Florida State Seminoles football
Encyclopedia
The Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University
in college football
. The Florida State Seminoles
compete in NCAA Division I-FBS and are members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference
(ACC). Florida State has won two national championships (1993 and 1999) and finished in the top five of the AP Poll
for 14 straight years from 1987 through 2000. The team has produced two Heisman Trophy
winners: quarterback
Charlie Ward
in 1993
and quarterback
Chris Weinke
in 2000
. The current head coach of the team is Jimbo Fisher
. Longtime Head Coach Bobby Bowden
retired following the Seminoles' win in the 2010 Gator Bowl
. The team plays its home games at Doak Campbell Stadium, located on-campus at Florida State University
in Tallahassee, Florida
.
Florida State University
traces the origins of its modern American football
team to 1947, after the school became coeducational following more than forty years as a white women's college. However, football had been played at the school prior to its 1905 reorganization as a women's college. The sport was played at the school, which was known as the West Florida Seminary until 1901 and as Florida State College
from 1901–1905, prior to 1902. However the early games were intramural between students, and not played against outside teams.
In 1902 Florida State College students, supported by president Albert A. Murphree
, organized the school's first official football club to play against other schools and teams. The team was known as the "Florida State College Eleven" and W. W. Hughes
, professor of Latin
and the head of men's sports at the school, served as the first coach. They played their first game against the Bainbridge Giants, a city team from Bainbridge, Georgia
, defeating them 5–0. The team then played back-to-back matches against Florida Agricultural College (which later merged into what is now the University of Florida
) one week apart, winning the first 6–0 and losing the second 0–6. The following season student enthusiasm grew even more, and the Eleven arranged a full schedule of six games. They competed against teams such as the University of Florida in Lake City (as Florida Agricultural College was then called), Georgia Tech, and the East Florida Seminary (another school that merged into the University of Florida), and finished the season by competing against Stetson College in Jacksonville
for The Florida Times-Union
s Championship Cup. The following year Jack Forsythe
replaced Hughes as coach, and the Eleven won the state championship by defeating Stetson in Tallahassee.
This would be the Eleven's last season, however, as the Florida State Legislature passed the Buckman Act, which reorganized the state's colleges, and Florida State College became the Florida Female College (later Florida State College for Women), a school for white women. Four other institutions (including the University of Florida in Lake City and the East Florida Seminary) were merged into the new white men's-only University of the State of Florida in Gainesville
. Many of Florida State's male students, including members of the fraternity
system and the football team transferred to the new university. In 1906 the new school established its first official football team led by former Florida State College coach Jack Forsythe. Several former FSC players transferred to Grant University (now the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
), with five joining Grant's football team. In 1909 several veterans of the FSC Eleven founded a city team named the Tallahassee Athletics, but this folded after one season. Except for this, until 1947 Tallahassee's only organized or collegiate football team were the team from the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College for Negroes (now Florida A&M University).
brought enormous pressure on the university system in Florida, which saw an influx of veterans applying for college under the GI Bill. The Florida Legislature responded by renaming the Florida State College for Women the Florida State University and allowing men to attend the university for the first time since 1905. Football then returned to Florida State University, beginning in the 1947 season. From 1948 through 1959, the Seminole football program achieved much success under coaches Don Veller
and Tom Nugent
. In 1950, Veller led the Seminoles to an 8-0 record, the first unbeaten season ever for any Florida college. Nugent gave the Noles their first win over an SEC opponent with a 10-0 victory against Tennessee in 1958.
in 1960, the Seminoles began their move to national prominence. Under Peterson's direction, the Seminoles beat the Florida Gators for the first time in 1964 and earned their first major bowl bid. Peterson also led the Seminoles to their first ever top ten ranking. During his tenure as head coach, Peterson also gave a young assistant by the name of Bobby Bowden
his first major college coaching opportunity.
In the summer of 1967, Peterson also engineered another first for the Seminole program when he decided to begin the recruitment of African American
football players. Apparently, he did so without approval from either the school president or its athletic director. On December 16, 1967, the Seminoles signed Ernest Cook, a fullback from Daytona Beach. Several months later, the Seminoles would sign running back Calvin Patterson from Dade County. Ultimately, Cook decided to switch his allegiance to Minnesota where he would become an All-Big Ten running back. In the fall of 1968, Patterson would become the first African American student to play for the Seminoles as a starter for the Florida State freshmen football team. In the fall of 1970, J. T. Thomas
would become the first black to play in a varsity game for the Seminoles.
The College Football Research Center lists Florida State as the 10th best college football program in history (ahead of rivals Miami and Florida, at #15 and #18 respectively). Seven Florida State squads were listed in Billingsley’s Top 200 Teams of All Time (1869–2010), and after the 2008 season, ESPN ranked Florida State the 9th most prestigious program in history.
The Associated Press poll statistics show Florida State with the 7th most appearances in the final AP Top 5 (with 15). Since the Coaches Poll first released a final poll in 1950, Florida State has 32 seasons where the team finished ranked in the top 25 in the Coaches Polls.
, hosted its first game against the Randolph-Macon College
Yellowjacket
s on October 7, 1950 with the Seminoles winning the game 40–7. At that time the facility had a seating capacity
of 15,000. Florida State first began play at Centennial Field during the team's inaugural 1947 season and would continue to play there for the following two years (1948 and 1949). Doak Campbell Stadium, with its original capacity of 15,000 in 1950, was built at a cost of $250,000. In 1954, the stadium grew to a capacity of 19,000. Six thousand more seats were added in 1961. During the Bill Peterson
era (1960–70), the stadium was expanded to 40,500 seats, and it remained at that capacity for the next 14 years. Since that time, the stadium has expanded to almost 83,000, largely due to the success of the football team under head coach Bobby Bowden
coupled with the ever growing student body. It now is the largest football stadium in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Aesthetically, a brick
facade
surrounding the stadium matches the architectural design of most of the buildings on the university's campus. In addition to the obvious recreational uses, The University Center surrounds the stadium and houses many of the university's offices. The field was officially named Bobby Bowden field on November 20, 2004 as Florida State hosted intrastate rival Florida.
^ Bobby Bowden's record does not include 12 wins that were vacated that would otherwise make his record 316-97-4.
{| border="0" width="70%"
| valign="top" |
|}
. Coincidentally, in both years, they had the same 5–3 record as Boston College. In 2005, Florida State won at BC, whereas BC won at Florida State in 2008.
as the winner of the Atlantic Division twice, defeating Virginia Tech of the Coastal Division in the inaugural game in 2005, and losing to Virginia Tech in 2010.
1- Five (5) 2006 season wins vacated due to using ineligible players
2- All Seven (7) 2007 season wins vacated due to using ineligible players
1 - Bowl win vacated due to using ineligible players
and the University of Miami Hurricanes
.
Since 2002, the Florida Cup
has been awarded to Florida State, Florida, or Miami if one team defeats the other two teams in the same season (it is not necessary for the two losing teams to have played each other). Five Florida Cups have been awarded, with Miami winning three, Florida State winning one, and Florida winning one. Florida State won the Cup in 2010 by beating Miami and Florida, even though Florida did not play Miami that season.
is 2-0 against University of Florida.
defeated the Seminoles 35–13 in their inaugural meeting. The schools have played uninterrupted since 1966, with Miami holding the all-time advantage, 31–25.
During the 1980s and 90s, the series emerged as one of the premier rivalries in college football. Between 1983 and 2002, the Hurricanes and Seminoles combined to win 7 national championships (5 for Miami, 2 for Florida State) and play in a whopping 13 national championship games (83, 85, 86, 87, 89, 91, 92, 93, 96, 98, 99, 00, 01). The rivalry has been popular not only because of its profound national championship implications and the competitiveness of the games but also because of the immense NFL-caliber talent typically present on the field when the two teams meet. The famous 1987 matchup featured over 50 future NFL players on both rosters combined.
The games have been characterized by remarkable team speed, big plays, hard hitting, and missed field goals. In 2004, the intensity of the rivalry was dialed up another notch when Miami joined the Atlantic Coast Conference
and the teams became intra-conference rivals.
The rivalry is a television ratings
bonanza, accounting for the two highest rated college football telecasts in ESPN
history. The 2006 game between Miami and FSU was the second most-viewed college football game, regular season or bowl, in the history of ESPN
, averaging 6,330,000 households in viewership (6.9 rating). It trailed only the 1994 game between Miami and FSU, which notched a 7.7 rating.
Tigers
. Florida State leads the all-time series 17–8. Florida State dominated the contests through most of the 1990s but 1999 marked a milestone as the hire of Bobby Bowden's son Tommy led to the first meeting, in 1999, which was the first time in Division I-A history that a father and a son met as opposing head coaches in a football game. During the time Tommy coached at Clemson the game was known as the "Bowden Bowl" Bobby won the series in the 9 years it played before Tommy's resignation, winning 5–4 with all four losses within the last five seasons. Tommy's four wins in the series remain the only times the son has ever beaten the father when facing off as head coach in any of America's four major sports..
One sticking point in the rivalry remains that a proud Clemson Tiger program that was strong in the 1980s had won 6 of the past 11 ACC titles from 1981–1991. 1991 would be the last ACC Championship the Tigers would ever win as Florida State entered the ACC in 1992 and proceeded to win the next 9 ACC Championships in a row, and 12 of the next 14 in the series. The Tigers advanced to the 2009 ACC title game for the first time since its inception in 2005 but a late Georgia Tech
victory lengthened the Tigers' title drought.
On January 5, 2010 the NCAA Infractions Appeals Committee denied FSU's appeal and ruled that all penalties, including vacating up to fourteen wins during the 2006–2007 seasons would remain in effect. FSU officials responded that they were surprised and disappointed by the NCAA decision and felt that their own investigation and self-imposed penalties were sufficient. The NCAA Infractions Appeals Committee responded that "the cooperative efforts of the university in the academic cheating scandal involving 61 Florida State athletes failed to outweigh the aggravating factors in the case." The games to be vacated will be determined by certifying in which of the 14 games any of the 25 ineligible players competed.
12 wins were eventually vacated in all.
