubtful, that had email been as prevalent then as it is today, that Coach Bowden would even know how to use it. With that being said, Bowden did not have to deal with information being delivered to the world’s living room, faster that he can say, “they are just kids.”
So what can embroiled coaches learn from Coach Bobby Bowden? First, if you find out that something is going on with players that shouldn’t be, squash it before it starts. That way you won’t have to deny anything… Secondly, be human! We are not all perfect, but if you are going to go around preaching that one should do the right thing all the time, especially when no one is watching, then you ought to practice what you preach. Lastly, a southern drawl wouldn’t hurt. It’s endearing. Many collegiate football fans like it.
-Kathy Morash
