Bowden was in our sights both times.
1) After Perkins had left.....
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com...00040015_1_bobby-bowden-alabama-robert-fraley
Alabama's procrastination was Florida State's gain. You can chisel it into your favorite hunk of granite that if the University of Alabama had asked Bobby Bowden to be its football coach on Friday, the man who lifted Seminoles football to national prominence would today be on the job at Tuscaloosa.
But the folks from Bama dragged their feet, figuring Bobby would wait for other prospects to be interviewed. The miscalculation resulted in Bowden's decision to withdraw from consideration, and the popular, 57-year-old Prince of the Panhandle will now likely coach FSU until retirement.
(Note: the day in question - Friday - was the same day as Penn State beat Miami in the Fiesta Bowl)
2) After Curry had left....
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/...8_1_alabama-job-ingram-coach-at-florida-state
Ingram has declined to mention any names of candidates for the Alabama job, although several have come up in speculation.
They include Bobby Bowden, coach at Florida State, where Ingram was AD before coming to Alabama last year; fired Phoenix Cardinals coach Gene Stallings, former assistant to the late Bear Bryant at Alabama; Louisville coach Howard Schnellenberger, also a former Bryant assistant; Richard Williamson, a former Alabama player who`s now an assistant with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; and Jimmy Fuller, a Curry aide and a member of national title teams under Bryant.
(Note to history: the BOT voted 14-1 in January 1990 to hire Bobby Bowden but President Sayers overruled them because of Bowden's $565,000 buyout. Another insane note to history: when we hired Stallings, one of the first interviewed to replace Stallings in Phoenix was Giants 37-year old DC Bill Belichick).