North Carolina State University Athletics
Bowden - Amato Relationship Unshakeable
11/13/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 13, 2003
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C.-The always gracious Bobby Bowden had every reason to be anything but gracious this week. After all, it was his own son, Tommy, who denied him the outright ACC championship last Saturday night when Tommy's Clemson Tigers stunned Bobby's Florida State Seminoles in Death Valley. To make matters worse, he was about to have another encounter with longtime FSU assistant Chuck Amato, whose NC State Wolfpack will be trying to upend the Seminoles for the third straight time this Saturday afternoon in a game that could have major BCS bowl implications.
But on Wednesday night, just three days before they were to meet in the biggest ACC game of the season, there they were, yucking it up on Amato's weekly radio show. During a 15-minute segment, the two coaches took jabs at their wives' shopping habits, while also catching up on the old days when they worked together in Tallahassee.
For 18 years, Amato was Bowden's right-hand man, a top-notch defensive coach who also was responsible for many of the daily administrative duties normally reserved for the head coach. Along the way, the Seminoles won a pair of national titles and set a remarkable NCAA mark by winning 10 or more games in 14 consecutive seasons.
It was a partnership that was perfect for both parties. Amato would handle some of the non-football related responsibilities that Bowden no longer wanted to attend to, while Amato soaked up knowledge, learning from a master who would eventually become college football's all-time winningest coach.
When the two friends stood on opposite sidelines and faced each other for the first time in 2000, the teacher bested the pupil as Florida State pounded the outmanned Wolfpack, 58-14. The very next year, however, NC State became the first ACC team to win a conference game in Tallahassee when it posted a dramatic 34-28 win over the Noles.
When he met his mentor at midfield following the game, Amato broke into tears, not knowing what to say to his former boss. And then last season, Amato's Wolfpack did it again, whipping FSU in Raleigh, 17-7.
Now comes a fourth meeting, a game that carries much more importance than any of the first three. And while they'd be the first to admit that they'll be trying to beat each other's brains out on Saturday, Amato and Bowden won't allow the heated competition to become a wall that separates them or their families.
"It's as strong as it was," Bowden responded when asked if the relationship had taken a hit in the wake of NC State's back-to-back wins over Florida State. "He's just beaten us with a masterful job of coaching and plans. It couldn't diminish [the relationship]."
One reason it won't be diminished is because Amato tries to talk to Bowden at least once a week. After taking advantage of the opportunity to pick Bowden's brain everyday for 18 years, he figures why stop now?
"I talk to him quite frequently," Amato said. "We've had a thing on the radio show the last few years where he comes on the Wednesday night before we play. I called last week to see if he would do it again and he said 'what time?' He was so generous to me when I was there, and he's been just as generous or more since I've left. He came last year to our high school coaches' clinic on a day that they were going to have spring football practice. Now there's not a lot of people that would do that. I am not afraid to get him on the phone and ask him for advice on so many things. It's a great person to be able to call and we are, at least on my behalf, awfully good friends."
If you're going to be a copy cat, you might as well copy the best, which is why many of the little idiosyncrasies that Bowden has put in place at Florida State are now a part of the NC State program. Whether it's how players are required to setup their lockers or the pre-game warm-up routine, the similarities are remarkable.
"If you watch warm-ups on Saturday, we'll be doing the exact same things," said Wolfpack quarterback Philip Rivers. "Certainly, there a lot of things that are similar about both programs."
There's one other major similarity: Both programs want to be number one. With a win on Saturday, Florida State will clinch the ACC title outright. NC State, of course, wants a share of the championship, something it can't have without yet another win over the Seminoles.
But regardless of what happens in Tallahassee, the strong bond between the two head coaches will remain unbroken.
