Florida State Seminoles football

Florida State Seminoles football
2015 Florida State Seminoles football team
First season	1947
Athletic director	Stan Wilcox
Head coach	Jimbo Fisher 6th year, 68–14 (.829)
Other staff	Lawrence Dawsey, Randy Sanders (OC) Charles Kelly (DC)
Stadium	Doak Campbell Stadium
Seating capacity	82,300
Location	Tallahassee, Florida
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
Division	Atlantic Division
All-time record	522–241–17 (.680)
Bowl record	26–16–2 (.614)
Playoff appearances	1
Playoff record	0–1 (.000)
Claimed nat'l titles	3 (1993, 1999, 2013)
Unclaimed nat'l titles	5 (1980, 1987, 1992, 1994, 1996)
National finalist	3 (1996, 1998, 2000)
Conference titles	18 (3 Dixie, 15 ACC)
Division titles	6
Heisman winners	3
Consensus All-Americans	43
Current uniform
Colors	Garnet and Gold
Fight song	FSU Fight Song
Mascot	Osceola and Renegade
Marching band	Marching Chiefs
Outfitter	Nike
Rivals	Florida Gators Miami Hurricanes Clemson Tigers
Website	Seminoles.com

The Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University (variously Florida State or FSU) in the sport of American football. The Florida State Seminoles compete in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The team is known for its storied history, distinctive helmet, fight song and colors as well as the many traditions associated with the school.

Florida State has won three national championships, eighteen conference titles and six division titles along with a playoff appearance. The Seminoles have achieved three undefeated seasons and finished ranked in the top four of the AP Poll for 14 straight years from 1987 through 2000.

The team has produced three Heisman Trophy winners: quarterback Charlie Ward in 1993, quarterback Chris Weinke in 2000 and quarterback Jameis Winston in 2013. The Biletnikoff Award, presented annually to the top receiver in college football, is named for Florida State hall of famer, Fred Biletnikoff. Other awards presented to Florida State players include the Walter Camp Award, the Maxwell Award, the Davey O'Brien Award, the Lombardi Award, the Dick Butkus Award, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, the Lou Groza Award, the Dave Rimington Trophy and the Bobby Bowden Award. Florida State coaches have been honored with the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award, the Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award, the Home Depot Coach of the Year Award, the Broyles Award, and the Paul "Bear" Bryant Award. Many former Seminoles have gone on to have successful careers in the NFL.

The program has produced 214 All-Americans (43 consensus), 15 Academic All-Americans, and 250 professional players. Florida State has had five members inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, two members inducted into the College Football Coaches Hall of Fame and four members inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The Seminoles have the tenth-highest winning percentage among all college football programs in Division I FBS history with over 500 victories. Florida State has appeared in forty-five postseason bowl games and rank ninth nationally for bowl winning percentage and fourth for bowl wins. The Seminoles' archrivals are Florida, whom they meet annually in the last game of the regular season, and Miami; both games are considered among the greatest rivalries in college football. A rivalry with Clemson has developed and grown due to both teams competing yearly for the ACC Atlantic division.

The current head coach of the Seminoles is Jimbo Fisher, in his sixth year, and the team plays its home games on Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium, currently the 16th largest stadium in college football, and the largest stadium in the ACC, located on-campus in Tallahassee, Florida.

Overview

Florida State University joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in July 1991, and it is one of the fourteen current members of the ACC. Florida State is considered one of the teams that brought the conference to its pinnacle becoming the overall most successful program in the ACC. Since the ACC expanded from nine to twelve universities in 2005, and instituted divisional play in football, the Florida State Seminoles football team has competed in the ACC Atlantic Division.

Florida State plays an eight-game ACC football schedule. Six of these contests pit the Seminoles against the other members of the ACC Atlantic Division: Boston College, Clemson, Louisville, North Carolina State, Syracuse and Wake Forest. The conference schedule is filled out with an annual game against Miami and one additional foe from the ACC Coastal Division on a rotating basis between the other teams in the conference: Duke, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh. Throughout a rotation schedule, Florida State plays each coastal division team at least twice every six years with possible meetings in the championship game in between regular season meetings. Florida State will also play Notre Dame as a home-and-home twice every six years per a conference agreement.

Key conference rivalries include the inter-divisional Florida State-Miami rivalry game with their permanent ACC Coastal Division foe, Miami, the Florida State–Clemson rivalry game which usually carries division implications, and the Florida State-Virginia game which is played on a rotating basis for the Jefferson-Eppes Trophy (this game was played on an annual basis until the ACC divided and the teams were placed in separate divisions).

In addition to the conference foes, the Seminoles face in-state rival Florida from the SEC at the end of the regular season. The two teams' emergence as perennial football powers in the 1980s and 1990s helped build the Florida–Florida State football rivalry into a game that has often held national title implications. Florida State remains the only team in the state of Florida to play both powers, Florida and Miami, meaning they are the only team in contention for the Florida Cup on a yearly basis.

The remaining dates on Florida State's regular season schedule are filled with various non-conference opponents that vary from year to year.

Doak S. Campbell Stadium

Doak Campbell Stadium

Main article: Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium

The Florida State Seminoles originally played their home games at Centennial Field until 1950. The Seminoles had an 8–4 record at Centennial, including two undefeated home records. The team currently play their home games at Doak Campbell Stadium, which has a capacity of 82,300. Florida State is 287–87–4 in 361 games played at Doak.

A view of the north end zone

The stadium, named after former Florida State President Doak S. Campbell, hosted its first game against the Randolph-Macon College Yellowjackets 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).

Bobby Bowden Field

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 as well as The College of Motion Picture Arts, The Dedman School of Hospitality, and The College of Social Work. The field was officially named Bobby Bowden field on November 20, 2004 as Florida State hosted intrastate rival Florida. Florida State has been recognized as having one of the best gameday atmospheres in the country, and Doak Campbell Stadium has been named one of the top stadiums in college sports.

Bowden is honored at the stadium with a statue and a stained glass monument.

Doak Campbell Stadium has been a great home field advantage for the Noles. Florida State is one of only three schools that can boast a decade home field unbeaten streak. The Seminoles never lost a home game from 1992–2001, a total of 54 games, and have completed twenty-three undefeated seasons at their home stadiums, including twenty-one at Doak Campbell.

The record crowd for the stadium is 84,409; set during a game against the Miami Hurricanes on November 2, 2013.

Head coaches

See also: List of Florida State Seminoles head football coaches

Legendary coach Bobby Bowden on sideline

Florida State has had nine head coaches since organized football began in 1947. The team has played 751 games in their 66 seasons. In that time, six coaches have led the Seminoles in postseason bowl games: Don Veller, Tom Nugent, Bill Peterson, Larry Jones, Bobby Bowden, and Jimbo Fisher. Three of those coaches also won conference championships: Veller, Bowden, and Fisher. During his tenure, Bobby Bowden won two national championships with the Seminoles.

Bobby Bowden, who spent thirty-four years at Florida State, has been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. The current head coach is Jimbo Fisher, who was hired as offensive coordinator in January 2007 and promoted to head coach after Bowden's retirement. In December 2014, Florida State gave Coach Fisher an eight-year contract extension.

Tenure Coach Years Record Pct. 1947 Ed Williamson 1 0–5 .000 1948–1952 Don Veller 5 31–12–1 .716 1953–1958 Tom Nugent 6 34–28–1 .548 1959 Perry Moss 1 4–6 .400 1960–1970 Bill Peterson 11 62–42–11 .587 1971–1973 Larry Jones 3 15–19 .441 1974–1975 Darrell Mudra 2 4–18 .182 1976–2009 Bobby Bowden 34 304–97–4^ .758 2010–present Jimbo Fisher 6 68–14 .829 Totals 9 coaches 68 seasons 522–241–17 .680

^ Bobby Bowden's record does not include 12 wins that were vacated that would otherwise make his record 316–97–4.

Polls

Florida State has ended their football season ranked 36 times in either the AP or Coaches Poll.
Top-10 finishes are colored ██

Year	Record	AP Poll†	Coaches‡
1964	9–1–1		11
1967	7–2–2		15
1968	8–3–0		14
1971	8–4–0		19
1977	10–2–0	14	11
1979	11–1–0	6	8
1980	10–2–0	5	5
1982	9–3–0	13	10
1984	7–3–2	17	19
1985	9–3–0	15	13
1986	7–4–1		20
1987	11–1–0	2	2
1988	11–1–0	3	3
1989	10–2–0	3	2
1990	10–2–0	4	4

Year	Record	AP Poll†	Coaches‡
1991	11–2–0	4	4
1992	11–1–0	2	2
1993	12–1–0	1	1
1994	10–1–1	4	5
1995	10–2–0	4	5
1996	11–1	3	3
1997	11–1	3	3
1998	11–2	3	3
1999	12–0	1	1
2000	11–2	5	4
2001	8–4	15	15
2002	9–5	21	23
2003	10–3	11	10
2004	9–3	15	14
2005	8–5	23	23

Year	Record	AP Poll†	Coaches‡
2008	9–4	21	23
2010	10–4	17	16
2011	9–4	23	23
2012	12–2	10	8
2013	14-0	1	1
2014	13-1	5	6
2015	10-3	14	14

† AP Poll began selecting the nation's Top 20 teams in 1939. Only the Top 10 teams were recognized from 1962-1967. The AP Poll expanded back to the Top 20 teams in 1968. In 1989, it began recognizing the Top 25 teams.

‡ UPI/Coaches Poll began selecting its Top 20 teams on a weekly basis in 1950 before expanding to the nations's Top 25 teams in 1990.

