Florida State Seminoles
Encyclopedia
The Florida State Seminoles are the men's and women's sports teams of Florida State University
in Tallahassee, Florida
. Florida State participates in the NCAA
's Division I (Division I FBS for football). FSU joined the Atlantic Coast Conference
in 1991, and competes in the Atlantic Division in any sports split into a divisional format. The current athletic director is Colonel Randy Spetman, who was introduced on February 4, 2008.
The Seminoles field 17 teams, 8 men and 9 women and have won 12 team National Titles, over 100 team Conference Titles as well as numerous individual national and conference titles. In 1999, the Seminoles football team became the first national champion to begin the season as the top-ranked team without losing that position for the entire season. Recently, the men's outdoor track and field team has won three consecutive NCAA national titles.
The "Seminoles" name is derived from the Seminole
people historically of Florida, and was chosen by students in 1947. Since 1978, the teams have been represented by the symbols Chief Osceola and Renegade
, the former of whom represents the Seminole chief Osceola
. The logo, a profile of a Seminole warrior, was created using the actual profile of Thomas Wright, who wrote the Florida State University Fight Song. The use of the Seminoles and Osceola name and imagery is officially sanctioned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida
.
by race and gender. As a result of this reorganization, the coeducational Florida State College was renamed the Florida State College for Women. The Florida State University became a co-ed institution in 1947 with most of the newly enrolled male students back from service in World War II. Athletic programs quickly resumed and Florida State fielded its first football team in 43 years with FSU facing Stetson on October 18, 1947.
Florida State was a founding member of the Dixie Conference in 1948 when other southern institutions seeking to create a "purely amateur" athletic conference based on the principle of complete amateurism, with no athletic scholarships. Three years later FSU left the conference to become an independent, having won 3 football, and 2 Men's Track and Field Conference Titles.
In 1976 Florida State joined the Metro Conference
in all sports except football, which remained independent. The Metro Conference never sponsored football in the first place. For fifteen years Florida State competed and won 47 conference titles as well as a women's golf National Title, two Softball National Titles and two women's Track and Field National Titles. At the beginning of the 1992 academic fall term Florida State joined the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Since the 1991–1992 academic year, Florida State has been a member of the ACC. In 1993 and 1999 FSU Football won the National Championships. The Men's track and Field team have won three consecutive national titles since 2006. After the 2005 conference expansion was complete FSU was placed in the newly formed Atlantic Division. In the 2005 Inaugural ACC Football Championship game FSU defeated Virginia Tech 27–22. This is their last of their 12 ACC Football titles to date.
Florida State's school colors of garnet and gold are a merging of the University's past. In 1904 and 1905 the Florida State College won football championships wearing purple and gold uniforms. When FSC became Florida State College for Women in 1905, the FSCW student body selected crimson as the official school color. 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.
There are 8 men's athletic teams and 9 women's teams currently fielded by FSU. They are:
There are two major stadiums and an arena within FSU's main campus. Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium
named after one of the winningest coaches in Division 1 college football history as well as President Campbell which during his administration was instrumental in beginning the Florida-Florida State rivalry
. Its capacity is around 83,000. Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium
is the home for Seminole baseball and is named for the long time Seminole skipper, Mike Martin and for former coach Dick Howser, manager for Kansas City, Cleveland, and the New York Yankees as well as returning to coach at Florida State in 1979. The Donald L. Tucker Center
is home for men’s and women’s basketball.
Mike Long track is the home of the three time National Champion Men’s Track and Field team. The track has undergone a complete revamp and in 2003 a brand new track, complete with a new surface, wider lanes, faster turns and a larger infield area for hosting field events was unveiled. The new Mcintosh Track and Field Building on the corner of Spirit Way and Chieftan Way in the southern end of the track was completed in 2008 weeks before the Seminoles won their third consecutive National Title.
H. Donald Loucks courts at the Speicher Tennis Center is the home for FSU Tennis. The complex was named in honor of Lieutenant Commander Michael Scott Speicher, a graduate of Florida State University and the first American casualty during Operation Desert Storm. By presidential directive, the facility bears the name the "Scott Speicher Tennis Center."
The Seminole Soccer Complex
is home for women’s soccer normally holds a capacity of 1,600 people but has seen crowds in excess of 4,500 for certain games. The home record is 4,582 for a game versus Florida.
The Seminole softball plays at the Seminole Softball Complex and the team takes the field that holds the name of the winningest coach in softball history, Dr. JoAnne Graf.
and Florida Gators
year in and year out in all sports.
The Bowden Bowl involving Florida State and Clemson University
was played from 1999 to 2007. This gridiron rivalry was played between father Bobby Bowden
, head coach at FSU, and his son Tommy Bowden
, former head coach at Clemson. As of October 13, 2008, Clemson University forced the resignation of Tommy Bowden and thus the Bowden Bowl Era faded into history. FSU & Bobby led the series 5–4.
Florida State University was founded by Francis Eppes VII, a cousin of the third President of the United States (1801–1809) principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776) and University of Virginia
founder Thomas Jefferson. As a result, both teams played for the Jefferson-Eppes trophy in football. With the recent realignment of the divisions in the Atlantic Coast Conference
the Florida State Seminoles found themselves in one division and the Virginia Cavaliers
in another. The two schools will once again meet in 2010 to renew the rivalry.
FSU enjoys baseball rivalries primarily with the University of Miami and several other ACC teams, including the Georgia Tech
Yellow Jackets and Clemson University Tigers.
Seminole baseball is one of the most successful collegiate baseball
programs in the United States having been to 20 College World Series
in 49 Tournament appearances, and having appeared in the national championship final on three occasions (falling to the University of Southern California Trojans in 1970, the University of Arizona Wildcats
in 1986, and the University of Miami Hurricanes
in 1999).
Under the command of Head Coach No. 11 Mike Martin (FSU
1966), Florida State is the second-winningest program in the history of college baseball. Since 1990, FSU has had more 50 win seasons, headed to more NCAA
Tournaments (19 Regional Tournaments in 20 years), and finished in the top 10 more than any team in the United States. Since 2000, FSU is the winningest program in college baseball
with more victories and a higher winning percentage in the regular season than any other school. Despite their regular-season success and winning sixteen conference championships, Florida State is still chasing their first College World Series Championship.
Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium is located on the FSU campus. When it opened in 1983, it held approximately 6,000 seats. A two-year, $12 million project that was completed in 2004 upgraded the stadium capacity to 6,700 and installed a new video board, a new public address system, the Griffin Family Clubhouse and the Mike Loynd Tradition Room.
Mike Martin Field is also home to the so-called Animals of Section B, a boisterous group of baseball fans whose name dates to 1978.