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
in college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
. The Florida State Seminoles
Florida State Seminoles
The Florida State Seminoles are the men's and women's sports teams of Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. Florida State participates in the NCAA's Division I . FSU joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1991, and competes in the Atlantic Division in any sports split into a...
compete in NCAA Division I-FBS and are members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
(ACC). Florida State has won two national championships (1993 and 1999) and finished in the top five of the AP Poll
AP Poll
The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
for 14 straight years from 1987 through 2000. The team has produced two Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winners: quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Charlie Ward
Charlie Ward
Charlie Ward, Jr. is a retired American professional NBA basketball player, college football Heisman Trophy winner, Davey O'Brien Award winner and a Major League Baseball draftee. Ward is considered one of the best all-around athletes in the last quarter century...
in 1993
1993 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 1993 NCAA Division I-A football season saw Florida State crowned national champions, but not without controversy.Under the Bowl Coalition, undefeated Big 8 champ and #2 ranked Nebraska hosted ACC champ and #1 ranked Florida State in the Orange Bowl...
and quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Chris Weinke
Chris Weinke
Christopher Jon Weinke is a former professional American football and baseball player. After spending six years in the Toronto Blue Jays minor league baseball system, he enrolled at Florida State University at the age of 26, and played quarterback for the Florida State Seminoles...
in 2000
2000 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 2000 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with the Oklahoma Sooners claiming their first national championship and their first conference championship since the departure of head coach Barry Switzer....
. The current head coach of the team is Jimbo Fisher
Jimbo Fisher
John James "Jimbo" Fisher is an American college football coach and former player. He is currently head coach at Florida State University....
. Longtime Head Coach Bobby Bowden
Bobby Bowden
Robert Cleckler "Bobby" Bowden is a retired college football coach. He coached the Florida State Seminoles football team from the 1976 to 2009 seasons...
retired following the Seminoles' win in the 2010 Gator Bowl
2010 Gator Bowl
The 2010 Gator Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the Florida State University Seminoles from the ACC, and the West Virginia University Mountaineers representing the Big East, and was played on Friday, January 1, 2010, at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium in Jacksonville,...
. The team plays its home games at Doak Campbell Stadium, located on-campus at Florida State University
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
in Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
.
Florida State College Eleven
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
traces the origins of its modern American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team to 1947, after the school became coeducational following more than forty years as a white women's college. However, football had been played at the school prior to its 1905 reorganization as a women's college. The sport was played at the school, which was known as the West Florida Seminary until 1901 and as Florida State College
History of Florida State University
The history of Florida State University dates to the 19th century and is deeply intertwined with the history of education in the state of Florida and in the city of Tallahassee....
from 1901–1905, prior to 1902. However the early games were intramural between students, and not played against outside teams.
In 1902 Florida State College students, supported by president Albert A. Murphree
Albert A. Murphree
Albert Alexander Murphree was an American college professor and university president. Murphree was a native of Alabama, and became a mathematics instructor after earning his bachelor's degree...
, organized the school's first official football club to play against other schools and teams. The team was known as the "Florida State College Eleven" and W. W. Hughes
W. W. Hughes
W. W. Hughes is a former head coach of the Florida State college football program from 1902–03. He was the first person to coach a collegiate football at Florida State University, then known as Florida State College. Over two years, Hughes compiled a record of 5–3–1.Hughes was a former player...
, professor of Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and the head of men's sports at the school, served as the first coach. They played their first game against the Bainbridge Giants, a city team from Bainbridge, Georgia
Bainbridge, Georgia
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,722 people, 4,444 households, and 3,013 families residing in the city. The population density was 255.6/km² . There were 5,051 housing units at an average density of 285.2 per square mile...
, defeating them 5–0. The team then played back-to-back matches against Florida Agricultural College (which later merged into what is now the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
) one week apart, winning the first 6–0 and losing the second 0–6. The following season student enthusiasm grew even more, and the Eleven arranged a full schedule of six games. They competed against teams such as the University of Florida in Lake City (as Florida Agricultural College was then called), Georgia Tech, and the East Florida Seminary (another school that merged into the University of Florida), and finished the season by competing against Stetson College in Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
for The Florida Times-Union
The Florida Times-Union
The Florida Times-Union is a major daily newspaper in Jacksonville, Florida, USA. Widely known as the oldest newspaper in the state, it began publication as the Florida Union in 1864. Its current incarnation started in 1883, when the Florida Union merged with another Jacksonville paper, the...
s Championship Cup. The following year Jack Forsythe
Jack Forsythe
Jack A. "Pee Wee" Forsythe, Jr. was an American college football player and coach. Forsythe has an important place in the history of college athletics in the U.S. state of Florida as the first head coach of the team now known as the University of Florida Gators...
replaced Hughes as coach, and the Eleven won the state championship by defeating Stetson in Tallahassee.
This would be the Eleven's last season, however, as the Florida State Legislature passed the Buckman Act, which reorganized the state's colleges, and Florida State College became the Florida Female College (later Florida State College for Women), a school for white women. Four other institutions (including the University of Florida in Lake City and the East Florida Seminary) were merged into the new white men's-only University of the State of Florida in Gainesville
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
. Many of Florida State's male students, including members of the fraternity
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
system and the football team transferred to the new university. In 1906 the new school established its first official football team led by former Florida State College coach Jack Forsythe. Several former FSC players transferred to Grant University (now the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is a public university located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The University, often referred to as UTC or simply "Chattanooga" , is one of three universities and two other affiliated institutions in the University of Tennessee System; the others being in...
), with five joining Grant's football team. In 1909 several veterans of the FSC Eleven founded a city team named the Tallahassee Athletics, but this folded after one season. Except for this, until 1947 Tallahassee's only organized or collegiate football team were the team from the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College for Negroes (now Florida A&M University).
Early years
The end of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
brought enormous pressure on the university system in Florida, which saw an influx of veterans applying for college under the GI Bill. The Florida Legislature responded by renaming the Florida State College for Women the Florida State University and allowing men to attend the university for the first time since 1905. Football then returned to Florida State University, beginning in the 1947 season. From 1948 through 1959, the Seminole football program achieved much success under coaches Don Veller
Don Veller
-External links:...
and Tom Nugent
Tom Nugent
Thomas N. "Tom" Nugent was an American college football coach and innovator, sportscaster, public relations man. He served as the head football coach at the Virginia Military Institute, Florida State University, and the University of Maryland. His career record was 89–80–3...
. In 1950, Veller led the Seminoles to an 8-0 record, the first unbeaten season ever for any Florida college. Nugent gave the Noles their first win over an SEC opponent with a 10-0 victory against Tennessee in 1958.
Bill Peterson era (1960-1970)
With the arrival of Bill PetersonBill Peterson
William E. "Bill" Peterson was an American football coach. His career included head coaching stops at Florida State, Rice University and with the Houston Oilers. Considered one of the unique characters in college sports, Peterson is credited with bringing the pro passing game to college football...
in 1960, the Seminoles began their move to national prominence. Under Peterson's direction, the Seminoles beat the Florida Gators for the first time in 1964 and earned their first major bowl bid. Peterson also led the Seminoles to their first ever top ten ranking. During his tenure as head coach, Peterson also gave a young assistant by the name of Bobby Bowden
Bobby Bowden
Robert Cleckler "Bobby" Bowden is a retired college football coach. He coached the Florida State Seminoles football team from the 1976 to 2009 seasons...
his first major college coaching opportunity.
In the summer of 1967, Peterson also engineered another first for the Seminole program when he decided to begin the recruitment of African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
football players. Apparently, he did so without approval from either the school president or its athletic director. On December 16, 1967, the Seminoles signed Ernest Cook, a fullback from Daytona Beach. Several months later, the Seminoles would sign running back Calvin Patterson from Dade County. Ultimately, Cook decided to switch his allegiance to Minnesota where he would become an All-Big Ten running back. In the fall of 1968, Patterson would become the first African American student to play for the Seminoles as a starter for the Florida State freshmen football team. In the fall of 1970, J. T. Thomas
J. T. Thomas (defensive back)
James Thomas Jr. is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers 24th overall in the 1973 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State....
would become the first black to play in a varsity game for the Seminoles.
Bobby Bowden era (1976-2009)
Under head coach Bobby Bowden, the Seminole football team became one of the nation's most competitive football teams, greatly expanding the tradition of football at Florida State. The Seminoles played in five national championship games between 1993 and 2001, and claimed the championship twice, in 1993 and 1999. The FSU football team was the most successful team in college football during the 1990s, boasting an 89% winning percentage. FSU also set an NCAA record for most consecutive Top 5 finishes in the AP football poll – receiving placement 14 years in a row, from 1987 to 2000. The Seminoles under Bowden were the first college football team in history to go wire-to-wire (ranked first place from preseason to postseason) since the AP began releasing preseason rankings in 1936. On December 1, 2009 Bowden announced that he would retire from coaching after the Seminoles' upcoming bowl game on New Year's Day 2010 against West Virginia in the Gator Bowl.Jimbo Fisher era (2010-present)
On January 5, 2010, Fisher officially became the ninth head football coach in Florida State history. Fisher's ascension helped lead Florida State to a top-10 recruiting class in 2010 and the #1 and #2 recruiting class in the country, according to ESPN and Rivals. In his first season as head coach, Florida State went 10-4 with a 6-2 record in ACC conference play. The Seminoles went to their first ACC Championship Game since 2005, losing to Virginia Tech 44-33, and had their first ten win season since 2003. Fisher's first Florida State team notably beat the Miami Hurricanes 45-17 and the Florida Gators 31-7, en route to capture the Seminoles' first "state championship" since 1999. Florida State would go on to the Chick-Fil-A Bowl, where they would beat Steve Spurrier's South Carolina Gamecocks, 26-17.Historical Ranking
In terms of winning percentage, Florida State ranks as the 3rd most successful team in the past 25 years (as of the 2010 season) with a 77% win rate (231-69-2) and 12th over the last half century (1955–2010) with 67%.The College Football Research Center lists Florida State as the 10th best college football program in history (ahead of rivals Miami and Florida, at #15 and #18 respectively). Seven Florida State squads were listed in Billingsley’s Top 200 Teams of All Time (1869–2010), and after the 2008 season, ESPN ranked Florida State the 9th most prestigious program in history.
The Associated Press poll statistics show Florida State with the 7th most appearances in the final AP Top 5 (with 15). Since the Coaches Poll first released a final poll in 1950, Florida State has 32 seasons where the team finished ranked in the top 25 in the Coaches Polls.
Famous moments in FSU football history
- 20102010 NCAA Division I FBS football seasonThe 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on Thursday, September 2, 2010. The season progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game on Monday, January 10, 2011.-Rule changes for...
- The Golden Toe -- In the first ever walk-off, game winning kick in school history, Dustin Hopkins booted a 55-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Seminoles to a 16-13 victory over Clemson. Just a week prior, Hopkins missed a potential game winning field goal with 7 seconds left in a 37-35 loss to North Carolina.
