The Bigger Picture....

Being a big football and Seminole fan, I've been attending the Tallahassee Quarterback Club dinners for several years now.  I've seen some really great speakers such as Bobby Bowden,  Larry Coker, Brad Johnson, Mark Richt, Gene Stallings, etc...  But tonight's speaker, Corey Simon, really touched my heart. Corey was an All American defensive lineman for the Seminoles from 1996-1999 and was a major force in FSU's unbeaten season.  Simon went on to play 8 seasons in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles, Colts and Titans and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2003.
Thus, it would have been easy for Corey to speak about his success in football and life, but, no, he chose to talk about something else.  He talked about Bobby Bowden, and you could have heard a pin drop as he spoke.  I tried to capture the most important parts. Read on...

Simon began by telling how he grew up in the projects, having no father in his life.  He spoke about coming to Florida State (he could have gone anywhere) about being scared and about losing his grandfather, the only father figure he had ever known.  In stepped Bobby Bowden.  Simon told about how low he felt sometimes (especially when he was injured) and how Bobby talked to him and told Corey that his office door was always open and welcomed Simon to come in whenever he needed to talk.  Corey also said that Bowden told the team that there was a Heavenly Father watching over and guiding each young man.  Corey went on to say that Bowden wasn't just a coach to the young men...he was a father that loved them no matter what, when many had no father figure to look up to.
The crowd was respectfully quiet at this point, and Corey went on to say that the Seminoles needed to cherish our time with our coach, Bobby Bowden.  He said that Bowden was still an incredible force when it came to recruiting, too, and that a shiver still went down a recruit's spine when Bowden walks through the front door. "He is a "closer" when he gets in a recruit's home," said Corey.
Simon went on to say that even now, some ten years later, he still feels the embrace of Bowden as a father as he walks through the FSU locker room doors..Not only that, Corey said that Bowden had a huge part in shaping the way he was a father, a husband, and a man.

"Cherish the time with Coach Bowden," Corey reiterated, "Wins and losses will come and go, but Bobby Bowden is a part of The Bigger Picture."
Check out the Tallahassee QB Club link at www.TallahasseeQBClub.com, and GO NOLES!