Donald L. Tucker Center is a 12,100-seat multi-purpose arena in Tallahassee, Florida
, located just a block southeast of the FSU main campus. The arena opened in 1981 was built at a cost of $33.8 million. It is home to the Florida State University
Seminoles men's and women's basketball teams. Formerly known as the Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center, it was renamed, in accordance with a 2004 act of state
legislation
, in honor of Donald L. Tucker
, a former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives
and Special Ambassador for the United States to the Dominican Republic
. Prior to the opening of the Tucker Center, Florida State's basketball teams played on-campus at Tully Gymnasium
.
The Tucker Center has 34 luxury suites, 468 club seats as well as a 450-seat arena-view restaurant. A four-sided Megavision video display is located in the center of the arena
Florida State's baketball programs, after not starting until the mid-part of the twentieth century, have built success in terms of victories, 20-win seasons, NCAA Tournament participation, and in the individual honors picked up by Florida State players. The men's basketball team has enjoyed modest NCAA Tournament success since their first appearance in the NCAA tournament in 1968. Over the last forty years, the Seminoles have played for the national title in the NCAA championship game in 1972, advanced to the Sweet 16 round in 1992 and 2011, and made the Elite Eight round in 1993.
Florida State is one of only two ACC schools that have had at least one player selected in each of the last five NBA Drafts. Hearing their names called on recent draft days were Tim Pickett
by the New Orleans Hornets in 2004, Von Wafer
by the Los Angeles Lakers
in 2005, Alexander Johnson
by the Indiana Pacers
in 2006, Al Thornton
by the Los Angeles Clippers
in 2007, Toney Douglas
by the Los Angeles Lakers
(then traded to the New York Knicks
) in 2009, Solomon Alabi
by the Dallas Mavericks
(then traded to the Toronto Raptors
) in 2010 and Ryan Reid
by the Indiana Pacers
(then traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder
) in 2010. A total of 37 Seminoles have been selected in the NBA Draft including seven first round picks. Among those first round selections are Dave Cowens, one of the greatest centers in NBA history, and George McCloud, the first lottery selection in school history. Today, five Seminoles are on NBA rosters and 16 have played in the league in the last 17 years.
Like the Florida State men's team, the Seminole women's team plays its basketball in the Donald L. Tucker Center. FSU has seen recent success under head coach Sue Semrau. In the 2004–05, 2005–06, and 2006–07 seasons, FSU recorded 20 or more wins, finished 4th in the ACC regular season standings, and advanced to the NCAA Women's Tournament each year. In the 2005–06 season, FSU entered the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll for the first time at No. 19. The Seminoles earned a No. 6 seed in the 2005–06 NCAA Women's Tournament. In the 2006–07 season, Florida State advanced to its first NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in school history with a 68–61 victory at Stanford. The FSU women ended the 2007–08 season with 19 wins, following a 2nd round NCAA loss to Oklahoma State in overtime by just one point. In the last three years, Florida State's women's team has continued its success, making the NCAA Tournament each year, including reaching the Elite Eight round, the deepest advance in the tournament in program history, in 2010. In that year, Coach Semrau's women fell to eventual national champion and perennial women's basketball power, Connecticut.
In 1902, the Florida State College in Tallahassee fielded its first football team. The program posted a record of 7–6–1 over the next three seasons, including a record of 3–1 against their rivals from the University of Florida
(formerly Florida Agricultural College) in Lake City
. In 1904, the Florida State football team became the first ever state champions of Florida after beating both the University of Florida
and Stetson University
. In 1905, however, the Florida higher education system was reorganized, creating the new University of Florida, in Gainesville
, and the Florida State College for Women, in Tallahassee. All male students, including the football team, were moved to the Gainesville campus.
With the formation of Florida State University in 1947, the school once again started a football team. After its first year, FSU joined the Dixie Conference, which it won in each of the three years it was a member. It left the conference in 1951 and competed as an independent team for the next forty years.
Under head coach Bobby Bowden
, retired after his 34th year, the Seminole football team became one of the nation's most competitive football teams, greatly expanding the tradition of football at Florida State. The Seminoles played in five national championship games between 1993 and 2001, and have 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 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. FSU also owns the record for most consecutive Bowl game victories with 11 between 1985 and 1996. The Seminole Football team has also won 15 Conference championships in the Dixie and Atlantic Coast. The Seminoles are the second winningest team in college football since 1990 behind the first ranked University of Florida Gators. The Seminoles are currently coached by Jimbo Fisher
.
Before former FSU Football head coach Bobby Bowden
retired, he was five victories behind Penn State's Joe Paterno
as the NCAA Division I (BCS). FSU football is well-known for introducing talented players into the NFL, including Fred Biletnikoff
, Deion Sanders
, Terrell Buckley
, Derrick Brooks
, Sebastian Janikowski
, Walter Jones, Corey Simon
, Anquan Boldin
, Javon Walker
, Warrick Dunn
, Peter Boulware
, Laveranues Coles
, Brad Johnson
, Samari Rolle
, and many other players in recent history.
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.
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 won when FSU is a significant underdog, however, all bowl games are now considered sod games as well as landmark road wins no matter who was 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.
.jpg)
The stadium, named after former Florida State President Doak S. Campbell, hosted its first game against the Randolph-Macon College
Yellowjacket
s on October 7, 1950 with the Seminoles winning the game 40–7. At that time the facility had a seating capacity of 15,000. Florida State began to 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). The stadium has expanded numerous times; from 15,000 seats to 19,000 in 1954, to 25,000 in 1961 and to 40,500 between the years 1960 and 1970. Since that time, the stadium has expanded to almost 83,000, largely in part 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) and the fourteenth largest stadium in the NCAA.
The University Center
Doak Campbell Stadium is a unique venue in collegiate football. It is contained within the brick facade walls of University Center, a vast complex that houses the offices of the University, the Registrar, School of Hospitality as well as numerous other offices and classrooms.
Building A houses the offices of the Registrar, Financial Aid, Admissions and Dean of Students. The Career Center is also located here until it is moved to the new Student Success Center. The Award Winning Film School is Located in the 2nd wing of Building A. The top two floors are home to Skyboxes
Building B holds the Seminole Sportshop as well as Visitor Services. UCB is also home to the University Center Club and to the Osceola Sports Grill, the ultimate way to watch a Seminole Football game. The highly ranked Dedman School of Hospitality is located on the second floor of Building B.
Building C is home to the College of Communication, Florida State Testing Center as well as the College of Social Work. The Athletics Ticket office is also located here as are many of the offices of Seminole Boosters. Floor nine is home to the Press Boxes with two floors of Skyboxes below.
Located on the North Side of Doak Campbell, the athletic center houses nearly all of the athletic offices as well as some classrooms and lecture halls. Visitors are welcomed into the Great Hall showcasing the best of Seminole Athletics. The two National Championship Football trophies are on display for all to see.