- 2005 - The Miami Muff -- In 2005, the Florida State Seminoles finally gained some redemption for the past Wide Right heartbreaks. Trailing 10-7, the Hurricanes drove down the field to set up a game-tying field goal with 2:16 left. When the ball was snapped, it was mishandled by holder Brian Monroe and the ball never reached the kicker's foot. This ultimately led to a Florida State victory
- 2003 - Rix to Sam -- Florida held a 34-31 lead in the fourth quarter when Seminole QB Chris RixChris RixChristopher Charles Rix is a former NCAA Division I Filipino-American football quarterback for the Florida State Seminoles football team. Rix is also widely known as a coach and sportscaster.- Early life:...
hit WR PK Sam for a 52 yard touchdown pass with 50 seconds remaining, giving the Seminoles a 38-34 win. Before the winning score, Rix had completed a 17-yard pass on 4th and 14 deep in Seminole territory to keep the drive alive.
- 2000 - FSU Wins Second National Championship -- Florida State scored first and took advantage of a blocked punt for a touchdown, giving the Seminoles a 14–0 lead in the first quarter. Virginia Tech, led by QB Michael VickMichael VickMichael Dwayne Vick is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League...
, answered with a touchdown drive of its own before the end of the quarter, but Florida State scored two quick touchdowns to begin the second quarter. Virginia Tech scored a touchdown before halftime, but halfway through the game, Florida State held a 28–14 lead. In the third quarter, Virginia Tech's offense gave the Hokies a lead with a field goal and two touchdowns. Tech failed to convert two two-point conversions, but held a 29–28 lead at the end of the third quarter. Florida State answered in the fourth quarter, however, taking a 36–29 lead with a touchdown and successful two-point conversion early in the quarter. From this point, the Seminoles did not relinquish the lead, extending it to 46–29 with another touchdown and a field goal. With the win, Florida State clinched the 1999 BCS national championship, the team's second national championship in its history.
- 1996 - #1 vs #2 -- The #1–ranked and undefeated Gators came in to Tallahassee favored against the second-ranked Seminoles. The 'Noles got off to a quick start when Peter BoulwarePeter BoulwarePeter Nicholas Boulware , is a former American football linebacker who played his whole NFL career for the Baltimore Ravens. He was a Republican candidate for the Florida House of Representatives, District 9. His younger brother, Michael Boulware, a strong safety is currently a free agent.-Early...
blocked the Gator's first punt of the game, resulting in a touchdown. Florida's eventual Heisman Trophy winner quarterback Danny WuerffelDanny WuerffelDaniel Carl "Danny" Wuerffel is a former American college and professional football player who won the 1996 Heisman Trophy and the 1996 national football championship while playing college football for the University of Florida. After graduating from Florida, he played for four National Football...
threw three interceptions in the first half, and FSU had a 17–0 lead after one quarter of play. Wuerffel got on track after that, throwing for three touchdowns. The last one (to WR Reidel Anthony) cut the Florida State lead to three points with just over a minute left to play. The ensuing onside kick went out of bounds, however, and the Seminoles held on for the 24–21 upset win.
- 1994 - The Choke at Doak -- In the greatest fourth-quarter comeback of the series, the Gators led the Seminoles 31–3 after three quarters. However, the Seminoles scored 28 points in the final fifteen minutes to tie the game at 31-31. The Seminoles then won a rematch in the Sugar BowlSugar BowlThe Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009...
23–17, referred to as "The Fifth Quarter in the French Quarter."
- 1994 - FSU Wins First National Championship -- This 60th edition to the Orange BowlOrange BowlThe Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935 and celebrated its 75th playing on January 1, 2009...
featured the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and the Florida State Seminoles. Florida State came into the game 11-1, and ranked first in the nation. Nebraska came into the game undefeated at 11-0, and with a number 2 ranking. Late in 4th quarter, FSU's Heisman trophy winning quarterback Charlie WardCharlie WardCharlie Ward, Jr. is a retired American professional NBA basketball player, college football Heisman Trophy winner, Davey O'Brien Award winner and a Major League Baseball draftee. Ward is considered one of the best all-around athletes in the last quarter century...
drove the Seminoles all the way to the Nebraska 3 yard line. The Huskers held and forced Scott BentleyScott BentleyScott L. Bentley is a former American football kicker in the National Football League. He played parts of four seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, the Denver Broncos, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Washington Redskins. He was also a member of the 2001 World Bowl Champion Berlin Thunder of NFL...
to kick his fourth field goal of the night, which was good, and FSU led 18-16 with just 21 seconds remaining. Florida State players and coaches went wild on the sidelines, and were penalized for excessive celebration, costing them 15 yards on the ensuing kickoff. As a result, the Huskers were able to get a decent return and began their final possession at their own 43 yard line. As time ran down, Tommy Frazier hit tight end Trumane Bell for a 29 yard gain to the FSU 28 yard line. The clock ticked down to 0:00, setting off more chaos on the FSU sideline, complete with the compulsory Gatorade bath given to FSU coach Bobby BowdenBobby BowdenRobert Cleckler "Bobby" Bowden is a retired college football coach. He coached the Florida State Seminoles football team from the 1976 to 2009 seasons...
. However, referee John Soffey ruled that Bell was down with 1 second left on the clock, and ordered the field cleared, allowing Nebraska placekicker Byron Bennett an opportunity to kick the game winning field goal. But the 45 yard kick sailed wide left, preserving the 18-16 win for the Seminoles.
- 1993 - Ward to Dunn -- The Seminoles came into The Swamp ranked No. 1 and looking to play for the national championship. Florida had clinched the SEC East championship and were themselves ranked in the top five. Early on it looked to be a Florida State rout, as the Seminoles took a 27–7 lead into the fourth quarter. However, Florida scored two quick touchdowns to make the score 27–21. With six minutes remaining, the Seminoles faced third down at their own 21-yard-line. In what many people consider the greatest play in Florida State history, Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Charlie WardCharlie WardCharlie Ward, Jr. is a retired American professional NBA basketball player, college football Heisman Trophy winner, Davey O'Brien Award winner and a Major League Baseball draftee. Ward is considered one of the best all-around athletes in the last quarter century...
hit freshman Warrick DunnWarrick DunnWarrick De'Mon Dunn is a former American football running back, and current minority owner of the Atlanta Falcons. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12th overall in the 1997 NFL Draft, after playing college football at Florida State...
up the sideline for a 79-yard game-clinching touchdown run and a 33–21 FSU win.
- 1991 - Big Win at the Big House -- In the their trip ever at Michigan Stadium, Florida State would beat the #3 Michigan Wolverines 51-31 behind quarterback Casey WeldonCasey WeldonWilliam Casey Weldon is a former professional American football player. Weldon is best known for being the quarterback for Florida State in the late-1980s and early-1990s. During his senior season in 1991, Weldon finished runner-up in the Heisman Trophy balloting to Desmond Howard of Michigan...
's 268 yards and 2 TDs and Amp LeeAmp LeeAnthonia Wayne "Amp" Lee is an American football coach and former professional running back who played nine seasons in the National Football League. He is currently the running backs coach for the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League.-Playing career:Lee was drafted by the San...
's 122 yards rushing. One of the most memorable plays in Florida State history occurred in the 1st quarter when cornerback Terrell BuckleyTerrell BuckleyDouglas Terrell Buckley is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League....
returned an Elvis GrbacElvis GrbacElvis M. Grbac is a retired American football quarterback who played in the NFL. During his career he was a starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, the Kansas City Chiefs, and Baltimore Ravens...
interception for a 40 yard touchdown.
- 1988 - Puntrooskie -- Florida State had a 4th down and 4 to go at its own 21 yard line with about a minute and a half to go in the 4th quarter at Clemson. They lined up to punt but the ball was snapped to an up back who handed it to Leroy ButlerLeRoy ButlerLeRoy Butler, III is a former American football strong safety who played his entire career with the Green Bay Packers . He spent his childhood in Jacksonville, Florida, challenged by physical problems that forced him to wear leg braces and use a wheelchair at times while undergoing therapy...
who ran down the left side of the field all the way to the Clemson 4 yard line. Florida State wound up kicking a field goal to win the game, 24-21.
- 1964 - FSU's First Win Over UF -- Florida State had never beaten Florida, gaining only a 3-3 tie in six tries, all at Gainesville. Since 1947, when Florida State College for Women became Florida State University, its athletes have endured "girl school" taunts. During the week Florida players wore stickers on their helmets in practice reading "Never, FSU, Never." The thrust may have added considerable fuel to FSU's already blazing fire. FSU's aggressive defense helped force five Florida fumbles, and the Seminoles claimed four of them. The Tribe intercepted two passes. FSU lost two fumbles and had one pass intercepted. Steve TensiSteve TensiStephen Michael "Steve" Tensi is a former professional American football quarterback in the American Football League and the National Football League. He played for the San Diego Chargers and the Denver Broncos .-See also:* Other American Football League players...
connected on 11 of 22 throws for 190 yards. Fred BiletnikoffFred BiletnikoffFrederick S. "Fred" Biletnikoff is a former American football wide receiver and coach. He spent the majority of his professional playing and coaching days with the Oakland Raiders...
, a decoy much of the way and well covered by Florida, caught only two, for 78 yards and a TD. The 16-7 win ended six years of FSU frustration against the Gators and left Florida with a 5-3 record. FSU ended its regular season with a 8-1-1 chart, a showing exceeded only by an unbeaten 1950 season which came at a time when the Tribe was playing in a lesser league.
Stadium
The stadium, named after former Florida State President Doak S. CampbellDoak S. Campbell
Doak Sheridan Campbell was president of Florida State College for Women, as it made the transition from an all-female school under that name to the coeducational Florida State University, between 1941 and 1957.-Early life:...
, hosted its first game against the Randolph-Macon College
Randolph-Macon College
Randolph–Macon College is a private, co-educational liberal arts college located in Ashland, Virginia, United States, near the capital city of Richmond. Founded in 1830, the school has an enrollment of over 1,200 students...
