Scandal costs Florida State victories in 10 sports | College athletics

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Bobby Bowden will lose 12 football victories from his career coaching record because of Florida State's academic-fraud scandal, university officials determined.

The Seminoles also will lose the 2007 national championship they won in men's track and field.

Florida State on Sunday sent to the NCAA a list of records that will be vacated in 10 sports as penalty for a widespread academic-fraud scandal. Florida State last month lost its appeal of the NCAA Committee on Infractions' ruling the university must vacate those records.

The 12 football victories Florida State is vacating are spread over two seasons. The Seminoles are vacating five victories from the 2006 season, including their Emerald Bowl victory against UCLA. Florida State is also vacating seven regular-season victories from the 2007 season.

Bowden, 80, who retired last month after concluding his 34th season at the school with a 33-21 victory over West Virginia in the Gator Bowl, seemingly finished his career record with 389 victories. His official count will be 377 victories.

Bowden has insisted he will count all 389 of his victories, regardless of the penalty. The NCAA's investigation into the academic-fraud scandal concluded neither Bowden nor any other Florida State coach played a role in the misconduct, which involved 61 athletes and three former university employees.

Joe Paterno, the Penn State coach who has won 394 games, is the most victorious coach in major-college football history.

After the Seminoles won the Gator Bowl against West Virginia, giving Bowden a celebratory send-off, Bowden made a plea that his 22 victories at South Georgia College count on his coaching record. Bowden coached at South Georgia from 1956 to 1958.

"How about them 22 wins I got at South Georgia College?" Bowden asked after the Gator Bowl. "Now, how come that don't count? I know it don't count in NCAA. ... But will somebody mention, please, that I do have 400 wins during a lifetime, although they don't count with them sweet old NCAA people ... "

Florida State began determining which records to vacate after learning Jan. 5 that it had lost its appeal. The NCAA mandated the university must determine which records to vacate.

Florida State also vacated 22 men's basketball victories from the 2006-07 season; 22 women's basketball victories — 16 from 2006-07 and six from 2007-08; and 32 softball victories and four baseball victories from 2007.