Bill Harkins Field at the Manley R. Whitcomb Band Complex is an artificial turf with rubber fill field built near the Flying High Circus on Chieftain Way. The field is an exact replica of what Bobby Bowden field looked like on game days at the time of the field's construction. Since then several alterations have been made to the actual field. Bill Harkins, head coach of the men's lacrosse team, donated $350,000 towards the construction of the new field. Previously the space was a grassy field that often alternated between dusty and muddy. The Florida State University Marching Chiefs
have primary use of the field and use it for their daily practices. The football team and lacrosse teams have secondary use of the field with the lacrosse team using the field for practices and games. The football team most commonly uses the practice field in anticipation of stadiums with artificial turf though weather conditions may cause the use of Harkins Field.
The FSU men's Track & Field team has won back-to-back-to-back NCAA national championships and Atlantic Coast Conference championships (2006–2008). In 2006, Head Coach Bob Braman and Associate Head Coach Harlis Meaders helped lead individual champions in the 200 m (Walter Dix), the triple jump (Raqeef Curry), and the shot put (Garrett Johnson
). Individual runners-up were Walter Dix in the 100 m, Ricardo Chambers in the 400 m, and Tom Lancashire in the 1500 m. Others scoring points in the National Championship were Michael Ray Garvin in the 200 m (8th), Andrew Lemoncello
in the 3000 m steeplechase (4th), Raqeef Curry in the long jump (6th), and Garrett Johnson
in the discus
(5th). In 2007, FSU won its second straight men's Track & Field NCAA National Championship when Dix became the first person to hold the individual title in the 100 m, 200 m, and 4*100 m Relay at the same time.
The Seminole softball team plays at the Seminole Softball Complex; the field is named for JoAnne Graf, the winningest coach in softball history. The winningest coach in softball history keeps pushing her record farther and farther up the charts. Following the program's 25th 40-win season in 2006, Graf's 1,355 total wins are 149 ahead of the next closest coach. An 8–1 victory over Jacksonville on February 22, 2006, made her only the second coach in NCAA history to record 1,100 NCAA fast-pitch wins. In 1999, Florida State received a state-of-the-art softball complex, which also houses the Seminole soccer stadium. The result was the creation of one of the nation's premier collegiate joint softball and soccer facilities.
Seven trips to the Women’s College World Series, 19 NCAA Tournaments, 24 All-Americans, 10 conference titles in 15 years and one of the nations’ premiere softball facilities and that’s just scratching the surface of what it means to play softball at Florida State. From the time FSU won its first national championship in 1981, the nation’s best players have come to play for legendary head coach Dr. JoAnne Graf and wear Garnet and Gold.
For over two decades those players have made FSU one of the most dominant softball programs in the history of collegiate softball. Only five teams in the history of the NCAA have been to more WCWS than Florida State and no school east of Arizona has been to more NCAA Tournaments than the Seminoles. Florida State’s success on the field is remarkable. The Tribe has never endured a losing season in coach Dr. Graf ’s 28 years as they have won 76% of the 1786 games they have played. Only UCLA has amassed more program wins than Florida State’s 1136 since 1984 and the Seminoles have a winning record against over 80% of the 165 opponents they have faced in the program’s illustrious 28-year history. Nothing has changed recently either as over the last 15 seasons, FSU has amassed 761 wins or an average of more than 50 victories a season.
JoAnne Graf Field at the Seminole Softball Complex is state of the art in every facet and provides Florida State softball players with an all-inclusive complex that includes locker rooms, meeting rooms and one of the best playing surfaces anywhere in the country.
Florida State has posted 217 wins in its eight years at the complex. Even more impressive, FSU has gone 164–36 at the complex the last six years for an amazing .820 winning percentage. The complex was also featured in Athletic Business Magazine’s 2002 Architectural Showcase.
Florida State’s dream of a new, state-of-the-art softball complex became reality when ground was broken in a ceremony in the spring of 1998. Construction workers worked continuously to complete the facility, which also houses the Seminole soccer stadium. The result was the creation of one of the nation’s premier collegiate softball and soccer facilities. The complex, which was completed in the spring of 1999, includes ticket and concessions buildings and spacious press boxes with radio/television booths. The two-level Mary Ann Stiles & Barry Smith Team Building features a reception area, softball and soccer coaches offices, which overlook their respective stadiums, a combined workroom, large team and coaches locker rooms and training and equipment rooms.
On April 2, 2005, university president Dr. T.K. Wetherell and Dave Hart officially renamed the softball stadium “JoAnne Graf Field at the Seminole Softball Complex.” She joins Bob Heck of Georgia State as the only two active softball coaches with fields named after them.
The stadium got a facelift as a Florida State will unveil a brand new video scoreboard for the 2007 season. The board uses the same technology that is used at most outdoor professional stadiums. The ProStar is capable of displaying video clips, live video, animation, player head shots, graphics and statistics in 4.3 trillion colors.
The Seminole Softball/Soccer Complex is located in between the Dick Howser Baseball Stadium and the Mike Long Track on Chieftan Way. The facility can be accessed from both Chieftan Way and Stadium Drive.
Florida State University has built one of the top women's soccer programs in the nation. The University added women's soccer as its 17th varsity sport in 1998. The Seminoles have appeared in the NCAA tournament every year since 2000 and have appeared in the ACC tournament final in 2001 and 2004. FSU is one of only a few schools to have played in the NCAA Women's College Cup four times in the last five years, appearing in 2003, 2005–2007. In 2007, the Seminoles were national runner-up, losing 2–0 to USC in the national championship match.
On January 5, 2010 the NCAA Infractions Appeals Committee denied FSU's appeal and ruled that all penalties, including vacating up to fourteen football wins during the 2006–2007 seasons. FSU officials responded that they were surprised and disappointed by the NCAA decision and felt that their own investigation and self-imposed penalties were sufficient. The NCAA Infractions Appeals Committee responded that "the cooperative efforts of the university in the academic cheating scandal involving 61 Florida State athletes failed to outweigh the aggravating factors in the case." The games to be vacated will be determined by certifying which of the 14 games any of the 25 ineligible players competed.
, Florida State University has many notable student athletes, coaches and staff members. Many of the most notable members are listed in FSU's Hall of Fame
and represent all major collegiate
sports. Currently, 75 FSU alumni compete in professional basketball, American football
, baseball and golf.
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
in Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
. Florida State participates in the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
's Division I (Division I FBS for football). FSU joined the Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
in 1991, and competes in the Atlantic Division in any sports split into a divisional format. The current athletic director is Colonel Randy Spetman, who was introduced on February 4, 2008.
The Seminoles field 17 teams, 8 men and 9 women and have won 12 team National Titles, over 100 team Conference Titles as well as numerous individual national and conference titles. In 1999, the Seminoles football team became the first national champion to begin the season as the top-ranked team without losing that position for the entire season. Recently, the men's outdoor track and field team has won three consecutive NCAA national titles.