Yellowjacket
Yellowjacket
Yellowjacket is the common name in North America for predatory wasps of the genera Vespula and Dolichovespula. Members of these genera are known simply as "wasps" in other English-speaking countries...
s on October 7, 1950 with the Seminoles winning the game 40–7. At that time the facility had a seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
of 15,000. Florida State first began play at Centennial Field during the team's inaugural 1947 season and would continue to play there for the following two years (1948 and 1949). Doak Campbell Stadium, with its original capacity of 15,000 in 1950, was built at a cost of $250,000. In 1954, the stadium grew to a capacity of 19,000. Six thousand more seats were added in 1961. During the Bill Peterson
Bill Peterson
William E. "Bill" Peterson was an American football coach. His career included head coaching stops at Florida State, Rice University and with the Houston Oilers. Considered one of the unique characters in college sports, Peterson is credited with bringing the pro passing game to college football...
era (1960–70), the stadium was expanded to 40,500 seats, and it remained at that capacity for the next 14 years. Since that time, the stadium has expanded to almost 83,000, largely due to the success of the football team under head coach Bobby Bowden
Bobby Bowden
Robert Cleckler "Bobby" Bowden is a retired college football coach. He coached the Florida State Seminoles football team from the 1976 to 2009 seasons...
coupled with the ever growing student body. It now is the largest football stadium in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Aesthetically, a brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
surrounding the stadium matches the architectural design of most of the buildings on the university's campus. In addition to the obvious recreational uses, The University Center surrounds the stadium and houses many of the university's offices. The field was officially named Bobby Bowden field on November 20, 2004 as Florida State hosted intrastate rival Florida.
Current Coaching Staff
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Jimbo Fisher Jimbo Fisher John James "Jimbo" Fisher is an American college football coach and former player. He is currently head coach at Florida State University.... |
Head Coach |
| James Coley James Coley James Coley is an American college football coach who currently is the offensive coordinator and tight ends coach at Florida State University... |
Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends Coach |
| Mark Stoops Mark Stoops Mark Stoops is an American football defensive coordinator for Florida State.-Playing career:Stoops, one of six children born to Ron and Dee Stoops, attended Cardinal Mooney High School in Youngstown, Ohio, where his father was an assistant coach and defensive coordinator.After high school Stoops... |
Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs Coach |
| Eddie Gran | Special Teams Coordinator/Running Backs Coach |
| Dameyune Craig Dameyune Craig Dameyune Vashon Craig is a former professional American football quarterback in the National Football League for four seasons for the Carolina Panthers. He is currently the quarterbacks coach for Florida State University.-Early years:Craig played high school football for Mattie T. Blount High... |
Recruiting Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach |
| Lawrence Dawsey Lawrence Dawsey Lawrence Leneir Dawsey is a former American football player in the National Football League and current wide receivers coach at Florida State University. He won the UPI NFL-NFC Rookie of the Year award in 1991. Dawsey was an All-American at Florida State in 1990... |
Wide Receivers Coach |
| D.J. Eliot | Defensive Ends Coach |
| Odell Haggins | Defensive Line Coach |
| Greg Hudson Greg Hudson Greg Hudson is an American football coach . He currently serves as the linebackers coach at Florida State. He has also served as a defensive assistant at Minnesota, Cincinnati and Connecticut and most recently as a defensive coordinator at East Carolina.... |
Linebackers Coach |
| Rick Trickett | Offensive Line Coach |
Head coaches
| cellpadding="1" style="width:80%;" class="wikitable sortable"> | ||||
| Tenure | Coach | Years | Record | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | Ed Williamson Ed Williamson Ed Williamson is a former head coach of the Florida State college football program in 1947.-Head coaching record:-External links:... |
1 | 0-5 | .000 |
| 1948–1952 | Don Veller Don Veller -External links:... |
5 | 31-12-1 | .716 |
| 1953–1958 | Tom Nugent Tom Nugent Thomas N. "Tom" Nugent was an American college football coach and innovator, sportscaster, public relations man. He served as the head football coach at the Virginia Military Institute, Florida State University, and the University of Maryland. His career record was 89–80–3... |
6 | 34-28-1 | .548 |
| 1959 | Perry Moss Perry Moss -External links:... |
1 | 4-6 | .400 |
| 1960–1970 | Bill Peterson Bill Peterson William E. "Bill" Peterson was an American football coach. His career included head coaching stops at Florida State, Rice University and with the Houston Oilers. Considered one of the unique characters in college sports, Peterson is credited with bringing the pro passing game to college football... |
11 | 62-42-11 | .587 |
| 1971–1973 | Larry Jones Larry Jones Larry Jones is a retired American basketball player. He played professionally in the NBA and ABA, from 1964 to 1974.... |
3 | 15-19 | .441 |
| 1974–1975 | Darrell Mudra Darrell Mudra Darrell "Dr. Victory" Mudra is a former American football coach. He served as the head football coach at Adams State College , North Dakota State University , the University of Arizona , Western Illinois University , Florida State University , Eastern Illinois University... |
2 | 4-18 | .182 |
| 1976–2009 | Bobby Bowden Bobby Bowden Robert Cleckler "Bobby" Bowden is a retired college football coach. He coached the Florida State Seminoles football team from the 1976 to 2009 seasons... |
34 | 304-97-4^ | .758 |
| 2010–present | Jimbo Fisher Jimbo Fisher John James "Jimbo" Fisher is an American college football coach and former player. He is currently head coach at Florida State University.... |
2 | 18-8 | .692 |
| Totals | 9 coaches | 65 seasons | 472-235-17 | .667 |
^ Bobby Bowden's record does not include 12 wins that were vacated that would otherwise make his record 316-97-4.
The Dynasty (1987–2000)
The best years of Florida State football came in the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s. The Seminoles had 14 consecutive seasons with 10 or more wins and a top 5 finish. They had a record of 152–19–1 between these years (11 of their 19 losses were decided by 7 points or less). FSU's accomplishments in these 14 seasons included 11 bowl wins, 9 ACC championships in 9 years, 2 Heisman Trophy winners, and 2 National Championships.{| border="0" width="70%"
| valign="top" |
| Year | Record | AP Rank | Championships | Bowl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 11–1 | 2nd | Won Fiesta | |
| 1988 | 11–1 | 3rd | Won Sugar | |
| 1989 | 10–2 | 3rd | Won Fiesta | |
| 1990 | 10–2 | 4th | Won Blockbuster | |
| 1991 | 11–2 | 4th | Won Cotton | |
| 1992 | 11–1 | 2nd | ACC champions | Won Orange |
| 1993 1993 Florida State Seminoles football team The 1993 Florida State Seminoles football team was the national champion of the 1993 college football season. The team finished with a 12-1 record.-Regular season:... |
12–1 | 1st | ACC champions, National champions | Won Orange |
| 1994 | 10–1–1 | 4th | ACC champions | Won Sugar |
| 1995 | 10–2 | 4th | ACC co-champions | Won Orange |
| 1996 | 11–1 | 3rd | ACC champions | Lost Sugar |
| 1997 | 11–1 | 3rd | ACC champions | Won Sugar |
| 1998 | 11–2 | 3rd | ACC co-champions | Lost Fiesta |
| 1999 1999 Florida State Seminoles football team The 1999 Florida State Seminoles football team was the national champion of the 1999 college football season. The team finished with a perfect 12-0 record, and was the first in NCAA history to go "wire-to-wire," being ranked continuously as the nation's #1 team from the preseason through the bowl... |
12–0 | 1st | ACC champions, National champions | Won Sugar |
| 2000 | 11–2 | 5th | ACC champions | Lost Orange |
|}
National championships
| cellpadding="1" style="width:80%;" class="wikitable"> | ||||
| Year | Coach | Selector | Record | Bowl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 1993 Florida State Seminoles football team The 1993 Florida State Seminoles football team was the national champion of the 1993 college football season. The team finished with a 12-1 record.-Regular season:... |
Bobby Bowden Bobby Bowden Robert Cleckler "Bobby" Bowden is a retired college football coach. He coached the Florida State Seminoles football team from the 1976 to 2009 seasons... |
AP AP National Championship Trophy The AP National Championship Trophy is the trophy awarded annually by the Associated Press to the team who finishes the season at the number one spot in the AP Poll.... , Coaches AFCA National Championship Trophy The AFCA National Championship Trophy is the trophy awarded by the American Football Coaches Association to the winner of college football's BCS National Championship Game, which determines the national champion for purposes of the Coaches Poll... |
12–1 | Won Orange 1994 Orange Bowl The 1994 Orange Bowl a 1993–1994 college football bowl game was played on January 1, 1994, for the national championship. This 60th edition to the Orange Bowl featured the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and the Florida State Seminoles. Florida State came into the game 11-1, and ranked first in the nation.... |
| 1999 1999 Florida State Seminoles football team The 1999 Florida State Seminoles football team was the national champion of the 1999 college football season. The team finished with a perfect 12-0 record, and was the first in NCAA history to go "wire-to-wire," being ranked continuously as the nation's #1 team from the preseason through the bowl... |
Bobby Bowden Bobby Bowden Robert Cleckler "Bobby" Bowden is a retired college football coach. He coached the Florida State Seminoles football team from the 1976 to 2009 seasons... |
BCS BCS National Championship Game The BCS National Championship Game, or BCS National Championship, is the final bowl game of the annual Bowl Championship Series and is intended by the organizers of the BCS to determine the U.S. national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision... , AP AP National Championship Trophy The AP National Championship Trophy is the trophy awarded annually by the Associated Press to the team who finishes the season at the number one spot in the AP Poll.... , Coaches AFCA National Championship Trophy The AFCA National Championship Trophy is the trophy awarded by the American Football Coaches Association to the winner of college football's BCS National Championship Game, which determines the national champion for purposes of the Coaches Poll... |
12–0 | Won Sugar 2000 Sugar Bowl The 2000 Sugar Bowl was the designated Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game for the United States 1999 college football season and was played on January 4, 2000, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana... |
| Total National Titles | 2 |
Conference championships
Conference Affiliations- 1947: IndependentNCAA Division I-A independent schoolsNCAA Football Bowl Subdivision independent schools are four-year institutions whose football programs are not part of an NCAA-affiliated conference. This means that FBS independents are not required to schedule each other for competition like conference schools do...
