Carolina March: An SB Nation Community

Navigation: Jump to content areas:


Pro Quality. Fan Perspective.
Login-facebook
New Blog: Voodoo Five for South Florida Bulls Fans!

The Curse of John Bunting Is Upon You, Bobby Bowden

Ah, John Bunting. He of the 27-45 coaching record, the nine games of giving up 45 points or more, and such wise decisions as not starting a future Super Bowl MVP or three straight years. But there are worse things than being a fan of a John Bunting-coached team; you could be a coach losing to such a team. 

16 D1-A coaches did exactly that in John Bunting's six seasons as head coach, and unsurprisingly, most of those opposing coaches no longer have their jobs. In fact, only five of the sixteen avoided the axe: Tom O'Brien jumped ship to head up N.C. State, while Kyle Whittingham still patrols the sidelines of Utah and Jim Grobe and Al Groh still hang around the ACC.

And then there's Bobby Bowden.

Bowden, of course, has been at Florida State since roughly the Neolithic Era, and if there's one coach who could whether the scarlet L of losing to John Bunting it would be him. But Florida State didn't just lose to North Carolina in the fall of 2001, they were crushed, 41 to 9:

Uncfsu2_medium Uncfsu1_medium

That was pretty much the high water mark for both Florida State and the Bunting era, and the Seminoles haven't been the same. They've yet to rise that high in the polls since. They're ACC record was 71-2 before that game, 43-24 since. And now, of course, they stand 0-3 in the conference, with Bowden fending off the wolves at the gate. He has only himself to blame, however, having hired quite possibly the biggest victim of the Bunting curse back as Associate Head Coach and Linebackers Coach. The defense, to put it politely, has not improved.

Enjoy Thursday night, Bobby Bowden. The curse catches up with everyone eventually.

0 recs  |  Comment 1 comment |

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Display:

Willie P

Willie wasn’t the MVP of the Super Bowl, he just had the longest run in Super Bowl history. Hines Ward was the MVP of Super Bowl XL. Also the Willie P situation was a mutual one. Willie got frustrated and the coaches got frustrated with him and the best thing that happened to him was getting a fresh shot in the NFL. I should know, Willie was my tackling partner during my freshman training camp.

ItsFELDER

by MichaelFelder on Oct 22, 2009 9:17 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Comments For This Post Are Closed


User Tools

As cited in the Journal of American Folkore.
Start posting about the Tar Heels »

Join SB Nation and dive into communities focused on all your favorite teams.

Connect_with_facebook

FanPosts

Community blog posts and discussion.

Recent FanPosts

Small
SB Nation Survey + Chance to donate $500 to a charity of this community's choice
156wndf_small
WHY RIVALS NEED TO SHUT UP SOMETIMES!!!!!
156wndf_small
Finally, its football season!
Small
PITIFUL!
Small
Mad Tarheel Fan
Bulldog_logo_small
Down With Duke!
Small
Harrison Barnes Video Interview
Small
Patience with this group
Got_les_small
Can the Meineke Bowl Help Change CFB?

+ New FanPost All FanPosts >

SBNation.com Recent Stories

The Wake Forest teams sits on the benc near the end of their game with Kentucky  in an NCAA second-round college basketball game in New Orleans, Saturday, March 20, 2010. Kentucky defeated Wake Forest 90-60. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

NCAA Tournament: Call It Deacon Blues: Kentucky Rolls Over Wake Forest, 90-60

Kansas State guard Denis Clemente (21) shoots over BYU forward Chris Miles (54) during the first half of an NCAA second-round college basketball game, Saturday, March 20, 2010, in Oklahoma City.(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

NCAA Tournament: 2-Seed Kansas State Shuts Down Jimmer Fredette And BYU, 84-72

Washington guard Isaiah Thomas reacts after making a three-point shot in the first half of their NCAA second-round college basketball game against New Mexico in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, March 20, 2010. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

NCAA Tournament: 11-Seed Washington Eliminates New Mexico In 82-64 Rout

More from SBNation.com >


Managers

Rameses_small T.H.

Official Partner of CBS Sports