Thursday, December 30
Teams hire additional security
Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS -- Virginia Tech and Florida State brought some
of the biggest, toughest guys around into the Big Easy for
Tuesday's national championship game.
Apparently, that wasn't enough.
Each school hired additional security to patrol the hotels where
the teams are staying to keep unscrupulous agents from hanging
around the players in the days leading up to the national
championship game.
"We're trying to protect ourselves from the outside elements,"
Florida State coach Bobby Bowden said.
"You'd have to get in the players' hip pocket to keep them away
from agents," Bowden said Wednesday. "You trust them that they'll
take care of themselves."
Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer wants his players to enjoy
themselves, and he didn't put casinos off limits, but the school
hired 24-hour protection for its players in their hotel to keep
agents away.
"We had one agent at our place yesterday and we asked him to
leave," Beamer said Wednesday. "They don't need to be talking to
an agent right now. A car ride, a meal and all of a sudden you're
jeopardizing this football team. They can't accept one thing from
an agent."
Retirement
Seventy-year-old Bobby Bowden is unlikely to
retire, even if he gets his first perfect season and a second
national title on Tuesday.
"Are you ready to ride off into the sunset?" Bowden was asked
Wednesday. "No I am not. I ain't interested in dying yet,
dadgummit. When you retire, there ain't but one big event left, and
I ain't in a hurry for it. I really have no desire to quit
coaching.
"There's going to come a day when that's going to change,"
Bowden said. "I think it'll be health, bad health or losing too
many games.
"I don't think I could go through a lot of losses. I
could not do it. If I started having bad years, I'd have to turn it
over to somebody else."
Hall of Famer
Florida State junior kicker Sebastian
Janikowski is the only current collegiate player selected to the
Walter Camp Foundation All-Century team. He was named to the third
team behind Michigan State's Morten Anderson and Georgia's Kevin
Butler.
Rusty?
Will Virginia Tech and Florida State be rusty at the
start of Tuesday night's game.
"I think rust will show," Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden said.
"You're off 45 days. You're simply not going to be as sharp as you
were when you stopped.
"I'm sure rust is going to be a problem, but it's going to be a
problem for both of us," he said.
Injuries
Florida State senior backup safety and special teams
player Todd Frier aggravated an ankle injury in Tuesday's practice
in Tallahassee, but plans to be ready by game time. Reserve running
back Davey Ford hurt an ankle in Wednesday's practice at the
Superdome, and his status is questionable.
