TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Expectations were that LSU would poach Florida State's coach. LSU was a dream job. It had the recruits, the conference and the money, and yet here was Florida State’s coach turning it down.
"I was always very fond of LSU, and I nearly took it," Bobby Bowden recalled. "I thought Florida State would be just a short stop. I didn’t plan on staying. At the last minute, I decided to stay in Tallahassee."
That was in 1980. Nearly four decades later, history repeated itself. Florida State once again found itself fending off LSU trying to pilfer its coach, and the Seminoles were able to keep their coach this time, too.