Notable games

• 2014 – FSU Wins Third National Championship – After Florida State scored a field goal on their first drive, Auburn responded with a touchdown in the first quarter and two in the second to storm out to a 21–3 lead. After a successful punt fake, the Seminoles managed a late touchdown before halftime to go into the locker room down, 21–10. Both teams dominated on defense in the third quarter with the Seminoles hitting a field goal to cut the lead to 8. In the fourth quarter, Florida State scored a touchdown early to make it a one-point game. After Auburn made a field goal, Levonte Whitfield returned the following kickoff 100 yards to give the Seminoles the lead, 27–24. Auburn answered with a touchdown to go up 31–27 with 1:19 remaining. On their final drive of 7 plays, Florida State scored a touchdown with 13 seconds remaining, benefiting from a pass interference by Auburn's Chris Davis Jr. on a crucial 3rd and 8. The Seminoles emerged victorious 34–31 to end the SEC's streak of 7 consecutive BCS titles.
• 2010 – 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 two-point loss to North Carolina.
• 2005 – The Miami Muff – In 2005, the Florida State Seminoles finally gained some redemption for the past Wide Right heartbreaks. Miami kicker John Peattie missed two field goals in the 1st quarter, while FSU kicker Gary Cismesia was 1/2 for the game. Trailing 10–7 in the 4th, 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. Florida State took over on downs and ran out the clock to end Miami's six-game winning streak in the rivalry.
• 2003 – Swindle in the Swamp – Florida held a 34–31 lead in the fourth quarter when Seminole QB Chris Rix 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. It turned out to be a close and high-scoring affair, but it is most remembered for several controversial referee calls by the ACC officiating crew, and was christened the "Swindle in the Swamp" by sportswriters for the questionable calls on multiple fumble/no-fumble plays that went against Florida.
• 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 Vick, 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 a field goal and another touchdown. 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 into Tallahassee favored against the second-ranked Seminoles. The 'Noles got off to a quick start when Peter Boulware blocked the Gator's first punt of the game, resulting in a touchdown. Florida's eventual Heisman Trophy winner quarterback Danny Wuerffel 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 Bowl 23–17, referred to as "The Fifth Quarter in the French Quarter."
• 1994 – FSU Wins First National Championship – This 60th edition of 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. 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 Ward drove the Seminoles all the way to the Nebraska 3-yard line. The Huskers held and forced Scott Bentley 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 Bowden. 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 Ward hit freshman Warrick Dunn 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 their first trip ever to Michigan Stadium, Florida State would beat the #3 Michigan Wolverines 51–31 behind quarterback Casey Weldon's 268 yards and 2 TDs and Amp Lee's 122 yards rushing. One of the most memorable plays in Florida State history occurred on Michigan's 1st play in the 1st quarter when cornerback Terrell Buckley returned an Elvis Grbac 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 Butler 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 Tensi connected on 11 of 22 throws for 190 yards. Fred Biletnikoff, 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 an 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.
• 1950 – First Game at Doak – Florida State played the first game at Doak Campbell Stadium, a 40–7 win over Randolph-Macon College.

History

Florida State College Eleven

1899 West Florida Seminary football team at College Hall; College Hall was located at the present site of the Westcott Building on the campus of Florida State University.

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 was played at the school prior to its 1905 reorganization as a women's school. Intramural football was played between students for some time prior to 1902, and from 1902 to 1904, the institution then known as Florida State College fielded a varsity football team called the Eleven that took on other clubs. The Florida State College teams wore purple and gold.

File:Florida state seminoles 1902.jpg

Florida State College football in 1902

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, later the first head coach of the Florida Gators, replaced Hughes as coach, and the Eleven won the unofficial "state championship" by defeating Stetson in Tallahassee. Jock Hanvey assisted Forsythe.

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. 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).

Foundation of the modern team (1947–1959)

File:Tom Nugent.jpeg

Coach Nugent

See also: Florida State Seminoles football, 1947–75

The end of World War II 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.

Ed Williamson, who introduced football to the school, served as the first coach of the Florida State Seminoles. In his first and only season with Florida State, the Seminoles posted an 0–5 record. Williamson has the worst record out of all the head coaches at Florida State and the only coach to have a winless mark.

As the second coach at Florida State, Don Veller coached at Florida State for five years and compiled a record of 31–12–1. Veller was the first coach to find success coaching the Seminoles. In 1950, Veller led the Seminoles to an 8–0 record, the first unbeaten season in school history.

Once Veller left the school, Tom Nugent became the third coach at Florida State. He stayed at Florida State for six years and compiled a record of 34–28–1. In one of his most notable accomplishments, Nugent gave the Seminoles their first win over an SEC opponent with a 10–0 victory against Tennessee in 1958.

The fourth coach at Florida State was Perry Moss who coached the Seminoles for one year after compiling a 4–6 record. He became the second Florida State coach to leave the school with a losing record and the second to coach at the school for only one season.

Bill Peterson era (1960–1970)

With the arrival of head coach Bill Peterson 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.

Although not widely known, the Seminoles achieved their first ever number one ranking during this period. In October, 1964, the Dunkel College Football Index, a popular power index of that era, placed the Seminoles at the top of their poll after a stunning 48–6 win over highly ranked Kentucky (AP #5, Dunkel #3). Peterson would be named UPI national coach of the week after this program changing victory. In an era of very few bowl games, Peterson's innovative offensive system helped earn the Seminoles four bowl bids from 1964 through 1968. During this time, only Alabama and Mississippi appeared in more bowl games than did Peterson's Seminoles. In 1968, Peterson's eighth year at the helm, the Seminoles claimed their third straight bowl bid as Florida State became the first major college in the state of Florida to earn such a distinction. The Seminoles would not repeat this feat again until the ninth season of the Bobby Bowden era.

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 African American to play in a varsity game for the Seminoles.

Larry Jones era (1971–1973)

Following Peterson's successful run, Larry Jones was appointed as the sixth head coach at Florida State. Jones coached for three years and compiled a record of 15-19, becoming the third Florida State coach to have a losing record.

Darrell Mudra era (1974–1975)

Coach Mudra

After the disappointing tenure of Jones, Darrell Mudra was hired to be the seventh coach of the Seminoles. Mudra lasted just two years and compiled a record of 4-18. He became the fourth head coach to have a losing record at Florida State.

Bobby Bowden era (1976–2009)

Coach Bowden

Under head coach Bobby Bowden, who came to Florida State from West Virginia, the Seminoles became one of the nation's most competitive programs, greatly expanding the tradition of football at Florida State. He is credited with Florida State's rise to prominence. The Seminoles played in five national championship games between 1993 and 2000, 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, Bowden's former team, in the Gator Bowl. His legacy has led to the creation of two awards in his honor, the Bobby Bowden Award, an award presented to college football players, and the Bobby Bowden National Collegiate Coach of the Year Award, an award presented to college football coaches.

Rise to prominence

In the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, the Seminoles had 14 consecutive seasons with 10 or more wins and a top four finish, with a record of 152–19–1 between these years (11 of their 19 losses were decided by seven points or less), and one of the best home records of the era. FSU's accomplishments in these 14 seasons included 11 bowl wins, nine ACC championships in nine years, two Heisman Trophy winners, and two national championships.

The Dynasty (1987–2000)

Year	Record	AP or Coaches Poll 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	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	12–0	1st	ACC Champions, National Champions	Won Sugar
2000	11–2	4th	ACC Champions	Lost Orange

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. FSU vacated 12 football victories from the 2006 and 2007 seasons, Bowden finished his career with 377 career wins.

Jimbo Fisher era (2010–present)

Coach Fisher

On January 5, 2010, Jimbo Fisher officially became the ninth head football coach in Florida State history. Fisher had been a member of the Florida State staff for three years, serving as offensive coordinator. He was named head coach-in waiting during the 2007 season. 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 its in-state rivals, the Miami Hurricanes 45–17 and the Florida Gators 31–7, for the first time since 1999. Florida State would go on to the Chick-fil-A Bowl, where they would beat Steve Spurrier's South Carolina team, 26–17. In his second season, Florida State went 9–4 with a 5–3 record in ACC conference play. The Seminoles defeated both of their in-state rivals for the second year in a row. Fisher's second Florida State team also defeated Notre Dame in the Champs Sports Bowl. Fisher brought in another top-ranked recruiting class in 2012. In his third season, he led the Seminoles to their first conference title in seven years and defeated Northern Illinois to win the Orange Bowl. In the 2013 season, Jimbo Fisher guided his team to a perfect 14–0 record and a national championship with a comeback win against Auburn. In Fisher's fifth season with the Seminoles, he guided Florida State to another undefeated regular season and a playoff berth.

Championships

National championships

File:FSUFOOTBALLNCs.JPG

FSU's National Championship trophies

Florida State has appeared in six National Championship games winning three titles from the 1993, 1999 and 2013 seasons. Coach Bobby Bowden won his first national title in the 1994 Orange Bowl game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The second national title came in the 2000 Sugar Bowl against the Virginia Tech Hokies. The win capped Bobby Bowden's first and only "perfect season" and the Florida State Seminoles were the first team to go wire-to-wire as the #1 team in the polls that year.

Year	Coach	Selector	Record	Bowl	Result
1993	Bobby Bowden	AP, Coaches	12–1	Orange Bowl	Florida State 18, Nebraska 16
1999	Bobby Bowden	BCS, AP, Coaches	12–0	Sugar Bowl	Florida State 46, Virginia Tech 29
2013	Jimbo Fisher	BCS, AP, Coaches	14–0	BCS National Championship Game	Florida State 34, Auburn 31
Total National Championships	3

Florida State has also played in three other National Championship games in which they have lost:

Year	Coach	Selector	Record	Bowl	Result
1996	Bobby Bowden	Bowl Alliance	11–1	Sugar Bowl	Florida 52, Florida State 20
1998	Bobby Bowden	BCS	11–2	Fiesta Bowl	Tennessee 23, Florida State 16
2000	Bobby Bowden	BCS	11–2	Orange Bowl	Oklahoma 13, Florida State 2
Total National Championship Appearances	6

The Seminoles have been named national champions on 10 additional occasions by various selectors. Five of these selections (1980, 1987, 1992, 1994, 1996) are recognized by the NCAA but not claimed by the university. The other five selections (1988, 1989, 1990, 1997, 1998) are not claimed by the university nor are they recognized by the NCAA.