The "Seminoles" name is derived from the Seminole
Seminole
The Seminole are a Native American people originally of Florida, who now reside primarily in that state and Oklahoma. The Seminole nation emerged in a process of ethnogenesis out of groups of Native Americans, most significantly Creeks from what is now Georgia and Alabama, who settled in Florida in...
people historically of Florida, and was chosen by students in 1947. Since 1978, the teams have been represented by the symbols Chief Osceola and Renegade
Chief Osceola and Renegade
Chief Osceola and Renegade are the official symbols of the Florida State University Seminoles. During home football games at Florida State, Chief Osceola, portraying the Seminole leader Osceola, charges down the field at Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium riding an appaloosa horse named...
, the former of whom represents the Seminole chief Osceola
Osceola
Osceola, also known as Billy Powell , became an influential leader with the Seminole in Florida. He was of Creek, Scots-Irish and English parentage, and had migrated to Florida with his mother after the defeat of the Creek in 1814.Osceola led a small band of warriors in the Seminole resistance...
. The logo, a profile of a Seminole warrior, was created using the actual profile of Thomas Wright, who wrote the Florida State University Fight Song. The use of the Seminoles and Osceola name and imagery is officially sanctioned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida
Seminole Tribe of Florida
The Seminole Tribe of Florida is a federally recognized Seminole tribe based in the U.S. state of Florida. Together with the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, it is one of three federally recognized Seminole entities...
.
Overview
Florida State Athletics began in 1902 when the then Florida State College football teams played three seasons. The 1905 Buckman Act reorganized the existing seven Florida colleges into three institutions, segregatedRacial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
by race and gender. As a result of this reorganization, the coeducational Florida State College was renamed the Florida State College for Women. The Florida State University became a co-ed institution in 1947 with most of the newly enrolled male students back from service in World War II. Athletic programs quickly resumed and Florida State fielded its first football team in 43 years with FSU facing Stetson on October 18, 1947.
Florida State was a founding member of the Dixie Conference in 1948 when other southern institutions seeking to create a "purely amateur" athletic conference based on the principle of complete amateurism, with no athletic scholarships. Three years later FSU left the conference to become an independent, having won 3 football, and 2 Men's Track and Field Conference Titles.
In 1976 Florida State joined the Metro Conference
Metro Conference
The Metropolitan Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, popularly known as the Metro Conference, was an NCAA Division I athletics conference, so named because all of its charter members were in urban metropolitan areas in, or at least on the fringes of, the Southern United States...
in all sports except football, which remained independent. The Metro Conference never sponsored football in the first place. For fifteen years Florida State competed and won 47 conference titles as well as a women's golf National Title, two Softball National Titles and two women's Track and Field National Titles. At the beginning of the 1992 academic fall term Florida State joined the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Since the 1991–1992 academic year, Florida State has been a member of the ACC. In 1993 and 1999 FSU Football won the National Championships. The Men's track and Field team have won three consecutive national titles since 2006. After the 2005 conference expansion was complete FSU was placed in the newly formed Atlantic Division. In the 2005 Inaugural ACC Football Championship game FSU defeated Virginia Tech 27–22. This is their last of their 12 ACC Football titles to date.
Florida State's school colors of garnet and gold are a merging of the University's past. In 1904 and 1905 the Florida State College won football championships wearing purple and gold uniforms. When FSC became Florida State College for Women in 1905, the FSCW student body selected crimson as the official school color. 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.
There are 8 men's athletic teams and 9 women's teams currently fielded by FSU. They are:
Men's Sports
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Cross Country
- Football
- Golf
- Swimming and Diving
- Tennis
- Track and Field
Women's Sports
- Basketball
- Cross Country
- Golf
- Soccer
- Softball
- Swimming and Diving
- Tennis
- Track and Field
- Volleyball
Facilities
Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium
Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium is the football stadium on the campus of the Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. It is the home venue for the university's football team, nicknamed the Seminoles. The stadium was named for Doak S...
named after one of the winningest coaches in Division 1 college football history as well as President Campbell which during his administration was instrumental in beginning the Florida-Florida State rivalry
Florida-Florida State rivalry
The Florida–Florida State football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the teams of the two oldest public universities of the U.S. state of Florida: the University of Florida Gators and the Florida State University Seminoles...
. Its capacity is around 83,000. Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium
Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium
Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium is a stadium in Tallahassee, Florida, located adjacent to Doak Campbell Stadium on the campus of Florida State University. Used primarily for baseball, it is the home field of the Florida State Seminoles baseball team. It opened in 1983 and was renovated...
is the home for Seminole baseball and is named for the long time Seminole skipper, Mike Martin and for former coach Dick Howser, manager for Kansas City, Cleveland, and the New York Yankees as well as returning to coach at Florida State in 1979. The Donald L. Tucker Center
Donald L. Tucker Center
Donald L. Tucker Center is a multi-purpose arena in Tallahassee, Florida, located within the Leon County Civic Center. The arena has the biggest capacity of any arena in the Florida Panhandle. The arena opened in 1981 and was built at a cost of $33.8 million, financed by the city. It has had WCW...
is home for men’s and women’s basketball.
Mike Long track is the home of the three time National Champion Men’s Track and Field team. The track has undergone a complete revamp and in 2003 a brand new track, complete with a new surface, wider lanes, faster turns and a larger infield area for hosting field events was unveiled. The new Mcintosh Track and Field Building on the corner of Spirit Way and Chieftan Way in the southern end of the track was completed in 2008 weeks before the Seminoles won their third consecutive National Title.
H. Donald Loucks courts at the Speicher Tennis Center is the home for FSU Tennis. The complex was named in honor of Lieutenant Commander Michael Scott Speicher, a graduate of Florida State University and the first American casualty during Operation Desert Storm. By presidential directive, the facility bears the name the "Scott Speicher Tennis Center."
The Seminole Soccer Complex
Seminole Soccer Complex
Seminole Soccer Complex is the on-campus soccer stadium at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida.The 1,600-seat stadium was built in 1998. FSU women's soccer are the only tenants as the university does not field a men's soccer team....
is home for women’s soccer normally holds a capacity of 1,600 people but has seen crowds in excess of 4,500 for certain games. The home record is 4,582 for a game versus Florida.
The Seminole softball plays at the Seminole Softball Complex and the team takes the field that holds the name of the winningest coach in softball history, Dr. JoAnne Graf.
Rivalries
Florida State's traditional rivals in all sports include the University of Florida Gators and the University of Miami Hurricanes. Florida State University is the only school in the State of Florida to play both the Miami HurricanesMiami Hurricanes
The Miami Hurricanes, of Coral Gables, Florida, are the varsity sports teams of the University of Miami. They compete in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference . The university fields 15 athletic teams for 17 varsity sports...
and Florida Gators
Florida Gators
The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
year in and year out in all sports.
The Bowden Bowl involving Florida State and Clemson University
Clemson University
Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
was played from 1999 to 2007. This gridiron rivalry was played between father Bobby Bowden
Bobby Bowden
Robert Cleckler "Bobby" Bowden is a retired college football coach. He coached the Florida State Seminoles football team from the 1976 to 2009 seasons...