- 1948–1950: Dixie Conference
- 1951–1991: Independent
- 1992–present: ACCAtlantic Coast ConferenceThe Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
| cellpadding="1" style="width:80%;" class="wikitable"> | |||
| Year | Conference | Overall Record | Conference Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | Dixie | 7–1 | 4–0 |
| 1949 | Dixie | 9–1 | 4–0 |
| 1950 | Dixie | 8–0 | 2–0 |
| 1992 | ACC | 11–1 | 8–0 |
| 1993 | ACC | 12–1 | 8–0 |
| 1994 | ACC | 10–1–1 | 8–0 |
| 1995† | ACC | 10–2 | 7–1 |
| 1996 | ACC | 11–1 | 8–0 |
| 1997 | ACC | 11–1 | 8–0 |
| 1998† | ACC | 11–2 | 7–1 |
| 1999 | ACC | 12–0 | 8–0 |
| 2000 | ACC | 11–2 | 8–0 |
| 2002 | ACC | 9–5 | 7–1 |
| 2003 | ACC | 10–3 | 7–1 |
| 2005 | ACC | 8–5 | 5–3 |
| † Denotes co-champions | |||
| Total Conference Titles | 15 |
Divisional championships
Divisional play began in the Atlantic Coast Conference at the start of the 2005 football season following the addition of Boston CollegeBoston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
. Coincidentally, in both years, they had the same 5–3 record as Boston College. In 2005, Florida State won at BC, whereas BC won at Florida State in 2008.
| cellpadding="1" style="width:80%;" class="wikitable"> | |||
| Year | Division | Overall Record | Conference Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | ACC Atlantic | 8–5 | 5–3 |
| 2008† | ACC Atlantic | 8–4 | 5–3 |
| 2010 | ACC Atlantic | 9–3 | 6–2 |
| † Denotes co-champions | |||
| Total Division Titles | 3 |
Conference championship games
Florida State has appeared in the ACC Championship GameACC Championship Game
The Dr Pepper ACC Championship Game is an American college football game held on the first Saturday in December by the Atlantic Coast Conference each year to determine its football champion. The game pits the champion of the Coastal Division against the champion of the Atlantic Division in a game...
as the winner of the Atlantic Division twice, defeating Virginia Tech of the Coastal Division in the inaugural game in 2005, and losing to Virginia Tech in 2010.
| cellpadding="1" style="width:80%;" class="wikitable"> | |||||
| Year | Division Championship | ACC CG Result | Opponent | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | ACC Atlantic | W | Virginia Tech Virginia Tech Hokies football The Virginia Tech Hokies football team is a college football program that competes in NCAA Division I-FBS, in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They have more wins in team history than any other program in the ACC. Their home games are played at Lane Stadium which seats over... |
27 | 22 |
| 2010 | ACC Atlantic | L | Virginia Tech Virginia Tech Hokies football The Virginia Tech Hokies football team is a college football program that competes in NCAA Division I-FBS, in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They have more wins in team history than any other program in the ACC. Their home games are played at Lane Stadium which seats over... |
33 | 44 |
| Totals | 2 | 1–1 | 60 | 66 |
Undefeated seasons
| cellpadding="1" style="width:80%;" class="wikitable"> | ||
| Year | Record | Coach |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 8-0 | Don Veller Don Veller -External links:... |
| 1999 | 12-0 | Bobby Bowden Bobby Bowden Robert Cleckler "Bobby" Bowden is a retired college football coach. He coached the Florida State Seminoles football team from the 1976 to 2009 seasons... |
| Totals | 2 |
State Championships
A "State Championship" refers to when the Florida State University Seminoles, the University of Florida Gators, or the University of Miami Hurricanes beat the other two teams from the state of Florida in the same season.| cellpadding="1" style="width:80%;" class="wikitable"> | |||
| Year | Coach | Score Against Miami | Score Against Florida |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Bill Peterson | 14-0 | 16-7 |
| 1978 | Bobby Bowden | 31-21 | 38-21 |
| 1979 | Bobby Bowden | 40-23 | 27-16 |
| 1989 | Bobby Bowden | 24-10 | 24-17 |
| 1993 | Bobby Bowden | 28-10 | 33-21 |
| 1996 | Bobby Bowden | 34-16 | 24-21 |
| 1998 | Bobby Bowden | 26-14 | 23-12 |
| 1999 | Bobby Bowden | 31-21 | 30-23 |
| 2010 | Jimbo Fisher | 45-17 | 31-7 |
| 2011 | Jimbo Fisher | 23-19 | 21-7 |
| Totals | 10 |
Year-by-year results
| cellpadding="1" style="width:80%;" class="wikitable sortable"> | |||
| Year | Coach | Record | Championships |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | Ed Williamson | 0–5 | |
| 1948 | Don Veller | 7–1 | Dixie Conference Champions |
| 1949 | Don Veller | 9–1 | Dixie Conference Champions |
| 1950 | Don Veller | 8–0 | Dixie Conference Champions |
| 1951 | Don Veller | 6–2 | |
| 1952 | Don Veller | 1–8–1 | |
| 1953 | Tom Nugent | 5–5 | |
| 1954 | Tom Nugent | 8–4 | |
| 1955 | Tom Nugent | 5–5 | |
| 1956 | Tom Nugent | 5–4–1 | |
| 1957 | Tom Nugent | 4–6 | |
| 1958 | Tom Nugent | 7–2 | |
| 1959 | Perry Moss | 4–6 | |
| 1960 | Bill Peterson | 3–6–1 | |
| 1961 | Bill Peterson | 4–5–1 | |
| 1962 | Bill Peterson | 4–3–3 | |
| 1963 | Bill Peterson | 4–5–1 | |
| 1964 | Bill Peterson | 9–1–1 | |
| 1965 | Bill Peterson | 4–5–1 | |
| 1966 | Bill Peterson | 6–5 | |
| 1967 | Bill Peterson | 7–2–2 | |
| 1968 | Bill Peterson | 8–3 | |
| 1969 | Bill Peterson | 6–3–1 | |
| 1970 | Bill Peterson | 7–4 | |
| 1971 | Larry Jones | 8–4 | |
| 1972 | Larry Jones | 7–4 | |
| 1973 | Larry Jones | 0–11 | |
| 1974 | Darrell Mudra | 1–10 | |
| 1975 | Darrell Mudra | 3–8 | |
| 1976 | Bobby Bowden | 5–6 | |
| 1977 | Bobby Bowden | 10–2 | |
| 1978 | Bobby Bowden | 8–3 | |
| 1979 | Bobby Bowden | 11–1 | |
| 1980 | Bobby Bowden | 10–2 | |
| 1981 | Bobby Bowden | 6–5 | |
| 1982 | Bobby Bowden | 9–3 | |
| 1983 | Bobby Bowden | 8–4 | |
| 1984 | Bobby Bowden | 7–3–2 | |
| 1985 1985 Florida State Seminoles football team The 1985 Florida State Seminoles football team represented Florida State University in the 1985 college football season. The Seminoles offense scored 402 points while the defense allowed 258 points... |
Bobby Bowden | 9–3 | |
| 1986 | Bobby Bowden | 7–4–1 | |
| 1987 | Bobby Bowden | 11–1 | |
| 1988 | Bobby Bowden | 11–1 | |
| 1989 | Bobby Bowden | 10–2 | |
| 1990 | Bobby Bowden | 10–2 | |
| 1991 1991 Florida State Seminoles football team The 1991 Florida State Seminoles football team finished the 1991 college football season ranked #4 in both polls. They started the season ranked #1, but were dropped in the rankings after Wide Right I. The Seminoles offense scored 449 points while the defense allowed 188 points... |
Bobby Bowden | 11–2 | |
| 1992 1992 Florida State Seminoles football team The 1992 Florida State Seminoles football team finished #2 in the AP and Coaches poll with an 11-1 record. The Seminoles offense scored 446 points while the defense allowed 186 points. Led by head coach Bobby Bowden, the Seminoles competed in the Orange Bowl.... |
Bobby Bowden | 11–1 | ACC champions |
| 1993 1993 Florida State Seminoles football team The 1993 Florida State Seminoles football team was the national champion of the 1993 college football season. The team finished with a 12-1 record.-Regular season:... |
Bobby Bowden | 12–1 | ACC champions; National Champions |
| 1994 | Bobby Bowden | 10–1–1 | ACC champions |
| 1995 | Bobby Bowden | 10–2 | ACC co-champions |
| 1996 | Bobby Bowden | 11–1 | ACC champions |
| 1997 1997 Florida State Seminoles football team The 1997 Florida State Seminoles football team represented the Florida State Seminoles in the college football season of 1997. The team was coached by Bobby Bowden and played their home games in Doak Campbell Stadium.-Schedule:... |
Bobby Bowden | 11–1 | ACC champions |
| 1998 1998 Florida State Seminoles football team The 1998 Florida State Seminoles football team represented the Florida State University in the college football season of 1998. The team was coached by Bobby Bowden and played their home games in Doak Campbell Stadium.-Schedule:... |
Bobby Bowden | 11–2 | ACC champions |
| 1999 1999 Florida State Seminoles football team The 1999 Florida State Seminoles football team was the national champion of the 1999 college football season. The team finished with a perfect 12-0 record, and was the first in NCAA history to go "wire-to-wire," being ranked continuously as the nation's #1 team from the preseason through the bowl... |
Bobby Bowden | 12–0 | ACC champions; National Champions |
| 2000 2000 Florida State Seminoles football team The 2000 Florida State Seminoles football team was the champion of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The team finished with a 11-2 record, and lost in the 2001 BCS National Title Game to the Oklahoma Sooners... |
Bobby Bowden | 11–2 | ACC champions |
| 2001 2001 Florida State Seminoles football team The 2001 Florida State Seminoles football team represented the Florida State University in the college football season of 2001. The team was coached by Bobby Bowden and played their home games in Doak Campbell Stadium.-Schedule:... |
Bobby Bowden | 8–4 | |
| 2002 2002 Florida State Seminoles football team -Schedule:... |
Bobby Bowden | 9–5 | ACC champions |
| 2003 2003 Florida State Seminoles football team -Schedule:... |
Bobby Bowden | 10–3 | ACC champions |
| 2004 2004 Florida State Seminoles football team -Schedule:-Miami, FL:Originally scheduled for September 6, 2004, the game between Miami and Florida State was postponed due to Hurricane Francis. On September 10, both teams met at the Orange Bowl in Miami, FL. The Seminoles took the upper hand in the first half with a 45 yard field goal by Xavier... |
Bobby Bowden | 9–3 | |
| 2005 2005 Florida State Seminoles football team The 2005 Florida State Seminoles football team won the 2005 ACC Championship Game over the Virginia Tech Hokies by a score of 27-22. With the victory, they were a selection to go to the 2006 Orange Bowl as the ACC representative in the BCS.-Schedule:... |
Bobby Bowden | 8–5 | ACC Atlantic Division champions; Inaugural ACC Championship Game 2005 ACC Championship Game The 2005 Dr. Pepper Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Game was the inaugural contest of the game. It was a regular-season ending American college football contest at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Florida State Seminoles. The... champions |
| 2006 2006 Florida State Seminoles football team The 2006 Florida State Seminoles football team represented Florida State University during the 2006 college football season. Florida State entered the 2006 season as the defending ACC Champion, coming off an 8-5 record in 2005... |
Bobby Bowden | 2–61 | |
| 2007 2007 Florida State Seminoles football team The 2007 Florida State Seminoles football team represented Florida State University during the 2007 college football season. Florida State entered the 2007 season coming off a 2006 that ended with an overall record of 7-6, which was head coach Bobby Bowden's worst record since going 6-5 in 1981,... |
Bobby Bowden | 0–62 | |
| 2008 2008 Florida State Seminoles football team The 2008 Florida State Seminoles football team represented Florida State University during the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football season. It was Florida State's 17th season as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference .The previous... |
Bobby Bowden | 9–4 | ACC Atlantic Division co-champions |
| 2009 2009 Florida State Seminoles football team The 2009 Florida State Seminoles football team represented Florida State University during the 2009 college football season. The Seminoles were led by 34th year head coach Bobby Bowden... |
Bobby Bowden | 7–6 | |
| 2010 2010 Florida State Seminoles football team The 2010 Florida State Seminoles football team represented Florida State University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS college football season. The Seminoles were led by 1st year head coach Jimbo Fisher and played their home games at Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium. They were members of... |
Jimbo Fisher | 10–4 | ACC Atlantic Division champions |
| 2011 2011 Florida State Seminoles football team The 2011 Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS college football season. The Seminoles are led by 2nd year head coach Jimbo Fisher and play their home games at Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium... |
Jimbo Fisher | 8-4 |