Championship Years	Championship Selectors
1980	Foundation for the Analysis of Competitions and Tournaments Soren Sorensen
1987	Clyde Berryman Massy Ratings The Fleming System
1988	Annual Football Predictions
1989	Bob Kirlin
1990	Bob Kirlin
1992	Bob Kirlin Football by the Numbers Sagarin Ratings
1993	1st-N-Goal Angelo Louisa ARGH Power Ratings Associated Press Billingsley Report Bob Kirlin Century Football Index Clyde Berryman Congrove Computer Rankings DKC Ratings Dunkel System Football News Football Writers Association of America Foundation for the Analysis of Competitions and Tournaments Gupta Power Ratings Harry DeVold James Howell Jeff Self Loren Maxwell Massy Ratings National Championship Foundation New York Times Peter Wolfe Sagarin Ratings Soren Sorensen Steve Eck SW!-TECH Computer Ratings The College Football Statistics Quarterly The Fleming System The Sporting News United Press International USA Today/CNN USA Today/National Football Foundation Washington Touchdown Club
1994	Dunkel System
1996	Alderson System Nutshell Sports Football Ratings
1997	Soren Sorensen SW!-TECH Computer Ratings The Fleming System
1998	The Fleming System
1999	1st-N-Goal Annual Football Predictions ARGH Power Ratings Associated Press Billingsley Report Bob Kirlin Bowl Championship Series CBS SportsLine Century Football Index Clyde Berryman Colley Rankings Congrove Computer Rankings Darryl W. Perry David Wilson DKC Ratings Dunkel System Football News Football Writers Association of America Foundation for the Analysis of Competitions and Tournaments GACFF.com Computer Rankings Gupta Power Ratings Harry DeVold James Howell Jeff Self Loren Maxwell Massy Ratings Matthews Grid Ratings National Championship Foundation National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame New York Times Nutshell Sports Football Ratings Patrick Premo Peter Wolfe Quality Champions Rogers Poll Sagarin Ratings Seattle Times Soren Sorensen Sparks Achievement Ratings Steve Eck The Fleming System The Sporting News The State's National Champions USA Today/ESPN
2013	1st-N-Goal Associated Press Billingsley Report Bob Kirlin Bowl Championship Series College Football Researchers Association Colley Rankings Congrove Computer Rankings David Wilson Dunkel System Football Writers Association of America GBE College Football Ratings Harry Frye Hogan Poll James Howell Massey Ratings National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame Nutshell Sports Football Ratings Peter Wolfe Sagarin Ratings Seattle Times Soren Sorensen USA Today/ESPN

1993 season

For detailed information on the team's 1993 season, see 1993 Florida State Seminoles football team.

The Seminoles entered 1993 with a number one ranking and were led by quarterback and eventual Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward.

Florida State cruised to a 9–0 record with their closest game being an eighteen-point win over Miami. The only loss of the season came at second-ranked and undefeated Notre Dame by a score of 31–24, in one of the greatest games in college football history. Despite the loss, Florida State still went on to play for the national title, beating Nebraska in the Orange Bowl with a field goal in the final seconds to claim the school's first national title.

1999 season

For detailed information on the team's 1999 season, see 1999 Florida State Seminoles football team.

After falling short in the national title game against Tennessee in 1998, the Seminoles began the 1999 season ranked first in the country.

Florida State would go on to complete just the second undefeated season in school history and became the first team in history to be ranked number one for an entire season. The Noles would clinch their second national title with a victory over Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl.

2013 season

For detailed information on the team's 2013 season, see 2013 Florida State Seminoles football team.

The Florida State Seminoles defeated the Auburn Tigers at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

After the 2012 season, FSU lost six coaches from their coaching staff. Defensive coordinator Mark Stoops left his position at Florida State to take the job as head coach at Kentucky. D.J. Eliot left his position as defensive ends coach to join Stoops at Kentucky as defensive coordinator. Eddie Gran, who served as running back coach and special teams coordinator as well as associate head coach, also left the staff to serve as offensive coordinator at Cincinnati. Offensive coordinator James Coley left Florida State to take the same position at Miami. Greg Hudson, an assistant head coach left his position to become the defensive coordinator at Purdue. Quarterbacks coach Dameyune Craig left Florida State to return to Auburn, his alma mater.

Former Alabama assistant coach, Jeremy Pruitt, joined the Florida State staff as the new defensive coordinator, replacing Mark Stoops. Former Tennessee assistant coach Sal Sunseri was hired as defensive ends coach. Former Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster was hired as tight ends coach. Former South Carolina assistant coach Jay Graham was hired as running backs coach. Former Georgia Tech Defensive coordinator Charles Kelly was hired as linebackers coach and special teams. Randy Sanders was hired as quarterbacks coach.

Marching Chiefs at the conference championship game in Charlotte, where Florida State defeated Duke

Prior to the start of the season, wide receiver Greg Dent was suspended indefinitely following an arrest and subsequent charge of sexual battery. Just days later, Tight end transfer Kevin Haplea suffered a torn ACL during workouts, ruled to be out for the season. During the offseason, tight end Nick O'Leary (grandson of Jack Nicklaus) was involved in a motorcycle accident but recovered by the start of the season and started for the Seminoles' first game against Pittsburgh. Just before fall practice, tight end Christo Kourtzidis chose to transfer. At the start of fall practice, freshman tight end Jeremy Kerr suffered a knee cartilage tear leaving him sidelined for an undetermined amount of time. In August, wide receiver Willie Haulstead was released from the team after being named academically ineligible. Running back Mario Pender was also declared ineligible due to academics. Jarred Haggins, a wide receiver, suffered a knee stress fracture in practice causing him to miss the season.

Despite the numerous coaching changes and off the field incidents, Florida State would go on to become the highest scoring team in FBS history by scoring 723 points in a single season en route to their third national championship. The 2013 Seminoles would hand then third ranked Clemson their worst home loss, set a new attendance record at Doak Campbell Stadium of 84,409 against the seventh ranked Miami Hurricanes, and set a school scoring record of 80 points in a game against the University of Idaho behind freshman quarterback and eventual Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston.

Conference championships

ACC Title trophies

See also: List of Atlantic Coast Conference football champions

Florida State is first among all ACC programs in terms of conference championships.

Conference Affiliations

In the first year of the program, Florida State competed as an independent program without conference affiliation. They were members of the Dixie Conference for three years before returning to independence. They would remain this way until 1992 when, after being courted by several conferences including the Southeastern Conference, they opted to join the Atlantic Coast Conference which is the same conference that they compete in today.

• 1947: Independent
• 1948–1950: Dixie Conference
• 1951–1991: Independent
• 1992–present: Atlantic Coast Conference
  • Since 2005, Florida State has competed in the Atlantic Division of the ACC

Season	Conference	Coach	Overall	Conference
1948	Dixie	Don Veller	7–1	4–0
1949	Dixie	Don Veller	9–1	4–0
1950	Dixie	Don Veller	8–0	2–0
1992	ACC	Bobby Bowden	11–1	8–0
1993	ACC	Bobby Bowden	12–1	8–0
1994	ACC	Bobby Bowden	10–1–1	8–0
1995†	ACC	Bobby Bowden	10–2	7–1
1996	ACC	Bobby Bowden	11–1	8–0
1997	ACC	Bobby Bowden	11–1	8–0
1998†	ACC	Bobby Bowden	11–2	7–1
1999	ACC	Bobby Bowden	12–0	8–0
2000	ACC	Bobby Bowden	11–2	8–0
2002	ACC	Bobby Bowden	9–5	7–1
2003	ACC	Bobby Bowden	10–3	7–1
2005	ACC	Bobby Bowden	8–5	5–3
2012	ACC	Jimbo Fisher	12–2	7–1
2013	ACC	Jimbo Fisher	14–0	8–0
2014	ACC	Jimbo Fisher	13–1	8–0
Total Conference Titles	18
† Denotes co-champions

Divisional championships

See also: ACC Championship Game

The Seminoles lining up to kick a field goal in the conference title game

Divisional play began in the Atlantic Coast Conference at the start of the 2005 football season following the addition of Boston College. Florida State leads the ACC Atlantic Division with six titles and five appearances in the ACC Championship Game. Florida State defeated Virginia Tech of the Coastal Division in the inaugural game in 2005, losing to Virginia Tech in 2010, beating Georgia Tech in 2012, Duke in 2013 and Georgia Tech in 2014.

Year	Division	Coach	ACC CG Result	Opponent	PF	PA
2005†	ACC Atlantic	Bobby Bowden	W	Virginia Tech	27	22
2008†	ACC Atlantic	Bobby Bowden		Boston College won the divisional tiebreaker
2010	ACC Atlantic	Jimbo Fisher	L	Virginia Tech	33	44
2012†	ACC Atlantic	Jimbo Fisher	W	Georgia Tech	21	15
2013	ACC Atlantic	Jimbo Fisher	W	Duke	45	7
2014	ACC Atlantic	Jimbo Fisher	W	Georgia Tech	37	35
Totals:	6		4–1		163	123
† Denotes co-champions

Individual accomplishments

Individual national award winners

Players

• AP Player of the Year

Jameis Winston (2013)

• Archie Griffin Award

Jameis Winston (2013)

• Bill Willis Trophy

Jamal Reynolds (2000)

• Bobby Bowden Award

Christian Ponder (2010)

• Chic Harley Award

Charlie Ward (1993)

• Dave Rimington Trophy

Bryan Stork (2013)

• Davey O'Brien Award

Charlie Ward (1993)

Chris Weinke (2000)

Jameis Winston (2013)

• Dick Butkus Award

Paul McGowan (1987)

Marvin Jones (1992)

• Heisman Trophy

Charlie Ward (1993)

Chris Weinke (2000)

Jameis Winston (2013)

• Jack Lambert Trophy

Marvin Jones (1992)

Derrick Brooks (1994)

• Jack Tatum Trophy

Terrell Buckley (1991)

• Jim Brown Award

Dalvin Cook (2015)

• Jim Thorpe Award

Deion Sanders (1988)

Terrell Buckley (1991)

• John Mackey Award

Nick O'Leary (2014)

• Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award

Casey Weldon (1991)

Charlie Ward (1993)

Chris Weinke (2000)

• Kellan Moore Award

Casey Weldon (1991)

• Lombardi Award

Marvin Jones (1992)

Jamal Reynolds (2000)

• Lou Groza Award

Sebastian Janikowski (1998, 1999)

Graham Gano (2008)

Roberto Aguayo (2013)

• Manning Award

Jameis Winston (2013)

• Maxwell Award

Charlie Ward (1993)

• Paul Warfield Award

Peter Warrick (1999)

• Sammy Baugh Trophy

Chris Weinke (2000)

• Vlade Award

Roberto Aguayo (2013)

• Walter Camp Award

Charlie Ward (1993)

Jameis Winston (2013)

• Bobby Bowden Lifetime Achievement Award

Lee Corso (2012)

Roberto Aguayo has been recognized as the best kicker by winning the Lou Groza Award.