, head coach at FSU, and his son Tommy Bowden
Tommy Bowden
Tommy Bowden is an American football coach who served as the head coach at Clemson University from 1999 until October 13, 2008...
, former head coach at Clemson. As of October 13, 2008, Clemson University forced the resignation of Tommy Bowden and thus the Bowden Bowl Era faded into history. FSU & Bobby led the series 5–4.
Florida State University was founded by Francis Eppes VII, a cousin of the third President of the United States (1801–1809) principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776) and University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
founder Thomas Jefferson. As a result, both teams played for the Jefferson-Eppes trophy in football. With the recent realignment of the divisions in the Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
the Florida State Seminoles found themselves in one division and the Virginia Cavaliers
Virginia Cavaliers
The Virginia Cavaliers, also known as Wahoos or Hoos, are the athletic teams officially representing the University of Virginia in college sports. The Cavaliers compete in 25 NCAA Division I varsity sports and are members of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
in another. The two schools will once again meet in 2010 to renew the rivalry.
FSU enjoys baseball rivalries primarily with the University of Miami and several other ACC teams, including the Georgia Tech
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
Yellow Jackets and Clemson University Tigers.
Conference championships
Baseball
Football
Men's Basketball
Men's Golf
Softball
Men's Swimming
Women's Swimming
|
Women's Soccer
Track
Volleyball
|
National championships
- 1951 – Men's Gymnastics (NCAA National Champion)
- 1952 – Men's Gymnastics (NCAA National Champion)
- 1981 – Women's Golf (AIAW National Champion)
- 1981 – Women's Softball (AIAW National Champion)
- 1982 – Women's Softball (AIAW National Champion)
- 1984 – Women's Indoor Track and Field (NCAA National Champion)
- 1985 – Women's Outdoor Track and Field (NCAA National Champion)
- 1993 – Football (as awarded by the AP and the ESPN-USA Today Coaches Polls)
- 1999 – Football (as awarded by the AP and the BCS)
- 2006 – Men's Outdoor Track and Field (NCAA National Champion)
- 2007 – Men's Outdoor Track and Field (NCAA National Champion)
- 2008 – Men's Outdoor Track and Field (NCAA National Champion)
Baseball
| Dick Howser Trophy Dick Howser Trophy The Dick Howser Trophy, considered to be the Heisman Trophy of college baseball, is an award presented annually to the national college baseball player of the year, presented by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association .... winners |
|
|---|---|
| J. D. Drew J. D. Drew David Jonathan "J. D." Drew is an American professional baseball right fielder who is a free agent. He is a left-handed hitter, and began his major league career in with the St. Louis Cardinals... |
|1997 |
| Buster Posey Buster Posey Gerald Dempsey "Buster" Posey III is a catcher for the San Francisco Giants. He was drafted by the Giants fifth overall in the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft.... |
2008 |
| Head Coach | |
| Mike Martin | |(31st Season) |
Seminole baseball is one of the most successful collegiate baseball
College baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
programs in the United States having been to 20 College World Series
College World Series
The College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,...
in 49 Tournament appearances, and having appeared in the national championship final on three occasions (falling to the University of Southern California Trojans in 1970, the University of Arizona Wildcats
Arizona Wildcats
-Athletic program:The University of Arizona participates in the NCAA's Division I-A in the Pacific-12 Conference Arizona participates in the conference's South Division, along with Arizona State, Colorado, UCLA, USC, and Utah...
in 1986, and the University of Miami Hurricanes
Miami Hurricanes
The Miami Hurricanes, of Coral Gables, Florida, are the varsity sports teams of the University of Miami. They compete in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference . The university fields 15 athletic teams for 17 varsity sports...
in 1999).
Under the command of Head Coach No. 11 Mike Martin (FSU
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
1966), Florida State is the second-winningest program in the history of college baseball. Since 1990, FSU has had more 50 win seasons, headed to more NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Tournaments (19 Regional Tournaments in 20 years), and finished in the top 10 more than any team in the United States. Since 2000, FSU is the winningest program in college baseball
College baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
with more victories and a higher winning percentage in the regular season than any other school. Despite their regular-season success and winning sixteen conference championships, Florida State is still chasing their first College World Series Championship.
Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium
- Field dimensions:
- 340’ – left field
- 400’ – center field
- 320’ – right field
- Stadium capacity: 6,700
Mike Martin Field is also home to the so-called Animals of Section B, a boisterous group of baseball fans whose name dates to 1978.
Donald L. Tucker Center
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
, located just a block southeast of the FSU main campus. The arena opened in 1981 was built at a cost of $33.8 million. It is home to the Florida State University
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
Seminoles men's and women's basketball teams. Formerly known as the Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center, it was renamed, in accordance with a 2004 act of state
Florida Legislature
The Florida State Legislature is the term often used to refer to the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The Florida Constitution states that "The legislative power of the state shall be vested in a legislature of the State of Florida," composed of a Senate...
legislation
Statutory law
Statutory law or statute law is written law set down by a legislature or by a legislator .Statutes may originate with national, state legislatures or local municipalities...
, in honor of Donald L. Tucker
Donald L. Tucker
Donald L. Tucker was a former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives and Special Ambassador for the United States to the Dominican Republic.Tucker earned his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Florida in 1962...
, a former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives
Florida House of Representatives
The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The House is composed of 120 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 156,677.The House convenes at...
and Special Ambassador for the United States to the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
. Prior to the opening of the Tucker Center, Florida State's basketball teams played on-campus at Tully Gymnasium
Tully Gymnasium
The Bobby Tully Gymnasium is a 2,500 seat multi-purpose arena, in Tallahassee, Florida, that opened in 1956. It is the home of the Florida State University Seminoles volleyball team. Prior to the Donald L. Tucker Center opening in 1981, it was home to the men's basketball team as well...
.
Men's Basketball
| Retired Jerseys | |
|---|---|
| Bob Sura Bob Sura Robert Sura Jr. is an American former professional basketball player who last played for the Houston Rockets in the NBA. At 6'5" , 200 lb , he played as a guard.... |
|#3 |
| Sam Cassell Sam Cassell Samuel James "Sam" Cassell , is a retired American professional basketball player who is an assistant coach for the Washington Wizards. The , point guard was selected out of Florida State University by the Houston Rockets with the 24th overall pick in the 1993 NBA Draft... |
#10 |
| Dave Cowens Dave Cowens David William Cowens is a retired American professional basketball player and NBA head coach. At 6'9", he played the center and occasionally the power forward position. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991... |
#13 |
| Ron King Ron King Ron "Suki" King is a checkers player from Saint George, Barbados. He has won United States titles and twelve World Championship Titles at the game and is considered one of the strongest players of the game. He has been honored by his homeland being named Barbados's Sportsman of the Year in both... |
#33 |
| Coach Hugh Durham Hugh Durham Hugh Durham is the first and only coach in the history of NCAA Division I basketball to lead two different schools to the NCAA Final Four for the first and only time in each school's history... |
#25 |
| Head Coach | |
| Leonard Hamilton Leonard Hamilton Leonard Hamilton is the current head basketball coach at Florida State University. He is a former coach at Oklahoma State University, the University of Miami, and the NBA's Washington Wizards... |
|(7th Season) |
Florida State's baketball programs, after not starting until the mid-part of the twentieth century, have built success in terms of victories, 20-win seasons, NCAA Tournament participation, and in the individual honors picked up by Florida State players. The men's basketball team has enjoyed modest NCAA Tournament success since their first appearance in the NCAA tournament in 1968. Over the last forty years, the Seminoles have played for the national title in the NCAA championship game in 1972, advanced to the Sweet 16 round in 1992 and 2011, and made the Elite Eight round in 1993.
