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Hello there southern college football fans and welcome to the first installment in a series about the overall tradition, history, and stories of southern football. The greatest football in the country. This weeks installment will feature FSU. A fairly new program that rose to national prominence. Here are the Seminoles.....

Florida State football is college football. The Seminoles have a legendary coach, a tradition of excellence and a record of dominance that is unprecedented in college football history. Recently the NCAA declared FSU a "dynasty". In 2000 Florida State extended the NCAA record for consecutive years of finishing in the Top 5 and winning 10 or more games to 14 seasons

Florida State football began in 1947 when the school became a co-educational institution. With the university having a small amount of men on campus, the team had to overcome MAJOR obstacles to build a respectable program. Tallahassee was located right in the middle of many already established football teams so FSU didn't have much of a chance at competing. Teams such as Alabama, Auburn, Georgia Tech, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Tennessee had all won National Championships before the FSU football program was even started. Other well established teams such as Clemson, Georgia, Kentucky, and arch-rivals Miami and Florida also had well established programs in the same region. All these programs had been around since the late 1800s or early 1900s (except for Miami - 1922). Florida State had a VERY late start and very few thought the program would ever be a success.

Fifty years later FSU has the most consistently dominating program in college football. The Seminoles now compete at the same level that teams like Alabama, Georgia Tech, Michigan, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Penn State, or USC ever did. Florida State has even surpassed the accomplishments of some of the most successful programs in the country such as Florida, Kentucky, Texas A&M, and Mississippi State. FSU won a National Championship before UF ever did even though they had EVERY advantage in the the state of Florida (tradition, alumni, money).

FSU produces more NFL talent than most teams, more award winners than most, and is setting records every year for top finishes and Bowl Game wins.

HISTORIES AND TRADITIONS

 

The Sod Cemetery

In 1962, the team captains of the Seminole football team returned to Tallahassee with a piece of sod from Sanford Stadium as a trophy from the team's 18-0 victory over the University of Georgia. The turf was presented to Dean Coyle E. Moore, who founded the continuing tradition of the sod game. The sod cemetery began when that first piece of sod was buried in the corner of the Florida State practice field and a monument was placed to commemorate the road victory. In the early years, FSU only snipped grass when it won by upset on the road. But as the Seminoles became more successful, the criteria changed. Sod games still represent road games that the Tribe wins when they are significant underdogs, however, all bowl games are now considered sod games as well as landmark road wins no matter who is favored. Each piece of sod is buried in the cemetery next to the practice field and a tombstone is placed above it with the score and date of the game.

Sod Cemetery History 1962 FSU 18 Georgia 0 FSU 14 Georgia Tech 14 FSU 14 Auburn 14 1963 FSU 24 Miami 0 1964 FSU 14 Miami 0 FSU 17 Georgia 14 FSU 10 Texas Christian 0 FSU 36 Oklahoma 19 (Gator Bowl) 1966 FSU 23 Miami 20 FSU 42 Texas Tech 33 FSU 32 S. Carolina 10 1967 FSU 37 Alabama 37 FSU 19 Texas A&M 18 FSU 27 Memphis State 7 FSU 21 Florida 16 FSU 17 Penn State 17 (Gator Bowl) 1968 FSU 35 South Carolina 28 FSU 48 N.C. State 7 FSU 40 Houston 20 1969 FSU 19 Miami 14 FSU 10 Virginia Tech 10 1970 FSU 21 South Carolina 13 FSU 27 Miami 3 1976 FSU 28 Boston College 9 FSU 21 North Texas State 20 1977 FSU 25 Oklahoma State 17 FSU 34 Florida 9 FSU 40 Texas Tech 17 (Tangerine Bowl) 1978 FSU 28 Syracuse 0 1979 FSU 31 Arizona State 3 FSU 24 LSU 19 FSU 27 Florida 16 1980 FSU 16 LSU 0 FSU 18 Nebraska 14 1981 FSU 36 Ohio State 27 FSU 19 Notre Dame 13 1982 FSU 34 Ohio State 17 FSU 24 Miami 7 FSU 31 West Virginia 12 (Gator Bowl) 1983 FSU 40 LSU 35 FSU 29 Arizona State 26 FSU 28 North Carolina 3 (Peach Bowl) 1984 FSU 52 Arizona State 44 FSU 17 Georgia 17 (Citrus Bowl) 1985 FSU 17 Nebraska 13 FSU 34 Oklahoma State 23 (Gator Bowl) 1986 FSU 27 Indiana 13 (All American Bowl) 1987 FSU 31 Michigan St. 3 FSU 34 Auburn 6 FSU 28 Florida 14 FSU 31 Nebraska 28 (Fiesta Bowl) 1988 FSU 24 Clemson 21 FSU 13 Auburn 7 (Sugar Bowl) 1989 FSU 24 Florida 17 FSU 41 Nebraska 17 (Fiesta Bowl) 1990 FSU 24 Penn State 17 (Blockbuster Bowl) 1991 FSU 51 Michigan 31 FSU 10 Texas A&M 2 (Cotton Bowl) 1992 FSU 24 Clemson 20 FSU 29 Georgia Tech 24 FSU 27 Nebraska 14 1993 FSU 33 Florida 21 FSU 18 Nebraska 16 (Orange Bowl) 1994 FSU 23 Notre Dame 16 FSU 23 Florida 17 (Sugar Bowl) 1995 FSU 31 Notre Dame 26 (Orange Bowl) 1996 FSU 34 Miami 16 1997 FSU 20 North Carolina 3 FSU 31 Ohio State 14 (Sugar Bowl) 1999 FSU 30 Florida 23 FSU 46 Virginia Tech 29 (Sugar Bowl) 2001 FSU 30, Virginia Tech 17 (Gator Bowl) 2003 FSU 38, Florida 34 2004 FSU 30, West Virgnia 18 (Gator Bowl) 2005 FSU 28 Boston College 17 FSU 27, Virginia Tech 22 (ACC Championship Game) 2006 FSU 13, Miami 10 FSU 44, UCLA 27 (Emerald Bowl)

