Tommy Bowden and the University of Clemson ended their 10 year relationship together Monday morning according to various media outlets, the first reporting of the move coming from tigerillustrated.com.

Initial reports stated that Bowden was fired by Clemson AD Terry Don Phillips, but later on it was discovered that Bowden was told in a meeting with Phillips that he must win the ACC Atlantic this year or face termination.  Bowden decided to go ahead and step down now rather than finish out the season.

The move ended what has been a rocky relationship between Bowden and the Tigers.  Clemson entered the year ranked #9 in the preseason AP poll, and were the hands-down favorites to win the ACC.  Now sitting with a 3-3 record (1-2 in the ACC), the Tigers are facing yet another underachieving season. 

Bowden’s tenure in Clemson wasn’t bad by any means, especially when you look at the numbers.  He leaves Clemson with a 72-45 record at the school, a better than 61% winning percentage.  The Tigers have been bowl eligible in each of the last 8 years.  Last year, Clemson ended ranked in the top 10 nationally in total defense and turnover margin.  Bowden has also had a big hand in recruiting top talent, namely running backs James Davis and C.J. Spiller, the latter being pursued by Florida and Florida State before shocking everyone with choosing Clemson. 

However, Bowden’s struggles seem to come with the great expectations that were often placed upon his shoulders.  The past 3 years, Clemson has been the preseason favorite to win the ACC.  Each year, they’ve managed to come up short, often losing games that, on paper at least, they should’ve won by double-digits.

Replacing Bowden for the remainder of the season will be current assistant head coach and wide receivers coach Dabo Swinney.  Swinney has been on staff for 6 years, and was a player for Alabama during their 1992 national title run.  Swinney has played a big part in the recruits of many of the talented Tigers, including great wideouts Aaron Kelly, Jacoby Ford, and current New York Jets receiver Chansi Stuckey.

The sentiments around Tigertown are ones of rejoicing.  Many fans wanted this years ago, after a defunct Bowden blew what was supposed to be a good game against Virginia Tech, losing 24-7.  On top of that, Clemson followed up the next week with a pathetic loss at home to a mediocre Maryland team.

 

The reality is, Tommy Bowden did a lot for the Clemson program.  Fans won’t want to admit that now, but he at least put Clemson back into ACC title discussions after Florida State had dominated the league for so long.  Bowden is still a heck of a coach, and will certainly land on his feet somewhere.  In the end, a lack of motivational skills and the horrendous decision to keep a lame-duck offensive coordinator on staff (Rob Spence) cost Bowden.  Even his recent attempt to bench Cullen Harper and start WIlly Korn at QB couldn’t save him from the fan’s unrest, and more so, the donor’s complaints.

I’ll follow up soon with a list of potential candidates to replace Bowden.  For now, the feeling from Clemson fans is a bittersweet one, for Bowden was a great man of integrity, one who truly cared about the players and the staff around him.  He just wasn’t the right fit for Clemson.