Florida State is one of only two ACC schools that have had at least one player selected in each of the last five NBA Drafts. Hearing their names called on recent draft days were Tim Pickett
Tim Pickett
Tim Pickett is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Meralco Bolts of the Philippine Basketball Association as an import...
by the New Orleans Hornets in 2004, Von Wafer
Von Wafer
Vakeaton Quamar Wafer , commonly referred to as Von Wafer, is an American professional basketball player who plays with Vanoli Cremona of the Lega Basket....
by the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
in 2005, Alexander Johnson
Alexander Johnson
Alexander Canterell Johnson is an American professional basketball player. He plays the power forward position.-High school/College:...
by the Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
in 2006, Al Thornton
Al Thornton
Al Thornton is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association . He had formerly played for the Los Angeles Clippers and the Washington Wizards...
by the Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
in 2007, Toney Douglas
Toney Douglas
Toney Bernard Douglas is an American professional basketball player who plays for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association...
by the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
(then traded to the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
) in 2009, Solomon Alabi
Solomon Alabi
Makafan Solomon Alabi is a Nigerian professional basketball player with the Toronto Raptors of the NBA...
by the Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
(then traded to the Toronto Raptors
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1995, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, as part of the NBA's re-expansion...
) in 2010 and Ryan Reid
Ryan Reid
Ryan Reid is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Tulsa 66ers in the NBA Development League , a minor league basketball organization owned and run by the National Basketball Association . Reid played college basketball with the Florida State Seminoles...
by the Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
(then traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are a professional basketball franchise based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ; their home court is at Chesapeake Energy Arena....
) in 2010. A total of 37 Seminoles have been selected in the NBA Draft including seven first round picks. Among those first round selections are Dave Cowens, one of the greatest centers in NBA history, and George McCloud, the first lottery selection in school history. Today, five Seminoles are on NBA rosters and 16 have played in the league in the last 17 years.
Women's Basketball
| Retired Jerseys | |
|---|---|
| Brooke Wyckoff Brooke Wyckoff Brooke Wyckoff is an American former professional basketball player.A 6'1" forward from Florida State University, Wyckoff played in the WNBA from 2001 to 2009, competing for the Orlando Miracle, the Connecticut Sun, and the Chicago Sky... |
|#21 |
| Wanda Burns | #22 |
| Tia Paschal Tia Paschal Tia Paschal is a former women's college basketball player who played for Florida State University . She was a 3-year starter for FSU, from 1989 to 1993... |
#30 |
| Sue Galkantas Sue Galkantas Sue Galkantas was a women's basketball player at Florida State. She is widely considered among Seminole fans to be the greatest women's basketball player the program's ever had... |
#43 |
| Head Coach | |
| Sue Semrau Sue Semrau Sue Semrau is the head women's basketball coach at Florida State. She has compiled a 258-174 career record over 14 seasons. She has guided the Seminoles to 7 straight NCAA Postseason appearances... |
|(11th Season) |
Like the Florida State men's team, the Seminole women's team plays its basketball in the Donald L. Tucker Center. FSU has seen recent success under head coach Sue Semrau. In the 2004–05, 2005–06, and 2006–07 seasons, FSU recorded 20 or more wins, finished 4th in the ACC regular season standings, and advanced to the NCAA Women's Tournament each year. In the 2005–06 season, FSU entered the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll for the first time at No. 19. The Seminoles earned a No. 6 seed in the 2005–06 NCAA Women's Tournament. In the 2006–07 season, Florida State advanced to its first NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in school history with a 68–61 victory at Stanford. The FSU women ended the 2007–08 season with 19 wins, following a 2nd round NCAA loss to Oklahoma State in overtime by just one point. In the last three years, Florida State's women's team has continued its success, making the NCAA Tournament each year, including reaching the Elite Eight round, the deepest advance in the tournament in program history, in 2010. In that year, Coach Semrau's women fell to eventual national champion and perennial women's basketball power, Connecticut.
Football
| Heisman Trophy Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial... winners |
|
|---|---|
| Charlie Ward Charlie Ward Charlie Ward, Jr. is a retired American professional NBA basketball player, college football Heisman Trophy winner, Davey O'Brien Award winner and a Major League Baseball draftee. Ward is considered one of the best all-around athletes in the last quarter century... |
|1993 |
| Chris Weinke Chris Weinke Christopher Jon Weinke is a former professional American football and baseball player. After spending six years in the Toronto Blue Jays minor league baseball system, he enrolled at Florida State University at the age of 26, and played quarterback for the Florida State Seminoles... |
2000 |
| Head Coach | |
| Jimbo Fisher Jimbo Fisher John James "Jimbo" Fisher is an American college football coach and former player. He is currently head coach at Florida State University.... |
|(1st Season) |
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
(formerly Florida Agricultural College) in Lake City
Lake City, Florida
Lake City is the county seat of Columbia County, Florida, in the United States. In 2009, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population at 12,614. In addition, it is the Principal City of the Lake City Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is composed of Columbia County, and had an...
. In 1904, the Florida State football team became the first ever state champions of Florida after beating both the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
and Stetson University
Stetson University
Stetson University is a private university with four colleges and schools located across the I-4 corridor in Central Florida. The primary undergraduate campus is located in DeLand, Florida, USA. In the 2012 U.S...
. In 1905, however, the Florida higher education system was reorganized, creating the new University of Florida, in Gainesville
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, and the Florida State College for Women, in Tallahassee. All male students, including the football team, were moved to the Gainesville campus.
With the formation of Florida State University in 1947, the school once again started a football team. After its first year, FSU joined the Dixie Conference, which it won in each of the three years it was a member. It left the conference in 1951 and competed as an independent team for the next forty years.
Bobby Bowden
Robert Cleckler "Bobby" Bowden is a retired college football coach. He coached the Florida State Seminoles football team from the 1976 to 2009 seasons...