History of Florida State's school colors

Garnet & Gold

Florida State's school colors of garnet and gold date back to the Florida State College championship football teams of 1904 and 1905. In those championship seasons, FSC donned purple and gold uniforms. When Florida State College became Florida Female College in 1905, the football team was forced to attend the University of Florida. The following year the FFC student body selected crimson as the official school color of 1905. The administration in 1905 took crimson and combined it with the recognizable purple of the championship football teams to achieve the color garnet. The now-famous garnet and gold colors were first used on an FSU uniform in a 14-6 loss to Stetson on October 18, 1947.

Chief Osceola & Renegade

Perhaps the most spectacular tradition in all of college football occurs in Doak Campbell Stadium when Chief Osceola charges down the field riding an appaloosa horse named Renegade and hurls a flaming lance at midfield to begin every home game. The tradition was born on September 16, 1978 against Oklahoma State when a student, wearing native American clothing, led the team from the tunnel riding a horse. Four horses and nine different riders have actually appeared at a game as Osceola and Renegade. In addition to those, there have been 16 horses trained in the Renegade program, including Tonka and Spiderman, who are the understudies to current Chief Osceola mount, Sharky. The original Chief Osceola and Renegade were Jim Kidder and Reo. The original horse was donated by Tallahassee veterinarian Dr. Jerry Deloney, but the horses and riders have been trained by local businessman Bill Durham for over 15 years. The clothing and rigging that Chief Osceola and Renegade wear were designed and approved by the Seminole Indian Tribe of Florida.

The Seminole name

Florida State's "war chant" appears to have begun with a random  occurrence that took place during a 1984 game against Auburn, but in the 1960s, the Marching Chiefs band would chant the melody of a
popular FSU cheer. In a sense that chant was the long version of FSU's current "war chant." During a thrilling game with Auburn in 1984, the Marching Chiefs began to perform the dormant melody. Some students behind the band joined in and continued the "war chant" portion after the band had ceased. Most agree the chant came from the fraternity section, but many spirited Seminole fans added the hand motion to symbolize the brandishing of a tomahawk.

The chant continued among the student body during the 1985 season, and by the 1986 season, it was a stadium-wide phenomenon. Of course, the Marching Chiefs refined the chant, plus put their own special brand of accompaniment to the "war chant," for the sound we hear today.

Atlanta Braves fans took up their version of the song and chant when former FSU star Deion Sanders came to the plate as an outfielder. The Kansas City Chiefs first heard it when the Northwest Missouri State band, directed by 1969 FSU graduate Al Sergel, performed the chant while the players were warming up for a game against San Diego.

The Seminole "War Chant"

Florida State's "war chant" appears to have begun with a random  occurrence that took place during a 1984 game against Auburn, but in the 1960s, the Marching Chiefs band would chant the melody of a
popular FSU cheer. In a sense that chant was the long version of FSU's current "war chant." During a thrilling game with Auburn in 1984, the Marching Chiefs began to perform the dormant melody. Some students behind the band joined in and continued the "war chant" portion after the band had ceased. Most agree the chant came from the fraternity section, but many spirited Seminole fans added the hand motion to symbolize the brandishing of a tomahawk.

The chant continued among the student body during the 1985 season, and by the 1986 season, it was a stadium-wide phenomenon. Of course, the Marching Chiefs refined the chant, plus put their own special brand of accompaniment to the "war chant," for the sound we hear today.

Atlanta Braves fans took up their version of the song and chant when former FSU star Deion Sanders came to the plate as an outfielder. The Kansas City Chiefs first heard it when the Northwest Missouri State band, directed by 1969 FSU graduate Al Sergel, performed the chant while the players were warming up for a game against San Diego.

Bowl Record: 21-13-2

Next history: UGA 

Thanks Rivals for info