Willie Taggart, Mark Richt praise Bobby Bowden during interview

New FSU football coach Willie Taggart has made it clear he wants the legendary coach as a welcomed part of the program thanks to what he did for the Noles.

When the FSU football teams takes the field for their Labor Day opener against Virginia Tech in just over a week, it will be the first time that new head coach Willie Taggart leads the Seminoles into action – while also the welcomed return of the legendary leader of the Noles, former coach Bobby Bowden.

Since “retiring” after the 2009 season, Bowden has made himself scarce around the program – attending just one game in 2013 to honor the 20th anniversary of the first national title for FSU football. Some of that distance was do in part to not always feeling welcome by the man who took over in Tallahassee.

All that has changed since Taggart, who grew up a huge fan of the Seminoles and Bowden while living in Bradenton, took over the program – telling Bowden he is welcome at any time, including at April’s spring game and at the opener where he will serve as an honorary captain along with former Hokies head coach Frank Beamer.

Taggart is one of seven FBS coaches in the state of Florida – arguably the best collection of talent for any state in the country. During a recent SB Nation interview, all seven spoke about college football in the state – with Taggart and Miami coach Mark Richt, who spent 15 seasons as an assistant under Bowden, gushing about the legend.

"Richt:Working for Coach Bowden was an unbelievable opportunity. All of us felt that way. I know I did, as a young coach coming into the profession, and being under Coach Bowden was like a dream come true.Taggart: You get the sense, going on the booster tours [throughout the state], that all of them appreciate you wanting to be there. To me, that’s what I grew up on, though. [Fans] want to feel like they are a part of the team. And you can sense that they feel like they can be a part of it again."

Taggart went on to compare FSU football to the Dallas Cowboys in terms of being America’s team and a national brand – and while we want better success in the playoffs than the Cowboys have had of late, there is no doubt that the Seminoles are known across the country.

During the spring and summer, Taggart went out of his way to welcome back former coaches and players – including hiring legendary assistant coach Mickey Andrews to an advisor role recently while having hundreds of players show up in April and man expected for the opener.

While there is a fine line between living in the past and embracing it, Taggart seems to be doing a good job at this point of using the past success of FSU football as a jumping off point to allow current players to take ownership of the tradition and not let it down.