Bobby Bowden has been honored with several Coach of the Year Awards.

Coaches

• Bobby Bowden Lifetime Achievement Award

Bobby Bowden (2011)

• Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award

Bobby Bowden (1980)

• Broyles Award

Mickey Andrews (1996)

• Home Depot Coach of the Year

Bobby Bowden (1994)

• Paul "Bear" Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award

Bobby Bowden (2010)

• Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award

Bobby Bowden (1991)

Individual conference awards

Players

See also: Atlantic Coast Conference football honors

• ACC Player of the Year (6)

Charlie Ward (1992, 1993)

Danny Kanell (1995)

Andre Wadsworth (1997)

Chris Weinke (2000)

Jameis Winston (2013)

• ACC Rookie of the Year (4)

Tamarick Vanover (1992)

Travis Minor (1997)

Chris Rix (2001)

Jameis Winston (2013)

• ACC Offensive Player of the Year (5)

Charlie Ward (1993)

Danny Kanell (1995)

Thad Busby (1997)

Chris Weinke (2000)

Jameis Winston (2013)

• ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year (1)

Jameis Winston (2013)

• ACC Defensive Player of the Year (6)

Derrick Brooks (1993)

Derrick Alexander (1994)

Peter Boulware (1996)

Andre Wadsworth (1997)

Darnell Dockett (2003)

Bjoern Werner (2012)

• ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year (3)

Myron Rolle (2006)

Xavier Rhodes (2010)

Ronald Darby (2012)

• Jacobs Blocking Trophy (7)

Clay Shiver (1994,1995)

Tra Thomas (1997)

Tarlos Thomas (2000)

Brett Williams (2001,2002)

Rodney Hudson (2008,2009)

Cameron Erving (2013, 2014)

Roderick Johnson (2015)

• Brian Piccolo Award (1)

Chris Thompson (2012)

Coaches

• ACC Coach of the Year (2)

Bobby Bowden (1993, 1997)

Heisman Trophy

Chris Weinke won the Heisman Trophy after leading the Seminoles to a national title.

Currently, three Florida State players have been awarded the Heisman Trophy, Charlie Ward in 1993, Chris Weinke in 2000 and Jameis Winston in 2013. Quarterback Casey Weldon finished as runner-up in 1991. Other Heisman finalists from Florida State include: running back Greg Allen (7th place, 1984), defensive back Deion Sanders (8th place, 1988), quarterback Charlie Ward (6th place, 1992), linebacker Marvin Jones (4th place, 1992), running back Warrick Dunn (9th place, 1995; 5th place, 1996), wide receiver Peter Warrick (6th place, 1999), quarterback Jameis Winston (6th place, 2014), and running back Dalvin Cook (7th place, 2015).

Top 5 finishes in the Heisman Trophy voting
Year	Name	Position	Points	Place
1991	Casey Weldon	QB	503	2nd
1992	Marvin Jones	LB	392	4th
1993	Charlie Ward	QB	2,310	1st
1996	Warrick Dunn	RB	341	5th
2000	Chris Weinke	QB	1,628	1st
2013	Jameis Winston	QB	2,205	1st

Hall of Fame inductees

College Football Hall of Fame inductees

File:Charlie Ward 1991.jpg

Charlie Ward has been inducted into the College Hall of Fame.

Six FSU players and two FSU coaches have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

College Football Hall of Fame inductees
Year Inducted	Name	Position	Career
1988	Ron Sellers	WR	1966–68
1991	Fred Biletnikoff	WR	1962–64
2000	Darrell Mudra	Coach	1974–75
2006	Bobby Bowden	Coach	1976–2009
2006	Charlie Ward	QB	1989, 1991–93
2009	Ron Simmons	DT	1977–80
2011	Deion Sanders	CB	1985–88
2016	Derrick Brooks	LB	1992-1994

Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees

Derrick Brooks was named to the Pro Hall of Fame.

Four former Seminoles have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

NFL Hall of Fame inductees
Year Inducted	Name	Position	Career
1988	Fred Biletnikoff	WR	1965-1978
2011	Deion Sanders	CB	1989–2000, 2004-2005
2014	Derrick Brooks	LB	1995–2008
2014	Walter Jones	OL	1997–2008

Consensus All-Americans

Winston won numerous accolades during his time as a Seminole.

214 Florida State players have been honored as All-American players with thirty-six being awarded as consensus All-Americans. Seven Florida State players have been two-time consensus All-Americans.

Consensus All-Americans
Year(s)	Name	Number	Position
1964	Fred Biletnikoff	25	WR
1967	Ron Sellers	34	WR
1979–1980	Ron Simmons	51	DL
1983	Greg Allen	26	RB
1985	Jamie Dukes	64	OL
1987–1988	Deion Sanders	2	CB
1989	LeRoy Butler	6	CB
1991–1992	Marvin Jones	55	LB
1991	Terrell Buckley	27	CB
1993	Charlie Ward	17	QB
1993–1994	Derrick Brooks	10	LB
1993	Corey Sawyer	8	CB
1994	Clifton Abraham	2	CB
1995	Clay Shiver	53	C
1996	Peter Boulware	58	DE
1996	Reinard Wilson	55	DE
1997	Sam Cowart	1	LB
1997	Andre Wadsworth	85	DE
1998–1999	Sebastian Janikowski	38	K
1998–1999	Peter Warrick	9	WR
1999	Corey Simon	53	DL
1999	Jason Whitaker	68	OL
2000	Tay Cody	27	CB
2000	Snoop Minnis	13	WR
2000	Jamal Reynolds	58	DE
2003–2004	Alex Barron	70	OL
2010	Rodney Hudson	62	OL
2011	Shawn Powell	45	P
2012	Bjoern Werner	95	DL
2013	Lamarcus Joyner	20	S
2013	Bryan Stork	52	C
2013	Jameis Winston	5	QB
2014	Roberto Aguayo	19	K
2014	Tre' Jackson	54	OL
2014	Nick O'Leary	35	TE
2015	Jalen Ramsey	8	CB

Honored Jersey Numbers

Deion Sanders was inducted into the hall of fame, also having his number retired.

Florida State Seminoles Retired Numbers
Number	Name	Position	Career
2	Deion Sanders	CB	1985–88
10	Derrick Brooks	LB	1991–94
16	Chris Weinke	QB	1997–2000
17	Charlie Ward	QB	1989–93
25	Fred Biletnikoff	WR	1962–64
27	Terrell Buckley	CB	1989–91
28	Warrick Dunn	RB	1993–96
34	Ron Sellers	WR	1966–68
50	Ron Simmons	DT	1977–80
55	Marvin Jones	LB	1990–92

Four year Lettermen

Years	Name	No.	Position
1980-1983	Alphonso Carreker	76	Defensive Tackle
1981-1984	Billy Allen	31	Safety
1981-1984	Greg Allen	26	Tailback
1981-1984	Jessie Hester	4	Wide Receiver
1981, 1983-1985	Lenny Chavers	68	Nose Guard
1982-1985	Hassan Jones	88	Wide Receiver
1982, 1984-1986	Parrish Barwick	66	Offensive Lineman
1983-1986	Louis Berry	6	Punter
1983-1986	Bruce Heggie	99	Linebacker
1983-1986	Fred Jones	55	Linebacker
1984-1987	Pat Carter	85	Tight End
1984-1987	Herb Gainer	3	Wide Receiver
1984-1987	Martin Mayhew	32	Cornerback
1984-1987	Greg Newell	40	Safety
1984-1987	Mark Salva	63	Offensive Lineman
1984-1987	Eric Williams	17	Cornerback
1985-1988	Chip Ferguson	5	Quarterback
1985-1988	Victor Floyd	27	Tailback
1985-1988	Steve Gabbard	76	Defensive Tackle
1985-1988	John Hadley	21	Linebacker/Safety
1985-1988	Felton Hayes	46	Linebacker
1985-1988	Keith Ross	20	Tailback
1985-1988	Deion Sanders	2	Cornerback
1985-1988	Tracy Sanders	16	Cornerback
1985-1988	Stan Shiver	37	Safety
1985-1988	Alphonso Williams	26	Safety
1986-1989	Terry Anthony	8	Wide Receiver
1986-1989	Dexter Carter	13	Tailback
1986-1989	Keith Carter	59	Linebacker
1986-1989	Dedrick Dodge	28	Safety
1986-1989	Odell Haggins	53	Nose Guard
1986-1989	Eric Hayes	78	Defensive Tackle
1987-1990	Richie Andrews	9	Kicker
1987-1990	Lawrence Dawsey	29	Wide Receiver
1987-1990	Corian Freeman	10	Cornerback/Linebacker
1987-1990	Dave Roberts	83	Tight End
2001-2004	Chris Rix	16	Quarterback
2011-2014	Rashad Greene	80	Wide Receiver

Bob Crenshaw award

See also: Bob Crenshaw Award

The Tallahassee Quarterback Club sponsors an award that is given in memory of a special Seminole football player whose courage and fighting spirit was an inspiration to others.

The award is given in the memory of Robert E. (Bob) Crenshaw who played football from 1952 to 1955. The 175 pounds offensive lineman was the captain of the team in 1954 and a student leader. He 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.