, retired after his 34th year, the Seminole football team became one of the nation's most competitive football teams, greatly expanding the tradition of football at Florida State. The Seminoles played in five national championship games between 1993 and 2001, and have 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 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. FSU also owns the record for most consecutive Bowl game victories with 11 between 1985 and 1996. The Seminole Football team has also won 15 Conference championships in the Dixie and Atlantic Coast. The Seminoles are the second winningest team in college football since 1990 behind the first ranked University of Florida Gators. The Seminoles are currently coached by Jimbo Fisher
Jimbo Fisher
John James "Jimbo" Fisher is an American college football coach and former player. He is currently head coach at Florida State University....
.
Before former FSU Football head coach Bobby Bowden
Bobby Bowden
Robert Cleckler "Bobby" Bowden is a retired college football coach. He coached the Florida State Seminoles football team from the 1976 to 2009 seasons...
retired, he was five victories behind Penn State's Joe Paterno
Joe Paterno
Joseph Vincent "Joe" Paterno is a former college football coach who was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions for 46 years from 1966 through 2011. Paterno, nicknamed "JoePa," holds the record for the most victories by an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision football coach with...
as the NCAA Division I (BCS). FSU football is well-known for introducing talented players into the NFL, including Fred Biletnikoff
Fred Biletnikoff
Frederick S. "Fred" Biletnikoff is a former American football wide receiver and coach. He spent the majority of his professional playing and coaching days with the Oakland Raiders...
, Deion Sanders
Deion Sanders
Deion Luwynn Sanders , nicknamed "Prime Time" and "Neon Deion", is a former National Football League cornerback and Major League Baseball outfielder who currently works as an NFL Network analyst...
, Terrell Buckley
Terrell Buckley
Douglas Terrell Buckley is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League....
, Derrick Brooks
Derrick Brooks
Derrick Dewan Brooks is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buccaneers 28th overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State....
, Sebastian Janikowski
Sebastian Janikowski
Sebastian Janikowski is a left-footed Polish placekicker who plays for the National Football League's Oakland Raiders. He is nicknamed The Polish Cannon because he is considered to have one of the strongest kicking legs in the league, and leads the NFL in kickoffs for touchbacks. He lives in...
, Walter Jones, Corey Simon
Corey Simon
Corey Jermaine Simon is a retired American football defensive tackle of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles sixth overall in the 2000 NFL Draft...
, Anquan Boldin
Anquan Boldin
-Arizona Cardinals:As a rookie Boldin set an NFL record for most receiving yards by a rookie in his first game , tied Billy Sims for most yards from scrimmage by a rookie in his first game , and holds the NFL record for most receptions in the first 26 games of an NFL career...
, Javon Walker
Javon Walker
Javon Lataff Walker is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers 20th overall of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State....
, Warrick Dunn
Warrick Dunn
Warrick De'Mon Dunn is a former American football running back, and current minority owner of the Atlanta Falcons. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12th overall in the 1997 NFL Draft, after playing college football at Florida State...
, Peter Boulware
Peter Boulware
Peter Nicholas Boulware , is a former American football linebacker who played his whole NFL career for the Baltimore Ravens. He was a Republican candidate for the Florida House of Representatives, District 9. His younger brother, Michael Boulware, a strong safety is currently a free agent.-Early...
, Laveranues Coles
Laveranues Coles
Laveranues Leon Coles is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the third round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State University....
, Brad Johnson
Brad Johnson (American football)
James Bradley Johnson is a former National Football League Super Bowl-winning quarterback. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the ninth round of the 1992 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State.-Early years:Brad went to Charles D...
, Samari Rolle
Samari Rolle
Samari Toure Rolle is a retired American football cornerback. He was drafted by the Tennessee Oilers in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State....
, and many other players in recent history.
The Sod Cemetery
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 won when FSU is a significant underdog, however, all bowl games are now considered sod games as well as landmark road wins no matter who was 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.
Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium
Randolph-Macon College
Randolph–Macon College is a private, co-educational liberal arts college located in Ashland, Virginia, United States, near the capital city of Richmond. Founded in 1830, the school has an enrollment of over 1,200 students...
Yellowjacket
Yellowjacket
Yellowjacket is the common name in North America for predatory wasps of the genera Vespula and Dolichovespula. Members of these genera are known simply as "wasps" in other English-speaking countries...
s on October 7, 1950 with the Seminoles winning the game 40–7. At that time the facility had a seating capacity of 15,000. Florida State began to 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). The stadium has expanded numerous times; from 15,000 seats to 19,000 in 1954, to 25,000 in 1961 and to 40,500 between the years 1960 and 1970. Since that time, the stadium has expanded to almost 83,000, largely in part to the success of the football team under head coach Bobby Bowden
Bobby Bowden
Robert Cleckler "Bobby" Bowden is a retired college football coach. He coached the Florida State Seminoles football team from the 1976 to 2009 seasons...
coupled with the ever growing student body. It now is the largest football stadium in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the fourteenth largest stadium in the NCAA.
- Prior to the start of the 2007 Season a new state-of-the-art sound and public address system was installed.
- At the end of the 2007 Seminole Football Home Season work began on installing two new LED Scoreboards as well as four new LED ribbon boards.
The University Center
Doak Campbell Stadium is a unique venue in collegiate football. It is contained within the brick facade walls of University Center, a vast complex that houses the offices of the University, the Registrar, School of Hospitality as well as numerous other offices and classrooms.
- The University Center A (East wing)
Building A houses the offices of the Registrar, Financial Aid, Admissions and Dean of Students. The Career Center is also located here until it is moved to the new Student Success Center. The Award Winning Film School is Located in the 2nd wing of Building A. The top two floors are home to Skyboxes
- The University Center B (South Wing)
Building B holds the Seminole Sportshop as well as Visitor Services. UCB is also home to the University Center Club and to the Osceola Sports Grill, the ultimate way to watch a Seminole Football game. The highly ranked Dedman School of Hospitality is located on the second floor of Building B.
- The University Center C (West Wing)
Building C is home to the College of Communication, Florida State Testing Center as well as the College of Social Work. The Athletics Ticket office is also located here as are many of the offices of Seminole Boosters. Floor nine is home to the Press Boxes with two floors of Skyboxes below.
- Moore Athletic Center (University Center D)
Located on the North Side of Doak Campbell, the athletic center houses nearly all of the athletic offices as well as some classrooms and lecture halls. Visitors are welcomed into the Great Hall showcasing the best of Seminole Athletics. The two National Championship Football trophies are on display for all to see.
Bill Harkins field at the Manley R. Whitcomb Band Complex
Marching Chiefs
Since 1949, the name Marching Chiefs has served as the official title of the marching band of The Florida State University. The Marching Chiefs is the largest college marching band in the world with approximately 470 members.-History:...
have primary use of the field and use it for their daily practices. The football team and lacrosse teams have secondary use of the field with the lacrosse team using the field for practices and games. The football team most commonly uses the practice field in anticipation of stadiums with artificial turf though weather conditions may cause the use of Harkins Field.
