THOMASVILLE — The United Way holds a special place in Tommy Bowden’s heart.

So does football.

Both were topics of discussion at a United Way luncheon on Wednesday where the former Clemson coach served as a guest speaker.

“Right now, I’m not doing anything, so it gave me a chance to get back to Tallahassee,” Bowden said. “I have charities that I’ve been loyal to throughout my coaching career. I understand the importance of them, and there’s so many good ones.”

Bowden, the son of Florida State’s legendary football coach Bobby Bowden, was fired as Clemson’s coach midway through last season. It’s the first time in more than 40 years Bowden isn’t preparing to take part in an upcoming season.

“Doing things like this, I forget what time of year it is,” Bowden joked. “I’ve been so busy doing other things. It hasn’t really sunk in yet. I think it’s because I’m doing things. I’m staying busy.

“I’m sure Saturday it will (sink in).”

Bowden’s coaching resume stems from his assistant days at West Virginia when his father was head coach of the Mountaineers. Tommy’s coached at Florida State, Duke, Auburn, Alabama and Kentucky and was head coach at Tulane, and most recently, Clemson. At 55, Bowden has not closed the door on his coaching career that has spanned 32 years.

“In my profession, there are job opportunities every November. People aren’t satisfied, so we’ll surely see what happens, what the landscape is in November,” Bowden said. “It’s something I’ll surely entertain if something attractive comes open and would like to use my services.”

Bowden’s time these days is spent through speaking engagements, which he’s booked through December and with the Web site bustersports.com. He’s teamed with former coaches, including Tommy Tuberville and Dennis Franchione, to give his insight on the ACC. He’s already predicted Florida State to win the conference championship.

“For the first time in a long time, they’ve got an experienced quarterback, very talented guys on defense,” Bowden said. “They’re young, really young on offense, no seniors on the offensive line. They’ve got a trigger puller, which they haven’t had in a while.”