Year	Name	Position
1958	Al Ulmer	Guard
1959	Ramon Rogers	Center
1960	Abner Bigbie	Fullback
1961	Paul Andrews	Fullback
1962	Jim Sims	Tackle
1964	Larry Brinkley	Fullback
1964	Dick Hermann	Linebacker
1965	Howard Ehler	Defensive Back
1966	Ed Pope	Guard
1967	Kim Hammond	Quarterback
1968	Billy Gunter	Running Back
1969	Stan Walker	Guard
1970	Bill Lohse	Linebacker
1971	Bill Henson	Defensive Tackle
1972	David Snell	Defensive Back
1973	Steve Bratton	Defensive End
1974	Jeff Gardner	Offensive Guard
1975	Lee Nelson	Defensive Back
1976	Joe Camps	Defensive Back
1977	Aaron Carter	Linebacker
1978	Scott Warren	Defensive End
1979	Greg Futch	Offensive Tackle
1980	Monk Bonasorte	Defensive Back
1981	Barry Voltapetti	Offensive Tackle
1982	Blair Williams	Quarterback
1983	Ken Roe	Linebacker
1984	Todd Stroud	Noseguard
1985	Pete Panton	Tight End
1986	Greg Newell	Free Safety
1987	Mark Salva	Center
1988	Jason Kuipers	Offensive Guard
1989	Tony Yeomans	Offensive Guard
1990	Lawrence Dawsey	Wide Receiver
1991	Dan Footman	Defensive End
1992	Robbie Baker	Center
1993	Jon Nance	Noseguard
1994	Steve Gilmer	Safety
1994	Enzo Armella	Noseguard
1995	Todd Rebol	Linebacker
1996	Connell Spain	Defensive Tackle
1997	Greg Spires	Defensive End
1998	Troy Saunders	Cornerback
1999	Reggie Durden	Cornerback
2000	Patrick Newton	Linebacker
2001	Bradley Jennings	Linebacker
2002	Anquan Boldin	Wide Receiver
2003	David Castillo	Center
2004	Bryant McFadden	Cornerback
2005	Andre Fluellen	Defensive Tackle
2006	Darius McClure	Safety
2007	Anthony Houllis	Rover
2008	Ryan McMahon	Center
2009	Ryan McMahon	Center
2009	Markus White	Defensive End
2010	Andrew Datko	Offensive Tackle
2011	E.J. Manuel	Quarterback
2011	Lamarcus Joyner	Safety
2012	Telvin Smith	Linebacker
2012	Devonta Freeman	Running Back
2013	Devonta Freeman	Running Back
2013	Lamarcus Joyner	Defensive Back
2014	Josue Matias	Offensive Guard
2014	Eddie Goldman	Defensive Tackle
2015	Kareem Are	Offensive Guard
2015	Reggie Northrup	Linebacker

Individual program records

See also: Florida State Seminoles football statistical leaders

File:Warrick Dunn cropped.jpg

Warrick Dunn holds rushing records at Florida State.

Offensive records

Rushing records

• Most rushing yards, career: 3,959, Warrick Dunn (1993–1996)
• Most rushing yards, season: 1,691, Dalvin Cook (2015)

Passing records

• Most passing yards, career: 9,839, Chris Weinke (1997–2000)
• Most passing yards, season: 4,167, Chris Weinke (2000)

Receiving records

• Most receiving yards, career: 3,830, Rashad Greene (2011-2014)
• Most receiving yards, season: 1,968, Ron Sellers (1968)

Kicking records

• Most kickoff return yards, career: 1,742, Kermit Whitfield (2013-2015)
• Most kickoff return yards, season: 697, Michael Ray Garvin (2007)
• Most kickoff return yards, game: 184, Leon Bright (1974)
• Field goals, career: 88, Dustin Hopkins (2009-2012)
• Field goals, season: 27, Gary Cismesia (2007); Sebastian Janikowski (1998)
• Field goals, game: 5, Gary Cismesia (2004, 2007); Sebastian Janikowski (1998, 1999); Bill Capece (1980); Roberto Aguayo (2014)
• Field goals, consecutive: 18, Graham Gano (2008)

Return records

• Most punt return yards, career: 1,429, Deion Sanders (1985–1988)
• Most punt return yards, season: 541, Willie Reid (2005)
• Most punt return yards, game: 159, Leon Washington (2003)
• Highest punting average, career: 44.2, Rohn Stark (1979-1982)
• Highest punting average, season: 47.0, Shawn Powell (2011)
• Highest punting average, game: 54.8, Rohn Stark (1981)
• Most kick return yards, career: 1,721, Michael Ray Garvin (2006-2008)
• Most kick return yards, season: 697, Michael Ray Garvin (2007)
• Most kick return yards, game: 184, Leon Bright (1974)

Defensive records

• Tackles, career: 512, Aaron Carter (1974-1977)
• Tackles, season: 181, Aaron Carter (1977)
• Interceptions, career: 21, Terrell Buckley (1989-1991)
• Interceptions, season: 12, Terrell Buckley (1991)
• Sacks, career: 35.5, Reinard Wilson (1993-1996)
• Sacks, season: 19, Peter Boulware (1996)

Records and results

Year-by-year results

Main article: List of Florida State Seminoles football seasons

Florida State has completed fifty-three winning seasons, including twenty-three seasons of double digit wins.

National Champions

College Football Playoff

Conference Champions

Division Champions

Bowl Season

Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, C = Conference

Year	Coach	Conference	W	L	T	CW	CL	CT
1947	Ed Williamson	Independent	0	5	0
1948	Don Veller	Dixie	7	1	0	4	0	0
1949	Don Veller	Dixie	9	1	0	4	0	0
1950	Don Veller	Dixie	8	0	0	2	0	0
1951	Don Veller	Independent	6	2	0
1952	Don Veller	Independent	1	8	1
1953	Tom Nugent	Independent	5	5	0
1954	Tom Nugent	Independent	8	4	0
1955	Tom Nugent	Independent	5	5	0
1956	Tom Nugent	Independent	5	4	1
1957	Tom Nugent	Independent	4	6	0
1958	Tom Nugent	Independent	7	4	0
1959	Perry Moss	Independent	4	6	0
1960	Bill Peterson	Independent	3	6	1
1961	Bill Peterson	Independent	4	5	1
1962	Bill Peterson	Independent	4	3	3
1963	Bill Peterson	Independent	4	5	1
1964	Bill Peterson	Independent	9	1	1
1965	Bill Peterson	Independent	4	5	1
1966	Bill Peterson	Independent	6	5	0
1967	Bill Peterson	Independent	7	2	2
1968	Bill Peterson	Independent	8	3	0
1969	Bill Peterson	Independent	6	3	1
1970	Bill Peterson	Independent	7	4	0
1971	Larry Jones	Independent	8	4	0
1972	Larry Jones	Independent	7	4	0
1973	Larry Jones	Independent	0	11	0
1974	Darrell Mudra	Independent	1	10	0
1975	Darrell Mudra	Independent	3	8	0
1976	Bobby Bowden	Independent	5	6	0
1977	Bobby Bowden	Independent	10	2	0
1978	Bobby Bowden	Independent	8	3	0
1979	Bobby Bowden	Independent	11	1	0
1980	Bobby Bowden	Independent	10	2	0
1981	Bobby Bowden	Independent	6	5	0
1982	Bobby Bowden	Independent	9	3	0
1983	Bobby Bowden	Independent	81	4	0
1984	Bobby Bowden	Independent	7	3	2
1985	Bobby Bowden	Independent	9	3	0
1986	Bobby Bowden	Independent	7	4	1
1987	Bobby Bowden	Independent	11	1	0
1988	Bobby Bowden	Independent	11	1	0
1989	Bobby Bowden	Independent	10	2	0
1990	Bobby Bowden	Independent	10	2	0
1991	Bobby Bowden	Independent	11	2	0
1992	Bobby Bowden	ACC	11	1	0	8	0	0
1993	Bobby Bowden	ACC	12	1	0	8	0	0
1994	Bobby Bowden	ACC	10	1	1	8	0	0
1995	Bobby Bowden	ACC	10	2	0	7	1	0
1996	Bobby Bowden	ACC	11	1		8	0
1997	Bobby Bowden	ACC	11	1		8	0
1998	Bobby Bowden	ACC	11	2		7	1
1999	Bobby Bowden	ACC	12	0		8	0
2000	Bobby Bowden	ACC	11	2		8	0
2001	Bobby Bowden	ACC	8	4		6	2
2002	Bobby Bowden	ACC	9	5		7	1
2003	Bobby Bowden	ACC	10	3		7	1
2004	Bobby Bowden	ACC	9	3		6	2
2005	Bobby Bowden	ACC	8	5		5	3
2006	Bobby Bowden	ACC	22	6		12	5
2007	Bobby Bowden	ACC	03	6		03	4
2008	Bobby Bowden	ACC	9	4		5	3
2009	Bobby Bowden	ACC	7	6		4	4
2010	Jimbo Fisher	ACC	10	4		6	2
2011	Jimbo Fisher	ACC	9	4		5	3
2012	Jimbo Fisher	ACC	12	2		7	1
2013	Jimbo Fisher	ACC	14	0		8	0
2014	Jimbo Fisher	ACC	13	1		8	0
2015	Jimbo Fisher	ACC	10	3		6	2
Total:	522	241	17	152	35	0
Win Percentage:	.680	.813

*¹Tulane was forced to forfeit their win over FSU in 1983 due to an ineligible player.
*²Five wins and two conference wins in the 2006 season vacated due to using ineligible players
*³Seven wins and four conference wins in the 2007 season vacated due to using ineligible players

Undefeated seasons

Florida State has completed three "perfect seasons" in its history as well as having gone through the regular season undefeated six times:

Year	Coach	Regular Season	Final Win/Loss
1950	Don Veller	8–0	8–0
1979	Bobby Bowden	11–0	11–1
1996	Bobby Bowden	11–0	11–1
1999	Bobby Bowden	11–0	12–0
2013	Jimbo Fisher	12–0	14–0
2014	Jimbo Fisher	12–0	13–1
Total Undefeated Seasons	3

The Seminoles have gone through conference play unbeaten twelve times:

Year	Coach	Conference Record
1948	Don Veller	4–0
1949	Don Veller	4–0
1950	Don Veller	2–0
1992	Bobby Bowden	8–0
1993	Bobby Bowden	8–0
1994	Bobby Bowden	8–0
1996	Bobby Bowden	8–0
1997	Bobby Bowden	8–0
1999	Bobby Bowden	8–0
2000	Bobby Bowden	8–0
2013	Jimbo Fisher	8–0
2014	Jimbo Fisher	8–0
Total Undefeated Conference Seasons	12

All-time bowl record

This is a partial list of the five most recent bowl games Florida State has competed in. For the full FSU bowl game history, see List of Florida State Seminoles bowl games

Florida State has played in 45 bowl games in its history and has a 26–16–2 record in those games. Florida State has played in 34 consecutive bowl games, the longest active streak. The Seminoles are the ninth most successful bowl team in history

Season	Date	Bowl	Winner	Loser
2011	December 29, 2011	Champs Sports Bowl	Florida State 18	Notre Dame 14
2012	January 1, 2013	Orange Bowl	Florida State 31	Northern Illinois 10
2013	January 6, 2014	BCS National Championship Game	Florida State 34	Auburn 31
2014	January 1, 2015	Rose Bowl	Oregon 59	Florida State 20
2015	December 31, 2015	Peach Bowl	Houston 38	Florida State 24

Playoffs

The Seminoles have made one appearance in the College Football Playoff.

