As always, Odell Haggins is rock solid when FSU needs him

It was a walk Odell Haggins never coveted, or even contemplated.

Down the hall from the Florida State football team’s locker room. Up one flight of stairs. Down another hall, and then another. Finally, through a door that was propped open, into a room filled with a few dozen reporters and television cameras.

As he finally made his entrance, Haggins quickly filled his keg-sized chest with air before pushing out a burst of an exhale and climbing up to the dais.

“We won,” Haggins said flatly. “I’m leaving. See y’all later.”

He then pretended to walk off the stage.

It was a funny line, especially to those who know Haggins well.

During a playing career that saw him earn numerous All-America honors, Odell Haggins never sought individual attention. He didn’t particularly enjoy speaking with reporters. He preferred watching teammates like Deion Sanders and Sammie Smith bask in the glory.

As an assistant coach for 20-plus seasons, Haggins has taken the same low-profile approach. Even before Jimbo Fisher took over as head coach eight years ago and all but eliminated interviews with his assistants, Haggins never was eager to speak with the media. He was affable when approached, but not particularly interested.

"People always say things about themselves," Haggins explained Saturday. "I want to show actions about myself. You talk about yourself, 'I'm this, I'm that.' To me, I want to see actions. I live it -- how much I care about these kids. I live it. I'd go to war for them."

Before Saturday, the last time I can recall Haggins really opening up to the press was on Nov. 3, 2009, when longtime defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews announced his retirement. Tears filled Haggins’ eyes that night as he talked about his longtime mentor and father-figure. He displayed a vulnerability that has always stuck with me.

That definitely was not the side of Odell Haggins we witnessed on Saturday.

Wearing a garnet windbreaker with an oversized Seminole logo over his heart, Haggins struck a proud and almost defiant tone following Florida State’s 42-10 rout of visiting Louisiana-Monroe.

He gushed about the resilience and character of the Seminoles’ players -- young men who saw their season goals unravel during a 2-5 start but hung together well enough to win four of their final five games. Players who did their best to stay focused during a wild week that saw their head coach leave abruptly, just 24 hours before they were scheduled to play a game that would determine their bowl eligibility.

“They didn’t flinch, they didn’t quit,” Haggins said. “Extremely proud of them. I’m proud of how we all stood together as a university.”

It was FSU President John Thrasher who decided Haggins would step in as the Seminoles’ interim head coach. Thrasher told Warchant on Saturday that he “wanted Odell from the very beginning” -- as soon as he realized Fisher would not be able to coach the Seminoles’ final regular-season game.

Haggins was conflicted. He is extremely loyal and had developed a close relationship with Fisher over the last decade. He was grateful that Fisher kept him on FSU’s staff when Bobby Bowden was forced out following the 2009 season. He likely didn’t want anyone to think he was trying to take Fisher’s place.

Haggins agreed only after receiving encouragement from Athletics Director Stan Wilcox and others. It wasn’t a tough sell once they explained that the players needed his leadership. That the university needed his strength.

“When people say he really bleeds Garnet and Gold, he really does bleed Garnet and Gold,” said junior safety Derwin James, who was first recruited by Haggins as a ninth-grader. “He is always about the team and never about himself. It was great just coming out here and getting a win for him.”

If Haggins had been standing next to James at that moment, he likely would have corrected the star defensive back. He would have told him that this victory wasn’t for Odell Haggins. It was for the players and the program. He reminded reporters of that fact again and again during his postgame press conference. It was one of a handful of talking points Haggins clearly wanted to hammer home.

His main message, along with praising the players, was to reassure Florida State fans, recruits and the entire college football world that the FSU football program was as strong as ever. That a sub-par season and a coach’s departure would not knock the Seminoles back for long.