It’s been a busy week in Tallahassee. Whats been a nightmarish season for Florida State almost seems inconsequential compared to the reality that’s facing Seminole Nation: Texas A&M managed to pull off the unthinkable. What was mere speculation has now become reality for College Football fans. Jimbo Fisher is leaving Tallahassee and it’s native powerhouse program for College Station and greener pastures.
From denying to speak about jobs to Mike being shoved on Jimbo’s Call-In show, the week has been one of great turmoil for FSU administration, and one of media hysteria in the sports industry. Jimbo Fisher has a history of being a highly-touted name during the Coaching Carousal, dating back as recently as LSU rumors in 2016 all the way to Jimbo to University of Texas in 2012. You can thank Jimmy Sexton for that, including the events of this past week. Oh, and FSU fans can thank him if they land a certain someone from Oregon. Rumors have swirled in Tallahassee, about the demands of Jimbo from FSU to pump money towards new facilities, about his relationship with Boosters and Athletic Director Stan Wilcox. When the rumors began circulation back in September (yes, there have been whispers way back when), no one paid a moment’s notice. FSU is a top 5 program, some said, while others dismissed Texas A&M as a 3rd rate program in the SEC West. Now, reality has sunk in: at an impasse, Jimbo will take his free $75 million (guaranteed!) and make a fresh start with the Aggies.
While the rumors will swirl in the weeks and months to come (did Jimbo sabotage the recruiting class, was the season lost due to the rumors), there is little doubt that Jimbo’s legacy has left it’s mark on the Florida State program. Emerging from the shadow of a legend, Jimbo made his mark and set Florida State on the right path towards a shining future. With a stocked roster of players, the Seminoles can make an impact on college football in the years that come. This requires smart decision making from the administration, put in a position that it hasn’t been in for over 40 years. Not since the hiring of Bobby Bowden has Florida State needed to be on the search for a new Head Coach. That speaks volumes to the legacies of Bowden and Fisher, and the stability of this job (with some help from Florida recruits).
But for this week, a dramatic week (with little sleep from media and fans alike), fans are asked to look back upon these past eight years.
Florida State was a shell of it’s former glory in the hands of an aging Bobby. Jimbo, a young and charismatic Offensive Coordinator at the time, assumed the role of Head Coach and built a program that would make it’s own legend in Pasadena.
FSU has now returned from whence it came in those late Bowden years: infighting among the staff, drama in the locker room, and uncertainty at who will now captain the ship. But there is hope yet for the future, as Florida State is a premier institution and one that will catch the eye of nearly any Football coach on the prowl.
To me, I am torn. My first College Football game that I ever attended was the 2010 Chick-Fil-A Bowl between Florida State and South Carolina. Before then, I hardly called myself a sports fan, let alone a College Football enthusiast. I enjoyed the game and learned the traditions from my cousin, a student at Florida State at that time. I learned of the Warchant, our fight song, and of our colors. I, too, became a student at Florida State in 2011, and bore witness to the legacy that Jimbo would build at this program. 2013 was perhaps one of the greatest years I ever lived. 2014 shaved some years from my life. From then, FSU slipped, but I still cheered. I cheered like the world was out against my school. I cheered during the Winston debacle. I cheered during the beat-down in Louisville. I cheered despite the year that was 2017. And I will cheer for Florida State for the rest of my days.
Florida State is more than a man. Florida State is more than a team. Florida State is more than a University. Florida State is a way of life. Florida State is Unconquered.
Yet, despite the dramatic conclusion to the Fisher era, we as fans must honor the legacy he has built. I will always remember Fisher as MY Coach during my Collegiate years. Many will remember Fisher as the brash offensive genius from West Virginia. Some might remember him as an arrogant man, stubborn in his ways. Some might never forgive the treatment he brought upon FSU in the conclusion of his tenure. Jimbo, though, is more than one week. Jimbo is years of Seminole legacy. We must honor that.
Thank you Jimbo Fisher, and good luck at Texas A&M