Year	Seed	Away Team	Home Team	Bowl	Result
2014	3	Florida State	Oregon	Rose Bowl	L, 20-59
Total Appearances	1	0-1

All-time record vs. current ACC teams

The Seminoles in a conference matchup with Virginia Tech

Florida State holds a winning record against every current and former ACC school except for Miami and Pittsburgh, who hold slight advantages.

Florida State became conference opponents with Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia and Wake Forest in 1992. Miami and Virginia Tech became conference opponents in 2004, Boston College in 2005, Pittsburgh and Syracuse in 2013, and Louisville in 2014. Florida State was 21-2 against the University of Maryland prior to their departure for the Big 10 Conference. Notre Dame is a member of the ACC in all sports but maintains football independence while playing a required number of ACC teams each year.

Opponent	Won	Lost	Tied	Percentage	Streak	First	Last
Boston College	91	4	0	.636	Won 6	1957	2015
Clemson	20	9	0	.690	Lost 1	1970	2015
Duke	172	0	0	1.000	Won 17	1992	2013
Georgia Tech	14	10	1	.580	Lost 1	1955	2015
Louisville	14	2	0	.875	Won 2	1952	2014
Miami	29	31	0	.483	Won 6	1951	2015
North Carolina	15	2	1	.861	Lost 1	1983	2010
NC State	241	11	0	.686	Won 3	1952	2015
Notre Dame*	6	2	0	.750	Won 3	1981	2014
Pittsburgh	4	5	0	.444	Won 1	1971	2013
Syracuse	8	1	0	.889	Won 8	1966	2015
Virginia	141	3	0	.824	Won 1	1992	2014
Virginia Tech	23	12	1	.653	Won 1	1955	2012
Wake Forest	27	6	1	.809	Won 4	1956	2015
Totals	224	98	4	.693

*Notre Dame is an associate member of the ACC with a scheduling agreement in football
*¹Denotes one win vacated during the 2006 and 2007 seasons
*²Denotes two wins vacated during the 2006 and 2007 seasons

All-time record vs. non-conference opponents

School Record First Last Abilene Christian 1–2 1953 1957 Alabama 11–2–1 1965 2007 Alabama-Birmingham 21–0 2001 2007 Arizona State 3–1 1971 1984 Auburn 5–13–1 1954 2014 Baylor 1–2 1965 1974 Bethune-Cookman 1–0 2013 2013 Brigham Young 4–0 1991 2010 Central Florida 1–0 1995 1995 Charleston Southern 1–0 2011 2011 Cincinnati 6–0 1977 1990 Citadel 6–0–1 1955 2014 Colorado 31–0 2003 2008 Colorado State 1–1 1972 1974 Cumberland 1–1 1947 1948 Delta State 1–0 1951 1951 East Carolina 7–0 1980 1990 Erskine 1–1 1948 1949 Florida 34-24-2 1958 2015 Furman 8–2 1952 1987 George Washington 1–0 1961 1961 Georgia 4-6–1 1954 2003 Georgia Southern 2–0 1988 1990 Houston 2–13–2 1960 2015 Idaho 1–0 2013 2013 Indiana 1–0 1986 1986 Iowa State 1–1 1975 2002 Jacksonville NAS 1–0 1951 1951 Jacksonville State 1–1 1947 2009 Kansas 5–2 1971 1993 Kansas State 3–0 1970 1977 Kentucky 1–4–1 1960 2007 Louisiana State 7–2 1968 1991 Louisiana-Monroe 1–0 2011 2011 Louisiana Tech 2–2 1952 1999

School Record First Last Maryland 211–2 1966 2013 Memphis 10-7–1 1959 1990 Michigan 1–1 1986 1991 Michigan State 2–0 1987 1988 Middle Tennessee 1–0 1991 1991 Millsaps 2–0 1948 1949 Mississippi 0–1 1961 1961 Mississippi College 3–0 1948 1950 Mississippi State 7–2 1966 1979 Murray State 1–0 2012 2012 Navy 1–0 1978 1978 Nebraska 6–2 1980 1994 Nevada 1–0 2013 2013 New Mexico State 1–0 1964 1964 Newberry 1–0 1950 1950 North Texas 2–0 1976 1977 Northern Illinois 1–0 2013 2013 Ohio 1–0 1956 1956 Ohio State 3–0 1981 1998 Oklahoma 1–6 1965 2011 Oklahoma State 4–1 1958 2014 Oregon 0–1 2015 2015 Penn State 1–1–1 1967 2006 Randolph-Macon 1–0 1950 1950 Rice 01–0 2006 2006 Richmond 3–0 1959 1961 Samford 2–0 1950 2010 San Diego State 0–2 1973 1977 Savannah State 1–0 2012 2012 Sewanee 2–0 1949 1950 South Carolina 16–3 1966 2010 South Florida 2-1 2009 2015 Southern California 2–0 1997 1998 Southern Illinois 1–0 1982 1982 Southern Mississippi 13-8–1 1952 1996

School Record First Last Stetson 6–1–1 1947 1954 Sul Ross State 1–0 1951 1951 Tampa 9–2 1948 1959 Temple 1–0 1984 1984 Tennessee 1–1 1958 1999 Tennessee-Chattanooga 3–0 1984 2015 Tennessee Tech 1–1 1947 1958 Texas A&M 4–0 1967 1998 Texas Christian 1–2 1963 1965 Texas State 1–0 2015 2015 Texas-El Paso 0–1 1955 1955 Texas Tech 4–1 1966 1987 Toledo 1–0 1986 1986 Troy 5–1 1947 2006 Tulane 103–0 1983 1992 Tulsa 5–0 1969 1985 UCLA 01–0 2006 2006 Utah State 1–0 1975 1975 Villanova 3–1 1954 1957 Virginia Military Institute 2–1 1952 1954 West Alabama 1–1 1948 1949 West Virginia 3–0 1982 2010 Western Michigan 11–0 1991 2006 Whiting Field NAS 1–0 1949 1949 Wichita State 2–0 1969 1986 William & Mary 1–1 1959 1950 Wisconsin 1–0 2008 2008 Wofford 3–0 1950 1952 Wyoming 0–1 1966 1966

*¹Denotes win vacated during the 2006 and 2007 seasons
*³Denotes win via forfeit

Future opponents

Intra-division opponents

Florida State plays the other six ACC Atlantic opponents once per season.

Even Numbered Years	Odd Numbered Years
vs Boston College	at Boston College
vs Clemson	at Clemson
at Louisville	vs Louisville
at NC State	vs NC State
at Syracuse	vs Syracuse
vs Wake Forest	at Wake Forest

Non-division opponents

Florida State plays Miami as a permanent non-division opponent annually and rotates around the Coastal division among the other six schools.

2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
at Miami	vs Miami	at Miami	vs Miami	at Miami	vs Miami	at Miami	vs Miami	at Miami
vs North Carolina	at Duke	vs Virginia Tech	at Virginia	vs Pittsburgh	at North Carolina	vs Georgia Tech	at Virginia Tech	vs Duke

Non-conference opponents

By decree of the Florida Board of Regents, Florida State and Florida must play each other every year.

2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
vs Ole Miss Sep. 5th (Orlando, FL)	vs Alabama Sep. 2nd (Atlanta, GA)				vs Notre Dame Sep. 6th			at Notre Dame
Charleston Southern Sep. 10th			vs Boise State Sep. 7th	at Boise State Sep. 12th
at South Florida Sep. 24th		at Notre Dame Nov. 10th
vs Florida Nov. 29th	at Florida Nov. 25th	vs Florida Nov. 24th	at Florida Nov. 30th	vs Florida Nov. 28th	at Florida Nov. 27th	vs Florida Nov. 26th	at Florida Nov. 25th	vs Florida Nov. 30th

Rivalries

Rivalry history

Opponent	Won	Lost	Tied	Percentage	Streak	First	Last
Clemson	20	9	0	.690	Lost 1	1970	2015
Florida	24	34	2	.417	Won 3	1958	2015
Miami	29	31	0	.483	Won 6	1951	2015
Virginia	141	3	0	.824	Won 1	1992	2014
Totals	87	77	2	.530

*Denotes one win vacated during the 2006 season

Trophies

File:Gene Ellenson and Bill Peterson.jpg

Former coach Bill Peterson and University of Florida assistant coach Gene Ellenson exchanging the Governor's Cup

Florida Cup

See also: 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 for winning a round-robin against the other two teams in the same season (including bowl games if necessary).

It was created in 2002 by the Florida Sports Foundation, the official sports promotion and development organization of the state of Florida, and the Florida Championships Awards, Inc. The idea of finally having a trophy for the round robin winner between the three schools was enthusiastically endorsed by then governor Jeb Bush. Along with the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy (given to the winner of the round robin between Army, Navy and Air Force), the Florida Cup is one of the very few three way rivalries that presents a trophy to the winner.

The Florida Cup was awarded to the Florida State Seminoles in 2013, as Florida and Miami played in the regular season. However, unless the Gators and Hurricanes meet in a bowl game, this will be the last year they play for a long time, as Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley is reluctant to add Miami as an annual opponent due to alleged financial and scheduling concerns. Unless Florida and Miami are paired together in a bowl game, it remains to be seen when the next time the cup will be on the line. Thus, 2013 was the last year that the Florida Cup was awarded.

A separate trophy, the Makala Trophy, is also awarded to the winner of the Florida–Florida State game at the winning team's spring scrimmage.