1- Five (5) 2006 season wins vacated due to using ineligible players
2- All Seven (7) 2007 season wins vacated due to using ineligible players
All-time bowl record
Florida State has played in 40 bowl games in its history and owns a 24–14–2 record in those games. Florida State's two most common opponents in bowl play have been Oklahoma and Nebraska. The Seminoles are 1–3 against Oklahoma in bowl games and 4–0 against Nebraska. Florida State's most common bowl destination has been the Orange Bowl (8 trips). Its second most common bowl destinations have been the Sugar Bowl and the Gator Bowl (6 trips each). The Seminoles also hold the longest active Bowl Appearance record at 30 appearances (after the 2011 season) only being surpassed in the all-time record by Nebraska with 35 appearances.| cellpadding="1" style="width:80%;" class="wikitable sortable"> | |||||
| Date | Bowl | Win/Loss | Opponent | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 2, 1950 | Cigar Bowl Cigar Bowl The Cigar Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game featuring small college teams held in Tampa, Florida from 1946 to 1954. It was played at Phillips Field, which was located across the Hillsborough River from downtown Tampa at the current site of Tampa Preparatory School and Julian Lane... |
W | Wofford Wofford College Established in 1854 and related to the United Methodist Church, Wofford College is an independent, Phi Beta Kappa liberal arts college of 1,525 students located in downtown Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States. The historic campus is recognized as a national arboretum and features “The... |
19 | 6 |
| January 1, 1955 | Sun Bowl Sun Bowl The Sun Bowl is an annual U.S. college football bowl game that is usually played at the end of December in El Paso, Texas. The Sun Bowl, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl are the second-oldest bowl games in the country, behind the Rose Bowl... |
L | Texas-El Paso | 20 | 47 |
| December 13, 1958 | Bluegrass Bowl Bluegrass Bowl Bluegrass Bowl was played only once, on 13 December 1958 in Louisville, Kentucky. Oklahoma State University defeated Florida State University 15-6.-Background of the Bluegrass Bowl:... |
L | Oklahoma State Oklahoma State Cowboys football The Oklahoma State Cowboys football program represents Oklahoma State University–Stillwater in college football. The team is a member of the Big 12 Conference and completes at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. The Cowboys are led by Mike Gundy, who is in his seventh year as... |
6 | 15 |
| January 2, 1965 | Gator Bowl Gator Bowl The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. Held continuously since 1946, it is the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first one ever televised nationally... |
W | Oklahoma Oklahoma Sooners football The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association... |
36 | 19 |
| December 24, 1966 | Sun Bowl | L | Wyoming University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming is a land-grant university located in Laramie, Wyoming, situated on Wyoming's high Laramie Plains, at an elevation of 7,200 feet , between the Laramie and Snowy Range mountains. It is known as UW to people close to the university... |
20 | 28 |
| December 30, 1967 | Gator Bowl | T | Penn State Penn State Nittany Lions football The Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference. It is one of the most tradition-rich and storied college football programs in the... |
17 | 17 |
| December 30, 1968 | Peach Bowl | L | LSU LSU Tigers football The LSU Tigers football team, also known as the Fighting Tigers or Bayou Bengals, represents Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States in NCAA Division I FBS college football. Current head coach Les Miles has led the team since 2005. Since 1999 when Nick Saban took over as... |
27 | 31 |
| December 27, 1971 | Fiesta Bowl Fiesta Bowl The Fiesta Bowl, now sponsored by Frito-Lay and named with their Tostitos brand, is a United States college football bowl game played annually at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Between its origination in 1971 and 2006, the game was hosted in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil... |
L | Arizona State Arizona State Sun Devils football The Arizona State Sun Devils' football program represents Arizona State University in college football, and competes in NCAA Division I FBS as a member of the Pacific-12 Conference.... |
38 | 45 |
| December 23, 1977 | Tangerine Bowl Capital One Bowl The Capital One Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Orlando, Florida at the Citrus Bowl, and previously known as the Tangerine Bowl and the Florida Citrus Bowl... |
W | Texas Tech Texas Tech Red Raiders football Texas Tech Red Raiders football program is a college football team that represents Texas Tech University . The team competes, as a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association... |
40 | 17 |
| January 1, 1980 | Orange Bowl | L | Oklahoma | 7 | 24 |
| January 1, 1981 | Orange Bowl | L | Oklahoma | 17 | 18 |
| December 30, 1982 | Gator Bowl | W | West Virginia West Virginia Mountaineers The West Virginia Mountaineers are the athletic teams of West Virginia University. The school is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and the Big East Conference. On July 1, 2012 the Mountaineers will switch conferences, moving from the Big East to the Big 12, becoming... |
31 | 12 |
| December 30, 1983 | Peach Bowl | W | North Carolina | 28 | 3 |
| December 22, 1984 | Citrus Bowl Citrus Bowl The Florida Citrus Bowl is a stadium in Orlando, Florida, USA, built for football, which currently seats around 70,000 people.... |
T | Georgia Georgia Bulldogs football The Georgia Bulldogs football team represents the University of Georgia in football. The Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference and are frequently a top-25 team. The University of Georgia has had a football team since 1892 and has an all-time record of 738–398–54... |
17 | 17 |
| December 30, 1985 | Gator Bowl | W | Oklahoma State | 34 | 23 |
| December 31, 1986 | All-American Bowl All-American Bowl The All-American Bowl was an annual postseason college football bowl game played at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama from 1977 to 1990. The game was known as the Hall of Fame Classic from 1977 to 1985.... |
W | Indiana Indiana Hoosiers The Indiana Hoosiers are the athletic teams for the Bloomington campus of Indiana University . Athletic teams sponsored by IU Bloomington include cross country, track, baseball, golf, tennis, rowing, volleyball, soccer, football and basketball... |
27 | 13 |
| January 1, 1988 | Fiesta Bowl | W | Nebraska Nebraska Cornhuskers football The Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college football. The program has established itself as a traditional powerhouse, and has the fourth-most all-time victories of any NCAA Division I-A team. Nebraska is one of only six football programs in NCAA Division I-A... |
31 | 28 |
| January 2, 1989 | Sugar Bowl Sugar Bowl The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009... |
W | Auburn Auburn Tigers football Only Mohamed Amin Abughadir set the record with 1,890 yards in 1 season. He was the QB for Auburn in 1998.The Auburn Tigers football team represents Auburn University in college football as a member of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, competing in the Western Division of the... |
13 | 7 |
| January 1, 1990 | Fiesta Bowl | W | Nebraska | 41 | 17 |
| December 28, 1990 | Blockbuster Bowl | W | Penn State | 24 | 17 |
| January 1, 1992 | Cotton Bowl Classic | W | Texas A&M Texas A&M Aggies football The Texas A&M Aggies football team represents Texas A&M University in college football. The Aggies have competed in the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996. They will join the Southeastern Conference in July 2012. Texas A&M football has earned one national title and 18... |
10 | 2 |
| January 1, 1993 | Orange Bowl | W | Nebraska | 27 | 14 |
| January 1, 1994 | Orange Bowl (national title game) | W | Nebraska | 18 | 16 |
| January 2, 1995 | Sugar Bowl | W | Florida Florida Gators football The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference... |
23 | 17 |
| January 1, 1996 | Orange Bowl | W | Notre Dame Notre Dame Fighting Irish football Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an... |
31 | 26 |
| January 2, 1997 | Sugar Bowl (national title game) | L | Florida | 20 | 52 |
| January 1, 1998 | Sugar Bowl | W | Ohio State Ohio State Buckeyes football The Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state... |
31 | 14 |
| January 4, 1999 | Fiesta Bowl BCS National Championship Game BCS National Championship Game The BCS National Championship Game, or BCS National Championship, is the final bowl game of the annual Bowl Championship Series and is intended by the organizers of the BCS to determine the U.S. national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision... |
L | Tennessee Tennessee Volunteers football The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference .... |
16 | 23 |
| January 4, 2000 | Sugar Bowl BCS National Championship Game |
W | Virginia Tech Virginia Tech Hokies football The Virginia Tech Hokies football team is a college football program that competes in NCAA Division I-FBS, in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They have more wins in team history than any other program in the ACC. Their home games are played at Lane Stadium which seats over... |
46 | 29 |
| January 3, 2001 | Orange Bowl BCS National Championship Game |
L | Oklahoma | 2 | 13 |
| January 1, 2002 | Gator Bowl | W | Virginia Tech | 30 | 17 |
| January 1, 2003 | Sugar Bowl | L | Georgia | 13 | 26 |
| January 1, 2004 | Orange Bowl | L | Miami Miami Hurricanes football The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships... |
14 | 16 |
| January 1, 2005 | Gator Bowl | W | West Virginia | 30 | 18 |
| January 3, 2006 | Orange Bowl | L (3 OT) |
Penn State | 23 | 26 |
| December 27, 2006 | Emerald Bowl Emerald Bowl The Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl is a post-season college football bowl game certified by the NCAA that has been played annually at 40,800-seat AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, in San Francisco, California, since 2002... |
W | UCLA UCLA Bruins Football The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll... |
44 | 271 |
| December 31, 2007 | Music City Bowl Music City Bowl The Music City Bowl is a post-season American college football bowl game certified by the NCAA that has been played in Nashville, Tennessee, since 1998.-Site:The first Music City Bowl was played at Vanderbilt Stadium in 1998... |
L | Kentucky | 28 | 35 |
| December 27, 2008 | Champs Sports Bowl Champs Sports Bowl The Champs Sports Bowl is an annual college football bowl game that is played in Orlando, Florida, at the Citrus Bowl. The bowl is operated by Florida Citrus Sports, a non-profit group which also organizes the Capital One Bowl and Florida Classic... |
W | Wisconsin Wisconsin Badgers football The Wisconsin Badgers are a college football program that represents the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. They play their home games at Camp Randall Stadium, the fourth-oldest stadium in college football... |
42 | 13 |
| January 1, 2010 | Gator Bowl | W | West Virginia | 33 | 21 |
| December 31, 2010 | Chick-Fil-A Bowl Chick-fil-A Bowl The Chick-fil-A Bowl, formerly called the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, and before that simply called the Peach Bowl, is an annual college football bowl game played in Atlanta, Georgia since December 1968. The first three Peach Bowls were played at Grant Field on the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta.... |
W | South Carolina South Carolina South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence... |
26 | 17 |
| 2011 | |||||
| Total | 40 bowl games | 24–14–2 | 955 | 793 |
1 - Bowl win vacated due to using ineligible players
Rivalries
Florida State's traditional rivals have been the University of Florida GatorsFlorida Gators football
The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
and the University of Miami Hurricanes
Miami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
.
