There was no way in the world Kirk Carruthers was going to play at Florida State. He grew up in East Lansing, Michigan and his father played and coached at Michigan State. He was destined to be a Spartan before he was born. But then something happened, rather "someone" happened. And it's a story not uncommon to kids who have been recruited by the Seminoles over the past 30 years.

It all came down to former Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden.

"It came down to Miami, FSU, Michigan, Michigan State, and USC," said Carruthers. "During the process Miami was number one, so I took my first visit to Miami. We got down there and loved the city and the campus wasn't what I expected so that gave me mixed emotions. So the next weekend we flew to Tallahassee and right when I got to Tallahassee I fell in love with it. It was similar to East Lansing and had the Southern flair. And meeting Bobby Bowden was the icing on the cake. That weekend I had that feeling, I told my mom, it just feels right to me. She said lets take our visits, but even when I came home I knew FSU was the place for me."

Carruthers was on board, his mother was on board, but his father was another story. He wasn't so sure about Florida State. All he knew was Michigan State and was sure that his son would follow in his footsteps.

"My father didn't know what my decision was and playing and coaching at MSU he thought I would go there," said Carruthers. "But my mom said, whatever you want. I'll never forget, I called Coach (Brad) Scott and said I want to commit to Florida State, he said I'll be up there to sign you."

That part was fine with him, but not Kirk's mother who gave FSU an ultimatum.

"She said son, I have a problem and said if Coach Bowden doesn't come to the house, you're not going," said Carruthers. "So I told Coach Scott that my mom wanted Coach Bowden so he jumped on a plane in the middle of December, and the rest is history. Once he came to the house, it solidified things. In my parents mind, they were skeptic going that far away from home. But once Coach Bowden was at the house, and how fantastic he was in the living room, everyone was in love with Coach Bowden."

But it didn't end there. The Carruthers family was still on edge at the thought of their son being thousands of miles away from home. However, they were greeted with a gift from home, courtesy of Bobby Bowden.

"On their way out, I see Coach Bowden bend down, and he throws a snowball at my mother, and she says, son, you made the right decision," said Carruthers. "That's the kind of guy he is. He became my second father during my career at Florida State."

That trip to Michigan was well worth it for Bowden. From 1988-1991, Carruthers became one of the most relentless, lay it all out there linebackers to ever play at FSU. He was controversial, he was brass, but he was a two-time All-American and Seminole fans loved him. Not only for his attitude, but Carruthers was also one heck of a football player.

"The two games that stick out are the '89 Miami game due to the fact that they had our number for awhile and it was the first time they came to FSU," he said. "I had two interceptions and 15 tackles and was SI player of the week. That game put me on the map and gave me a taste of the FSU rivalry.

"One of the biggest games was the LSU fight, Coach Bowden's 200th victory. It was an unfortunate situation to take away from Coach Bowden, but it was what FSU was about. When someone was down, we all came to the rescue. We were on track to becoming a dynasty."

And the rest is history. Florida State spent an unprecedented 14 years in the top five of Associated Press Poll. Carruthers never won a national championship at FSU, but he paved the way for those who would follow.

As with many players that that donned garnet and gold over the past three decades, Bobby Bowden didn't get his name quite right at first.

"For my first two years he called me Cah-rooo-thers. So the guys called me that. No matter what he called you or how he spoke to you, it was all the same.

"William Floyd, Derrick Alexander, we all get together and laugh like we were in the locker room yesterday. Some funny jokes. We remember how valuable that time was."

After college, Carruthers had a short stint with the Miami Dolphins and a year in the CFL. But four years away from the Capital City were too much and the former All-American returned in the mid 90's and hasn't left since. These days he's continuing a successful career as a pharmaceutical sales rep, working for Allergan medical as a marketing manager specializing in Botox and Latisse. He's even finished training for his first triathlon.

"Staying in the South, the name recognition, being able to talk Southern football and use my name," said Carruthers. "It has helped and I love talking Florida State football. It's been a fantastic tie in for me to put that in my sales calls. It comes up at least once or twice a day.

"I think it was the people to be honest. It trickled down to everybody associated to Florida State, they were immediately my family. The city, the people, the fans are so fantastic. I'd say at this point, this will be my home for quite some time, but I'll always have a home here."

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