Track & Field
Garrett Johnson
Garrett W. Johnson is an American shot putter. Johnson won the 2006 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Shot Put Championship. Johnson also was named a Rhodes Scholar in 2006 on behalf of the United States.-Academic:...
). Individual runners-up were Walter Dix in the 100 m, Ricardo Chambers in the 400 m, and Tom Lancashire in the 1500 m. Others scoring points in the National Championship were Michael Ray Garvin in the 200 m (8th), Andrew Lemoncello
Andrew Lemoncello
Andrew Lemoncello is a Scottish long distance runner who competes in the 3000 metres steeplechase and the marathon events. He won a team junior gold medal at the 2001 European Cross Country Championships and won a scholarship to attend Florida State University in 2004...
in the 3000 m steeplechase (4th), Raqeef Curry in the long jump (6th), and Garrett Johnson
Garrett Johnson
Garrett W. Johnson is an American shot putter. Johnson won the 2006 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Shot Put Championship. Johnson also was named a Rhodes Scholar in 2006 on behalf of the United States.-Academic:...
in the discus
Discus
Discus, "disk" in Latin, may refer to:* Discus , a progressive rock band from Indonesia* Discus , a fictional character from the Marvel Comics Universe and enemy of Luke Cage* Discus , a freshwater fish popular with aquarium keepers...
(5th). In 2007, FSU won its second straight men's Track & Field NCAA National Championship when Dix became the first person to hold the individual title in the 100 m, 200 m, and 4*100 m Relay at the same time.
Women's Softball
- Head Coach: Lonni Alameda
For over two decades those players have made FSU one of the most dominant softball programs in the history of collegiate softball. Only five teams in the history of the NCAA have been to more WCWS than Florida State and no school east of Arizona has been to more NCAA Tournaments than the Seminoles. Florida State’s success on the field is remarkable. The Tribe has never endured a losing season in coach Dr. Graf ’s 28 years as they have won 76% of the 1786 games they have played. Only UCLA has amassed more program wins than Florida State’s 1136 since 1984 and the Seminoles have a winning record against over 80% of the 165 opponents they have faced in the program’s illustrious 28-year history. Nothing has changed recently either as over the last 15 seasons, FSU has amassed 761 wins or an average of more than 50 victories a season.
JoAnne Graf Field at the Seminole Softball Complex
- Field Dimensions:
- 200’ – right and left field
- 220’ – center field
- Stadium Capacity: 1,000
JoAnne Graf Field at the Seminole Softball Complex is state of the art in every facet and provides Florida State softball players with an all-inclusive complex that includes locker rooms, meeting rooms and one of the best playing surfaces anywhere in the country.
Florida State has posted 217 wins in its eight years at the complex. Even more impressive, FSU has gone 164–36 at the complex the last six years for an amazing .820 winning percentage. The complex was also featured in Athletic Business Magazine’s 2002 Architectural Showcase.
Florida State’s dream of a new, state-of-the-art softball complex became reality when ground was broken in a ceremony in the spring of 1998. Construction workers worked continuously to complete the facility, which also houses the Seminole soccer stadium. The result was the creation of one of the nation’s premier collegiate softball and soccer facilities. The complex, which was completed in the spring of 1999, includes ticket and concessions buildings and spacious press boxes with radio/television booths. The two-level Mary Ann Stiles & Barry Smith Team Building features a reception area, softball and soccer coaches offices, which overlook their respective stadiums, a combined workroom, large team and coaches locker rooms and training and equipment rooms.
On April 2, 2005, university president Dr. T.K. Wetherell and Dave Hart officially renamed the softball stadium “JoAnne Graf Field at the Seminole Softball Complex.” She joins Bob Heck of Georgia State as the only two active softball coaches with fields named after them.
The stadium got a facelift as a Florida State will unveil a brand new video scoreboard for the 2007 season. The board uses the same technology that is used at most outdoor professional stadiums. The ProStar is capable of displaying video clips, live video, animation, player head shots, graphics and statistics in 4.3 trillion colors.
The Seminole Softball/Soccer Complex is located in between the Dick Howser Baseball Stadium and the Mike Long Track on Chieftan Way. The facility can be accessed from both Chieftan Way and Stadium Drive.
Women's Soccer
| Hermann Trophy Hermann Trophy The Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the United States's top male and female college soccer players.-History:... winners |
|
|---|---|
| Mami Yamaguchi Mami Yamaguchi Mami Yamaguchi is a Japanese football player, playing the position of midfielder or forward. She currently plays for the Swedish club Hammarby IF DFF and for the Japanese national football team.-External links:***... |
|2008 |
| Head Coach | |
| Mark Krikorian Mark Krikorian Mark Krikorian is an Armenian-American anti-immigration activist. He is the executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a think-tank in Washington, D.C. that promotes stricter immigration control and enforcement... |
|(4th Season) |
- All-Americans
- 2 India Trotter (2002–2006) – First Team All-American
- 8 Selin Kuralay (2003–present) – Second Team All-American
- 10 Kelly Rowland (2002–2006) – First Team All-American
- 13 Leah Gallegos (2002–2004) – Third Team All-American
Seminole Soccer Complex
In 1998, FSU built a state-of-the-art soccer and softball complex. The 1,600-seat stadium is only for the women's soccer team since FSU doesn't have a varsity soccer or lacrosse team. Florida State's women's soccer team is 91–32–7 (74%) at home.Academic cheating scandal
In Spring 2007, several FSU athletes, including football players, were accused of cheating in an online music history class. The NCAA ruled that Florida State was guilty of major violations, announced that it would reduce scholarship limits in 10 sports and force Florida State to vacate all of the victories in 2006 and 2007 in which the implicated athletes participated and placed the university on probation for four years. Florida State appealed parts of the decision.On January 5, 2010 the NCAA Infractions Appeals Committee denied FSU's appeal and ruled that all penalties, including vacating up to fourteen football wins during the 2006–2007 seasons. FSU officials responded that they were surprised and disappointed by the NCAA decision and felt that their own investigation and self-imposed penalties were sufficient. The NCAA Infractions Appeals Committee responded that "the cooperative efforts of the university in the academic cheating scandal involving 61 Florida State athletes failed to outweigh the aggravating factors in the case." The games to be vacated will be determined by certifying which of the 14 games any of the 25 ineligible players competed.
Notable alumni
As a major competitor in college athleticsSport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
, Florida State University has many notable student athletes, coaches and staff members. Many of the most notable members are listed in FSU's Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame
A hall of fame, wall of fame, walk of fame, walk of stars or avenue of stars is a type of attraction established for any field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field...
and represent all major collegiate
College athletics
College athletics refers primarily to sports and athletic competition organized and funded by institutions of tertiary education . In the United States, college athletics is a two-tiered system. The first tier includes the sports that are sanctioned by one of the collegiate sport governing bodies...
sports. Currently, 75 FSU alumni compete in professional basketball, American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, baseball and golf.