Since 2002, the Florida Cup
Florida Cup
The Florida Cup is the American football trophy sponsored by the state of Florida given to either the Florida State University Seminoles, the University of Florida Gators, or the University of Miami Hurricanes in return for beating the other two teams in the same season...
has been awarded to Florida State, Florida, or Miami if one team defeats the other two teams in the same season (it is not necessary for the two losing teams to have played each other). Five Florida Cups have been awarded, with Miami winning three, Florida State winning one, and Florida winning one. Florida State won the Cup in 2010 by beating Miami and Florida, even though Florida did not play Miami that season.
Florida
Florida State and Florida have played each other 56 times. The Gators hold a 33–21–2 all-time lead against the Seminoles. During the Bobby Bowden Era, FSU barely lost out at 17–18–1. Current Florida State head coach Jimbo FisherJimbo Fisher
John James "Jimbo" Fisher is an American college football coach and former player. He is currently head coach at Florida State University....
is 2-0 against University of Florida.
Miami
The Miami-Florida State rivalry dates to 1951, when the Miami HurricanesMiami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
defeated the Seminoles 35–13 in their inaugural meeting. The schools have played uninterrupted since 1966, with Miami holding the all-time advantage, 31–25.
During the 1980s and 90s, the series emerged as one of the premier rivalries in college football. Between 1983 and 2002, the Hurricanes and Seminoles combined to win 7 national championships (5 for Miami, 2 for Florida State) and play in a whopping 13 national championship games (83, 85, 86, 87, 89, 91, 92, 93, 96, 98, 99, 00, 01). The rivalry has been popular not only because of its profound national championship implications and the competitiveness of the games but also because of the immense NFL-caliber talent typically present on the field when the two teams meet. The famous 1987 matchup featured over 50 future NFL players on both rosters combined.
The games have been characterized by remarkable team speed, big plays, hard hitting, and missed field goals. In 2004, the intensity of the rivalry was dialed up another notch when Miami joined the Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
and the teams became intra-conference rivals.
The rivalry is a television ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
bonanza, accounting for the two highest rated college football telecasts in ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
history. The 2006 game between Miami and FSU was the second most-viewed college football game, regular season or bowl, in the history of ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, averaging 6,330,000 households in viewership (6.9 rating). It trailed only the 1994 game between Miami and FSU, which notched a 7.7 rating.
Clemson
Florida State has a lesser rivalry with Atlantic Division foe Clemson UniversityClemson University
Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
Tigers
Clemson Tigers football
The Clemson Tigers football team is an American football team from Clemson University in South Carolina. It competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
. Florida State leads the all-time series 17–8. Florida State dominated the contests through most of the 1990s but 1999 marked a milestone as the hire of Bobby Bowden's son Tommy led to the first meeting, in 1999, which was the first time in Division I-A history that a father and a son met as opposing head coaches in a football game. During the time Tommy coached at Clemson the game was known as the "Bowden Bowl" Bobby won the series in the 9 years it played before Tommy's resignation, winning 5–4 with all four losses within the last five seasons. Tommy's four wins in the series remain the only times the son has ever beaten the father when facing off as head coach in any of America's four major sports..
One sticking point in the rivalry remains that a proud Clemson Tiger program that was strong in the 1980s had won 6 of the past 11 ACC titles from 1981–1991. 1991 would be the last ACC Championship the Tigers would ever win as Florida State entered the ACC in 1992 and proceeded to win the next 9 ACC Championships in a row, and 12 of the next 14 in the series. The Tigers advanced to the 2009 ACC title game for the first time since its inception in 2005 but a late Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represents the Georgia Institute of Technology in collegiate level football. While the team is officially designated as the Yellow Jackets, it is also referred to as the Ramblin' Wreck. The Yellow Jackets are a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
victory lengthened the Tigers' title drought.
Academic cheating scandal
In Spring 2007, several FSU athletes including football players were accused of cheating in an online music history class. The NCAA ruled that Florida State was guilty of major violations, announced that it would reduce scholarship limits in 10 sports and force Florida State to vacate all of the victories in 2006 and 2007 in which the implicated athletes participated and placed the university on probation for four years. Florida State appealed parts of the decision.On January 5, 2010 the NCAA Infractions Appeals Committee denied FSU's appeal and ruled that all penalties, including vacating up to fourteen wins during the 2006–2007 seasons would remain in effect. FSU officials responded that they were surprised and disappointed by the NCAA decision and felt that their own investigation and self-imposed penalties were sufficient. The NCAA Infractions Appeals Committee responded that "the cooperative efforts of the university in the academic cheating scandal involving 61 Florida State athletes failed to outweigh the aggravating factors in the case." The games to be vacated will be determined by certifying in which of the 14 games any of the 25 ineligible players competed.
12 wins were eventually vacated in all.
College Football Hall of Famers
| cellpadding="1" style="width:80%;" class="wikitable"> | |||
| Name | Position | Years | Induction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ron Sellers Ron Sellers Ron "Jingle Joints" Sellers was an American college and professional football player. He played college football for Florida State University, where he was a two-time All-American... |
Wide Receiver | 1966–68 | 1988 |
| Fred Biletnikoff Fred Biletnikoff Frederick S. "Fred" Biletnikoff is a former American football wide receiver and coach. He spent the majority of his professional playing and coaching days with the Oakland Raiders... |
Wide Receiver | 1962–64 | 1991 |
| Darrell Mudra Darrell Mudra Darrell "Dr. Victory" Mudra is a former American football coach. He served as the head football coach at Adams State College , North Dakota State University , the University of Arizona , Western Illinois University , Florida State University , Eastern Illinois University... |
Coach | 1974–75 | 2000 |
| Bobby Bowden Bobby Bowden Robert Cleckler "Bobby" Bowden is a retired college football coach. He coached the Florida State Seminoles football team from the 1976 to 2009 seasons... |
Coach | 1976–2009 | 2006 |
| Charlie Ward Charlie Ward Charlie Ward, Jr. is a retired American professional NBA basketball player, college football Heisman Trophy winner, Davey O'Brien Award winner and a Major League Baseball draftee. Ward is considered one of the best all-around athletes in the last quarter century... |
Quarterback | 1989, '91–93 | 2006 |
| Ron Simmons Ron Simmons Ronald "Ron" Simmons is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and retired American football player. He is recognised as being the first Black world heavyweight champion in professional wrestling and the first of only two African Americans to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship,... |
Nose Guard | 1977–1980 | 2009 |
| Deion Sanders Deion Sanders Deion Luwynn Sanders , nicknamed "Prime Time" and "Neon Deion", is a former National Football League cornerback and Major League Baseball outfielder who currently works as an NFL Network analyst... |
Defensive Back | 1985–1988 | 2011 |
| Total Hall of Famers – 7 |
Players
- Heisman TrophyHeisman TrophyThe Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
- Charlie WardCharlie WardCharlie Ward, Jr. is a retired American professional NBA basketball player, college football Heisman Trophy winner, Davey O'Brien Award winner and a Major League Baseball draftee. Ward is considered one of the best all-around athletes in the last quarter century...
- 1993 - Chris WeinkeChris WeinkeChristopher Jon Weinke is a former professional American football and baseball player. After spending six years in the Toronto Blue Jays minor league baseball system, he enrolled at Florida State University at the age of 26, and played quarterback for the Florida State Seminoles...
-2000- Maxwell AwardMaxwell AwardThe Maxwell Award is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best football player in the United States. The...
- Maxwell Award
- Charlie WardCharlie WardCharlie Ward, Jr. is a retired American professional NBA basketball player, college football Heisman Trophy winner, Davey O'Brien Award winner and a Major League Baseball draftee. Ward is considered one of the best all-around athletes in the last quarter century...
- 1993- Walter Camp AwardWalter Camp AwardThe Walter Camp Player of the Year Award is given annually to the collegiate American football Player of the Year, as decided by a group of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I-A head coaches and sports information directors under the auspices of the Walter Camp Football Foundation;...
- Walter Camp Award
- Charlie WardCharlie WardCharlie Ward, Jr. is a retired American professional NBA basketball player, college football Heisman Trophy winner, Davey O'Brien Award winner and a Major League Baseball draftee. Ward is considered one of the best all-around athletes in the last quarter century...
- 1993- Davey O'Brien AwardDavey O'Brien AwardThe Davey O'Brien Award, officially the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, named after Davey O'Brien, is presented annually to the collegiate American football player adjudged by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to be the best of all National Collegiate Athletic Association quarterbacks. The...
- Davey O'Brien Award
- Charlie WardCharlie WardCharlie Ward, Jr. is a retired American professional NBA basketball player, college football Heisman Trophy winner, Davey O'Brien Award winner and a Major League Baseball draftee. Ward is considered one of the best all-around athletes in the last quarter century...
- 1993 - Chris WeinkeChris WeinkeChristopher Jon Weinke is a former professional American football and baseball player. After spending six years in the Toronto Blue Jays minor league baseball system, he enrolled at Florida State University at the age of 26, and played quarterback for the Florida State Seminoles...