Jefferson-Eppes Trophy

The Jefferson-Eppes Trophy is awarded to the winner of the Florida State–Virginia game. This game was played annually from 1992 through 2005, but since the conference split into divisions, the teams meet twice every six years. Florida State has been awarded the trophy fourteen times. Florida State is the current trophy holder after their win in Tallahassee in 2014.

Florida

Main article: Florida–Florida State football rivalry

Florida State and Florida have played each year since 1958.

The Florida Gators are the main rival of the Florida State Seminoles. Florida State and Florida have played each other 60 times. The game alternates between Florida's home stadium, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field in Gainesville, Florida and Florida State's home stadium, Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida. The Gators hold a 34-24-2 all-time lead against the Seminoles. This is due to the series beginning with Florida dominating for the first decade but since then it has been more balanced and most of the games have been close.Since the hiring of Bobby Bowden, Florida State has gone 22–19–1 against the Gators. During the Bobby Bowden era, Florida State went 17-18-1. Current Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher is 5–1 against the University of Florida.

Florida head coach Steve Spurrier gave FSU the nickname "Free Shoes University" in 1993, after sports agents were found to have bought more than $6,000 worth of shoes for Seminole players. Although the university suspended five players for several games, the NCAA did not find major rules violations.

Miami

Main article: Florida State–Miami football rivalry

See also: Wide Right I and Wide Right II

FSU vs UM at Doak Campbell

The rivalry dates to 1951, when the Miami Hurricanes defeated the Seminoles 35–13 in their inaugural meeting. The schools have played uninterrupted since 1966, with Miami holding the all-time advantage, 31–29. Florida State holds an 8–3 advantage since the Hurricanes became a conference foe in 2004. Current Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher is 6–0 against the University of Miami.

During the 1980s and 90s, the series emerged as one of the premier rivalries in college football. Between 1983 and 2013, the Hurricanes and Seminoles combined to win 8 national championships (5 for Miami, 3 for Florida State) and played in 16 national championship games (83, 85, 86, 87, 89, 91, 92, 93, 94, 96, 98, 99, 00, 01, 02, 13). 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.

Clemson

Main article: Clemson–Florida State football rivalry

The Noles and Tigers compete for the Atlantic division title.

Florida State has a rivalry with Atlantic Division foe Clemson Tigers. Florida State leads the all-time series 20–9. Current Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher is 4–2 against Clemson University. 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 1981–91. 1991 would be the last ACC Championship the Tigers would win until 2011 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, which was later vacated, lengthened the Tigers' title drought.

Virginia

Main article: Jefferson-Eppes Trophy

The Seminoles also have a rivalry with the Virginia Cavaliers. Florida State and Virginia compete for the Jefferson-Eppes Trophy. The two schools have played for the trophy since its creation in 1995. It has been awarded a total of 18 times, with FSU receiving it 14 times (FSU vacated its 2006 win). The Seminoles hold the all-time advantage 14–3. Current Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher is 2–1 against the University of Virginia. Because of conference expansion, the teams no longer play annually; the teams last met in 2014, and they will meet once again during the 2019 season.

Traditions

Cheerleaders are a part of the pageantry of college football.

Many Florida State traditions are associated with athletics events, especially football, such as Osceola and Renegade, the planting of the spear at midfield during pregame, the lighting of the spear on the night before games, the FSU Fight Song, the Marching Chiefs, the FSU Hymns, the War Chant, and the Tomahawk Chop. Fans of the Florida State Seminoles are known as The Tribe, a nod to the nickname that the team carries.

In July 2011, Florida State won an ESPN SportsNation poll for Best Pre-game Tradition.

Osceola and Renegade

Osceola and Renegade

Osceola and Renegade are the official symbols of the Florida State Seminoles. During home football games, Osceola, portraying the Seminole leader Osceola, charges down the field at Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium riding an appaloosa horse named Renegade, and hurls a burning spear at midfield to begin every game. The Seminole Tribe of Florida officially sanctions the use of the Seminole as Florida State University's nickname and of Osceola as FSU's symbol.

Marching Chiefs

The Marching Chiefs hold the claim to being the world's largest collegiate marching band.

The Marching Chiefs is the official marching band of the Florida State Seminoles. The band plays at every home game as well as at most away games (Clemson, Miami, South Florida, and Florida) as well as any Championship or Bowl game. There are upwards of 470 members in the band.

Fight song

The FSU Fight Song is one of the most widely recognized college tunes in the country.

The Florida State University fight song first appeared as a poem by Doug Alley, a student at the school, in the Florida Flambeau. The Professor of music Thomas Wright then saw the poem in the newspaper and wrote a melody to it. During the 1950 homecoming halftime show, during a dedication ceremony naming the stadium, the band premiered the song.

War Chant

The Seminole War Chant was first used in a 1984 game against Auburn. The chant was started in FSU's Marching Band - The Marching Chiefs, originally by members of the percussion section. The melody is based on the 1960s cheer, massacre. The chant has also become associated with the tomahawk chop.

The War Chant would be adopted by the Atlanta Braves when FSU football alumnus Deion Sanders joined the team, and has been used ever since. It is also used by the NFL team the Kansas City Chiefs, Mexican soccer club Santos Laguna and the Turkish soccer club Galatasaray S.K..

FSU Hymns

The Marching Chiefs perform the school hymn after each home game.

The FSU Hymns include the alma mater (High O'er Towering Pines), hymn (Hymn To the Garnet and Gold), and fight song of The Florida State University.

Spirit Walk

A relatively new tradition, started under the Fisher regime, the War Path takes place before all home games. The walk includes the Marching Chiefs and Golden Girls marching and greeting fans from the College Town district on Madison Street to the stadium.

Sod Cemetery

Main article: Florida State Football Sod Cemetery

File:Fsusod1.JPG

Florida State Football's Sod Cemetery is the final resting place for over 90 Sod Games.

For Florida State Football, "sod games" and the Sod Cemetery have been a rich part of the Seminoles college football history, commemorating many of the greatest victories. Away from home and against the odds, Florida State sod games represent the most difficult battles on the football field. The Sod Cemetery stands as a tribute to those triumphs.

In 1962, as the Seminoles completed their Thursday practice in preparation to face Georgia at Sanford Stadium, Dean Coyle Moore – a long-time professor and member of FSU's athletic board – issued a challenge: "Bring back some sod from between the hedges at Georgia." On Saturday, October 20, the Seminoles scored an 18–0 victory over the favored Bulldogs. Team captain Gene McDowell pulled a small piece of grass from the field, which was presented to Moore at the next football practice. Moore and FSU coach Bill Peterson had the sod buried on the practice field as a symbol of victory. A monument was placed to commemorate the triumph and the tradition of the sod game was born.

Before leaving for all road games in which Florida State is the underdog, all road games at the University of Florida and all ACC championship and bowl games, Seminole captains gather their teammates to explain the significance of the tradition. Victorious captains return with a piece of the opponent's turf to be buried in the Sod Cemetery inside the gates of the practice field. In recent years, as the Florida State program has been successful, games of significance regardless of whether or not the Seminoles are the underdog, can be designated a "sod game." This most recently occurred in 2013 when the Seminoles traveled to Clemson, South Carolina in what was called the biggest game in ACC history. The Seminoles defeated Clemson, 51–14, in what was the biggest margin of victory in Clemson's Memorial Stadium.

Uniform

File:ACC-Uniform-FSU.png

Uniform design used through the 2013 season

Florida State's uniforms are considered among the most iconic in the sport of college football. The uniforms pay respect to the Seminole culture using tribal influences with Native American symbols representing an arrow, a man on a horse, and fire. The team's jersey and helmet have remained relatively unchanged throughout the years. In a poll conducted by ESPN, Florida State was chosen to have the best college helmet.

College Gameday

Lee Corso has worn the Seminole head gear on 19 occasions.

Main article: College GameDay (football)

The Seminoles have appeared on ESPN's College Game Day 32 times since 1993, with 6 bowl appearances. The first ever broadcast of the show took place in South Bend, Indiana when then #1 FSU traveled to play the #2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish in what was called the Game of the Century. Florida State is 17–15 in games played when College GameDay has traveled to Seminole games. Florida State has hosted the program 11 times, the most by any ACC school. The most recent visit came in 2014 when Notre Dame played in Tallahassee. The Seminoles have a 7–4 record when Gameday is on campus.

Date	Location	Home Team	Away Team	Result	PF	PA
November 13, 1993	South Bend, Indiana	#2 Notre Dame	#1 Florida State	L	24	31
October 8, 1994	Miami, Florida	#13 Miami	#3 Florida State	L	20	34
October 7, 1995	Tallahassee, Florida	#1 Florida State	Miami	W	41	17
November 25, 1995	Gainesville, Florida	#3 Florida	#6 Florida State	L	24	35
November 30, 1996	Tallahassee, Florida	#2 Florida State	#1 Florida	W	24	21
January 2, 1997	New Orleans, Louisiana (Sugar Bowl)	#1 Florida State	#3 Florida	L	20	52
November 8, 1997	Chapel Hill, North Carolina	#5 North Carolina	#3 Florida State	W	20	3
November 22, 1997	Gainesville, Florida	#10 Florida	#2 Florida State	L	29	32
October 24, 1998	Atlanta, Georgia	#20 Georgia Tech	#6 Florida State	W	34	7
January 4, 1999	Tempe, Arizona (Fiesta Bowl)	#1 Tennessee	#2 Florida State	L	16	23
November 20, 1999	Gainesville, Florida	#3 Florida	#1 Florida State	W	30	23
January 4, 2000	New Orleans, Louisiana (Sugar Bowl)	#1 Florida State	#2 Virginia Tech	W	46	29
October 7, 2000	Miami, Florida	#7 Miami	#1 Florida State	L	24	27
November 18, 2000	Tallahassee, Florida	#3 Florida State	#4 Florida	W	30	7
January 3, 2001	Miami, Florida (Orange Bowl)	#1 Oklahoma	#3 Florida State	L	2	13
October 13, 2001	Tallahassee, Florida	#14 Florida State	#2 Miami	L	27	49
October 26, 2002	Tallahassee, Florida	#11 Florida State	#6 Notre Dame	L	24	34
October 11, 2003	Tallahassee, Florida	#5 Florida State	#2 Miami	L	14	22
November 29, 2003	Gainesville, Florida	#11 Florida	#9 Florida State	W	38	34
September 17, 2005	Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts	#17 Boston College	#8 Florida State	W	28	17
September 4, 2006	Miami, Florida	#12 Miami	#11 Florida State	W	13	10
October 3, 2009	Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts	Boston College	Florida State	L	21	28
November 28, 2009	Gainesville, Florida	#1 Florida	Florida State	L	10	37
September 17, 2011	Tallahassee, Florida	#5 Florida State	#1 Oklahoma	L	13	23
September 22, 2012	Tallahassee, Florida	#4 Florida State	#10 Clemson	W	49	37
October 19, 2013	Clemson, South Carolina	#3 Clemson	#5 Florida State	W	51	14
November 2, 2013	Tallahassee, Florida	#3 Florida State	#7 Miami	W	41	14
January 6, 2014	Pasadena, California (BCS National Championship)	#1 Florida State	#2 Auburn	W	34	31
August 30, 2014	Fort Worth, Texas	Oklahoma State	#1 Florida State	W	37	31
September 20, 2014	Tallahassee, Florida	#1 Florida State	#22 Clemson	W	23	17
October 18, 2014	Tallahassee, Florida	#2 Florida State	#5 Notre Dame	W	31	27
January 1, 2015	Pasadena, California (Rose Bowl)	#3 Oregon	#2 Florida State	L	20	59
		Totals	17–15		858	838

