Heisman Winner Weinke Backs Bowden

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Chris Weinke is fearful.

Weinke, who finished his Florida State career with a 32-3 record as a starter, leading the Seminoles to a national championship in 1999 and, at age 28, becoming the oldest player in history to win the Heisman Trophy, has heard the latest -- and most powerful -- criticism directed at FSU head coach Bobby Bowden.

"My hope is that it doesn't end ugly," Weinke told FanHouse Tuesday afternoon.

"That's my worst nightmare. He doesn't deserve it to end ugly. I understand [the fans] frustration, but at some point you have to take a step back and look what this individual guy has done for the university. That's the way I feel, and I am going to always feel, and nobody is going to change my mind. He doesn't deserve it to end ugly -- it's not right."

While Weinke, senior vice president of the Athlete Services team for Triton Financial, based in Austin, Texas, doesn't agree with the latest salvos aimed at Bowden -- "I hate to see this happening to him and especially the timing of it," he said -- he realizes FSU struggles have magnified Bowden's situation.

Jim Smith, chairman of the Florida State board of trustees, said Sunday he wanted Bowden, who turns 80 next month, to retire at the end of the season. FSU is 25-19 since 2006 and hasn't won an Atlantic Coast Conference title in four years after collecting 11 from 1993 to 2005. At 2-3, with No. 22 Georgia Tech visiting on Saturday, the Seminoles are off to their worst start under Bowden since he arrived at FSU in 1976.

FSU officials, meanwhile, continue to meet regarding Bowden's status.

It's believed Bowden will be asked to decide between two choices: step down at season's end with a lucrative bonus, or return for a final season in 2010, as designed by a succession plan constructed by FSU President T.K. Wetherell in 2007, and give offensive coordinator/head-coach-in-waiting Jimbo Fisher full control of the program.

There's also a third possibility -- Bowden rejects both offers and sets the stage for a high-noon showdown.

Weinke, who was on the sidelines and in the locker room following FSU's victory at then-No. 7 BYU three weekends ago, believes Bowden should be allowed to step down on his own terms. Weinke planned to telephone Bowden Tuesday.

"We've all heard the rumblings," Weinke said.

"Going into the season, my hope and vision was to allow him to have a great season and kind of ride off into the sunset on Renegade. This is hard for me to swallow. When I was in that locker room following the BYU game, to see the smile on his face, the satisfaction to beat a top-10 team on the road, that was the happiest I've seen coach in a long time. Now to have two consecutive losses and the heat is coming back down on him, that kills me."

Weinke never lost a home game at FSU and is one of two Seminole quarterbacks to have his jersey number retired (the other is fellow Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward). Weinke was initially recruited by Bowden in 1991. After attending two-a-day practices Weinke opted to pursue a professional baseball career, saying Bowden's promise to hold a scholarship for him reflected an unwavering trust that remains strong today.

"Coach Bowden means more to me -- this may sound selfish -- he means more to me than maybe he means to a lot of other people," Weinke, 37, admitted. "I have a great relationship with coach, and it started a long time ago. ... coach is No. 1 on my list and will always be No. 1 as a role model, as a coach, and as a great human being.

"That will never change."

Like many fans, Weinke admits it's difficult to put a finger on why FSU has stumbled in past years. This season, FSU is three plays from being 5-0 instead of 2-3.



"That's the toughest thing," Weinke said.

"Is it coaching? Is it recruiting? Is it more parity in college football? Is it other teams are getting better? I can't answer that question and that's the most frustrating part. I don't know if it's a different mindset when we played. I don't even know what it feels like to come out of the locker room after a game in Tallahassee and not winning."