- 2000- Dick Butkus AwardDick Butkus AwardThe Butkus Award, instituted in 1985, is given annually to the top linebackers at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of football...
- Dick Butkus Award
- Paul McGowanPaul McGowan (American football)Paul J. McGowan is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings 237th overall in the 1988 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State.-College career:...
- 1987 - Marvin Jones - 1992
- Johnny Unitas Golden Arm AwardJohnny Unitas Golden Arm AwardThe Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award is given annually in the United States to the nation's outstanding senior quarterback in college football. It was established in 1987 by a foundation named for Johnny Unitas , the Hall of Fame quarterback who played his college career at the University of...
- Casey WeldonCasey WeldonWilliam Casey Weldon is a former professional American football player. Weldon is best known for being the quarterback for Florida State in the late-1980s and early-1990s. During his senior season in 1991, Weldon finished runner-up in the Heisman Trophy balloting to Desmond Howard of Michigan...
- 1991 - Charlie WardCharlie WardCharlie Ward, Jr. is a retired American professional NBA basketball player, college football Heisman Trophy winner, Davey O'Brien Award winner and a Major League Baseball draftee. Ward is considered one of the best all-around athletes in the last quarter century...
- 1993 - Chris WeinkeChris WeinkeChristopher Jon Weinke is a former professional American football and baseball player. After spending six years in the Toronto Blue Jays minor league baseball system, he enrolled at Florida State University at the age of 26, and played quarterback for the Florida State Seminoles...
- 2000- Jim Thorpe AwardJim Thorpe AwardThe Jim Thorpe Award, named in memory of multi-sport legend Jim Thorpe, has been awarded to the top defensive back in college football since 1986...
- Jim Thorpe Award
- Deion SandersDeion SandersDeion Luwynn Sanders , nicknamed "Prime Time" and "Neon Deion", is a former National Football League cornerback and Major League Baseball outfielder who currently works as an NFL Network analyst...
- 1988 - Terrell BuckleyTerrell BuckleyDouglas Terrell Buckley is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League....
- 1991- Lombardi AwardLombardi AwardThe Rotary Lombardi Award is awarded annually to the best college football lineman or linebacker. The Lombardi Award program was approved by the Rotary Club in Houston in 1970 shortly after the death of Vince Lombardi. The committee outlined the criteria for eligibility for the award, which...
- Lombardi Award
- Marvin Jones - 1992
- Jamal ReynoldsJamal ReynoldsJamal Reynolds , is a former American football defensive end for the Green Bay Packers of the NFL.-High school:Played for the Aiken High School Green Hornets and won a state Championship in 1996.-College:...
- 2000- Lou Groza AwardLou Groza AwardThe Lou Groza Award is presented annually to the top college football placekicker in the United States by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission. The award is named after former Ohio State Buckeyes and Cleveland Browns player Lou Groza.-Winners:...
- Lou Groza Award
- Sebastian JanikowskiSebastian JanikowskiSebastian Janikowski is a left-footed Polish placekicker who plays for the National Football League's Oakland Raiders. He is nicknamed The Polish Cannon because he is considered to have one of the strongest kicking legs in the league, and leads the NFL in kickoffs for touchbacks. He lives in...
- 1998, 1999 - Graham GanoGraham GanoGraham Gano is an American football placekicker for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. He was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played college football at Florida State...
- 2008
Coaches
- The Home Depot Coach of the Year AwardThe Home Depot Coach of the Year AwardThe Home Depot Coach of the Year Award is given annually to college football's top head coach. The award for the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision is selected by ESPN and ABC college football analysts. No coach has ever won the award twice.-Winners:...
- Bobby BowdenBobby BowdenRobert Cleckler "Bobby" Bowden is a retired college football coach. He coached the Florida State Seminoles football team from the 1976 to 2009 seasons...
- 1994- Broyles AwardBroyles AwardThe Broyles Award is an annual award given to honor the best assistant coach in college football. First awarded in 1996, it was named after former University of Arkansas men's athletic director Frank Broyles...
- Broyles Award
- Mickey AndrewsMickey Andrews-External links:* *...
- 1996
Helmets
| Year(s) Used | Description | Image |
|---|---|---|
| 1962; 1963; 1964 | In 1962, plain gold helmets were used only during the first two games (vs The Citadel and Kentucky). This design was used through 1964 where it was used for some games(see 1964) | |
| 1962 | Beginning with the team's third game in 1962, FSU introduced a triple helmet design scheme. On their helmets the offensive unit wore an arrow logo, the defensive unit a tomahawk, and the multi-purpose players an "indian head". This scheme was in place until the end of the 1962 season. | |
| 1964 | While this design was in use for most of the 1964 season, the team used plain gold helmets (like the first helmet shown above) during at least the game against Georgia in 1964. |
|
| 1965 | Florida State Seminoles 1965 football helmet. | |
| 1966 - 1968 | Florida State Seminoles 1966 - 1968 football helmet. | |
| 1968 | This design was used only during the inaugural Peach Bowl game in Atlanta, GA on December 30, 1968, which was a 31-27 loss to LSU. | |
| 1969 | Florida State Seminoles 1969 football helmet used for the last 8 games of the 1969 season. | |
| 1970 | Florida State Seminoles 1970 football helmet. | |
| 1971 - 1974 | Florida State Seminoles 1971 - 1974 football helmet. | |
| 1975 | This design was only used during the first two games against Texas Tech and Utah State at the beginning of the 1975 season. | |
| 1975 | Used during one game only - a 10-6 loss to Iowa State on September 27, 1975. | |
| 1975 | Florida State Seminoles 1975 football helmet for the last 8 games of the season. | |
| 1976 - Present | This Florida State Seminoles helmet has been worn since 1976 and has remained unchanged. | |
| 2009 | Black helmets were worn during the November 21, 2009 home game against Maryland in order to "pay tribute to Osceola, the legendary Native American warrior whose leadership of the Seminoles during the Second Seminole War has made him an enduring symbol of the unconquered spirit that Florida State athletes seek to embody". |
Retired jerseys
- #2 - Deion SandersDeion SandersDeion Luwynn Sanders , nicknamed "Prime Time" and "Neon Deion", is a former National Football League cornerback and Major League Baseball outfielder who currently works as an NFL Network analyst...
, DB, 1985–88 - #10- Derrick BrooksDerrick BrooksDerrick Dewan Brooks is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buccaneers 28th overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State....
, LB, 1991–1994 - #16 - Chris WeinkeChris WeinkeChristopher Jon Weinke is a former professional American football and baseball player. After spending six years in the Toronto Blue Jays minor league baseball system, he enrolled at Florida State University at the age of 26, and played quarterback for the Florida State Seminoles...
, QB, 1997–2000 - #17 - Charlie WardCharlie WardCharlie Ward, Jr. is a retired American professional NBA basketball player, college football Heisman Trophy winner, Davey O'Brien Award winner and a Major League Baseball draftee. Ward is considered one of the best all-around athletes in the last quarter century...
, QB, 1989–93 - #25 - Fred BiletnikoffFred BiletnikoffFrederick S. "Fred" Biletnikoff is a former American football wide receiver and coach. He spent the majority of his professional playing and coaching days with the Oakland Raiders...
, WR, 1962–64 - #27 - Terrell BuckleyTerrell BuckleyDouglas Terrell Buckley is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League....
, DB, 1989–1991 - #28 - Warrick DunnWarrick DunnWarrick De'Mon Dunn is a former American football running back, and current minority owner of the Atlanta Falcons. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12th overall in the 1997 NFL Draft, after playing college football at Florida State...
, RB, 1993–96 - #34 - Ron SellersRon SellersRon "Jingle Joints" Sellers was an American college and professional football player. He played college football for Florida State University, where he was a two-time All-American...
, FL, 1966–68 - #50 - Ron SimmonsRon SimmonsRonald "Ron" Simmons is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and retired American football player. He is recognised as being the first Black world heavyweight champion in professional wrestling and the first of only two African Americans to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship,...
, NG, 1977–80
Current/former professional players
| Current/Former Professional players |
|---|
|
Other famous players
- Fred BiletnikoffFred BiletnikoffFrederick S. "Fred" Biletnikoff is a former American football wide receiver and coach. He spent the majority of his professional playing and coaching days with the Oakland Raiders...
- Pro Football Hall of FamePro Football Hall of FameThe Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
Wide ReceiverWide receiverA wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible... - Lee CorsoLee CorsoLeland "Lee" Corso is a sports broadcaster and football analyst for ESPN. He has been featured on ESPN's College GameDay program since its inception and he appeared annually as a commentator in EA Sports' NCAA Football through NCAA Football 11...
- Retired college footballCollege footballCollege football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
head coachHead coachA head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
, ESPNESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
College Gameday analyst - Burt ReynoldsBurt ReynoldsBurton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...
- Actor - Ron SimmonsRon SimmonsRonald "Ron" Simmons is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and retired American football player. He is recognised as being the first Black world heavyweight champion in professional wrestling and the first of only two African Americans to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship,...
- A football legend in his own right when he played at Florida State, Simmons would later go on to fame as a professional wrestler under his own name and under the name Faarooq after a short stint with the Cleveland BrownsCleveland BrownsThe Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... - T. K. WetherellT. K. WetherellDr. Thomas Kent "T. K." Wetherell was an educational administrator and former politician. He served as president of Florida State University from 2003 through 2009...
- former President of Florida State UniversityFlorida State UniversityThe Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation... - Mack BrownMack BrownWilliam Mack Brown is head coach of The University of Texas at Austin Longhorn football team.Prior to his head coach position at Texas, Brown was head coach at Appalachian State, Tulane, and North Carolina. Brown is credited with revitalizing the Texas and North Carolina football programs...
- current head coach of the Texas LongornsTexas Longhorns footballThe Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
football team.
Four Year Lettermen
| Seminole Football Lettermen List |
|---|
|
Bob Crenshaw Award Winners
| Bob Crenshaw Award Bob Crenshaw Award Bob Crenshaw Award is an annual award presented to a player on the Florida State University Football team to recognize individual performance. The awards are the typical of most athletic awards, such as Most Valuable Player and Defensive Seminole Warrior Awards... (Player with the Biggest Heart) |
|---|
Given in the memory of Robert E. (Bob) Crenshaw (Played 1952–55), Florida State Football Captain in 1954 and student leader who was killed in a jet crash in 1958. The plaque's inscription reads: "To the football player with the Biggest Heart." The recipient is chosen by his teammates as the man who best exemplifies the qualities that made Bob Crenshaw an outstanding football player and person.
|