ESPN's Sports Center has also broadcast from a Florida State game once. Florida State is 1–0 in games played when SportsCenter has traveled to Seminole games.

Date	Location	Home Team	Away Team	Result	PF	PA
September 18, 2015	Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts	Boston College	#9 Florida State	W	14	0
		Totals	1–0		14	0

Current coaching staff

Name	Position	Seasons at FSU	Alma Mater
Jimbo Fisher	Head Coach	9th (6th as Head Coach)	Samford (1987)
Rick Trickett	Assistant Coach/Offensive Line	9th	Glenville (1972)
Odell Haggins	Associate Coach/Defensive Line	22nd	Florida State (1993)
Charles Kelly	Defensive Coordinator/Secondary	3rd (2nd as Defensive Coordinator)	Auburn (1990)
Lawrence Dawsey	Co-Offensive Coordinator/Passing Game Coordinator/Wide Receivers	9th (2nd as Offensive Coordinator)	Florida State (1991)
Randy Sanders	Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks	3rd (2nd as Offensive Coordinator)	Tennessee (1988)
Brad Lawing	Defensive Head Coach/Defensive Ends	2nd	Lenoir-Rhyne (1979)
Tim Brewster	Tight Ends Coach/Recruiting Coordinator	3rd	Illinois (1984)
Bill Miller	Linebackers	2nd	Texas-Arlington (1978)
Jay Graham	Running Backs/Special Teams Coordinator	3rd	Tennessee (2004)
Vic Viloria	Strength and Conditioning	5th	Southern Methodist (2002)
Bob LaCivita	Director of Player Personnel	9th	Indiana University of Pennsylvania (1971)
Mark Robinson	Director of Football Operations	3rd	Appalachian State (2003)
Jake Pfeil	Head Football Athletic Trainer	12th	Florida State (2000)

Famous football alumni

Ron Simmons was named an All-American player while at Florida State.

Lee Corso – Retired college football head coach, ESPN College Gameday analyst
Danny Kanell – Former Pro football player ESPN analyst
Burt Reynolds – Actor
Ron Simmons – A football legend in his own right when he played at Florida State, after a short stint with the Cleveland Browns and the Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States Football League, Simmons would later go on to fame as a professional wrestler under his own name and under the name Faarooq, becoming the first African-American world champion. He is also famously known in the wrestling world for his 'DAMN' catchphrase.
Mack Brown – former head coach of the Texas Longhorns
T. K. Wetherell – former President of Florida State University
Deion Sanders - One of the greatest athletes to ever play the game of football, he also played 9 years of professional baseball and the only player to hit a major league home run and score an NFL touchdown in the same week and is also the only player to play in both the World Series and Super Bowl. Sanders has made TV appearances on SNL, TV commercials, film cameo appearances, music videos, reality show and often a guest analyst for ESPN and the NFL Network.

NFL players

Seminoles in the NFL
NFL Draft selections
Total selected:	269
First round:	45
NFL achievements
Super Bowl Participants:	69
Super Bowl MVPs	2
Pro Bowl Selections:	77
Pro Bowl Coaches:	1

Christian Ponder is one of many former Florida State players in the NFL.

See also: List of Florida State Seminoles in the NFL draft

Florida State has sent 269 players to the National Football League since 1951. This includes 45 first-round draft picks. Jameis Winston holds the record as the highest Seminole taken in the NFL Draft as he was selected with the first overall pick by Tampa Bay in the 2015 draft, the highest by a Florida State player since Andre Wadsworth was selected third overall by the Arizona Cardinals in 1998. Eleven players, a school record, were taken in the 2013 NFL Draft, a record tied in 2015. Florida State had 29 players drafted over a three-year period from 2013-2015, the most of any team in the modern draft.

Currently, Florida State has 52 players active in the NFL.

Player	Year Drafted	Round	Position	Current NFL Team
Chad Abram	2014	Undrafted	FB	Detroit Lions
Kelvin Benjamin	2014	1st (28)	WR	Carolina Panthers
Anquan Boldin	2003	2nd (54)	WR	San Francisco 49ers
Nigel Bradham	2012	4th (105)	LB	Buffalo Bills
Terrence Brooks	2014	3rd (79)	S	Baltimore Ravens
Everette Brown	2009	2nd (43)	DE	Philadelphia Eagles
Brodrick Bunkley	2006	1st (14)	NT	New Orleans Saints
Tank Carradine	2013	2nd (40)	DE	San Francisco 49ers
Tony Carter	2009	Undrafted	CB	Denver Broncos
Antonio Cromartie	2006	1st (19)	CB	New York Jets
Ronald Darby	2015	2nd (50)	CB	Buffalo Bills
Everett Dawkins	2013	7th (229)	DT	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Darnell Dockett	2004	3rd (64)	DE	San Francisco 49ers
Mario Edwards, Jr.	2015	2nd (35)	DE	Oakland Raiders
Cameron Erving	2015	1st (19)	OC	Cleveland Browns
Andre Fluellen	2008	3rd (87)	DT	Detroit Lions
Devonta Freeman	2014	4th (103)	RB	Atlanta Falcons
Graham Gano	2009	Undrafted	K	Carolina Panthers
Eddie Goldman	2015	2nd (39)	DT	Chicago Bears
Rashad Greene	2015	5th (139)	WR	Jacksonville Jaguars
Letroy Guion	2008	5th (152)	DT	Green Bay Packers
Mike Harris	2012	6th (176)	CB	New York Giants
Bobby Hart	2015	7th (226)	OG	New York Giants
Geno Hayes	2008	6th (175)	LB	Jacksonville Jaguars
Dustin Hopkins	2013	6th (177)	K	Washington Redskins
Rodney Hudson	2011	2nd (55)	C	Oakland Raiders
Tre' Jackson	2015	4th (111)	OG	New England Patriots
Sebastian Janikowski	2000	1st (17)	K	Oakland Raiders
Brandon Jenkins	2013	5th (162)	LB	Washington Redskins
Timmy Jernigan	2014	2nd (48)	DT	Baltimore Ravens
Christian Jones	2014	Undrafted	LB	Chicago Bears
Lamarcus Joyner	2014	2nd (41)	CB	St. Louis Rams
EJ Manuel	2013	1st (16)	QB	Buffalo Bills
Josue Matias	2015	Undrafted	OG	Tennessee Titans
Demonte McAllister	2014	Undrafted	DT	Seattle Seahawks
Anthony McCloud	2013	Undrafted	DT	Arizona Cardinals
Jacobbi McDaniel	2014	Undrafted	DT	Cleveland Browns
Nick Moody	2013	6th (180)	LB	San Francisco 49ers
Nick O'Leary	2015	6th (194)	TE	Buffalo Bills
Terrence Parks	2012	Undrafted	LB	Houston Texans
Christian Ponder	2011	1st (12)	QB	Oakland Raiders
Lonnie Pryor	2013	Undrafted	FB	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Xavier Rhodes	2013	1st (25)	CB	Minnesota Vikings
Patrick Robinson	2010	1st (32)	CB	San Diego Chargers
Garrison Sanborn	2009	Undrafted	LS/C	Buffalo Bills
Kenny Shaw	2014	Undrafted	WR	Cleveland Browns
Ernie Sims	2006	1st (9)	LB	Arizona Cardinals
Antone Smith	2009	Undrafted	RB	Atlanta Falcons
Rodney Smith	2013	Undrafted	WR	Cleveland Browns
Telvin Smith	2014	5th (144)	LB	Jacksonville Jaguars
Bryan Stork	2014	4th (105)	OC	New England Patriots
Chris Thompson	2013	5th (154)	RB	Washington Redskins
Lawrence Timmons	2007	1st (15)	LB	Pittsburgh Steelers
Leon Washington	2006	4th (117)	RB	Tennessee Titans
Dekoda Watson	2010	7th (217)	LB	Dallas Cowboys
Menelik Watson	2013	2nd (42)	OT	Oakland Raiders
Bjoern Werner	2013	1st (24)	LB	Indianapolis Colts
James Wilder Jr.	2014	Undrafted	RB	Cincinnati Bengals
Karlos Williams	2015	5th (155)	RB	Buffalo Bills
P.J. Williams	2015	3rd (78)	CB	New Orleans Saints
Vince Williams	2013	6th (206)	LB	Pittsburgh Steelers
Kamerion Wimbley	2006	1st (13)	DE	Tennessee Titans
Jameis Winston	2015	1st (1)	QB	Tampa Bay Buccaneers

See also

• Florida State Seminoles
• History of Florida State University
• List of Florida State University professional athletes

References

• Florida State Seminoles Football Media Guide, Florida State University Athletics Department, Tallahassee, Florida

External links

• Seminoles.com – Official website of the Florida State Seminoles football team.
• Florida State Champions Campaign website