A New Football Season
By Jim Joanos
It is football season again. At FSU that means watching one of the best football teams coached by one of the greatest football coaches of all time. It means tailgating on warm afternoons, a horse with a Seminole rider carrying a flaming spear and the biggest marching band in the land. It means one of the finest Gothic stadiums in the world, cheerleaders, the war-chant, hot dogs and coca-colas. Today, Florida State football is full of great traditions. But FSU football is not just about today. It is also about yesterday and the people and the efforts that made it what it has become.
Football at FSU means competing at the top. A preseason magazine, Athlon Sports, has predicted that FSU will be number one this year. Other publications have forecast that the Seminoles will finish in the top Five. But this is nothing new. FSU teams won the national championship in 1993 and 1999, and from 1987 through 2000, fourteen straight years, FSU finished each season among the top five teams.
Coaches
Make no mistake about it, FSU football is about Bobby Bowden...the man who has been head coach since 1976. He took a floundering program and led it to national championships. Soon he may have more wins than any other major college coach has ever had. He has already won 323 games, the same number that Paul "Bear" Bryant won in his lifetime.
While Bowden has taken the team to the top, there were other coaches before him that helped build the program. Ed Williamson restarted Florida State football in 1947 after a 43 year hiatus. You see, Florida State had a football team in 1902, 03 and 04, before the legislature converted the school into one just for women. They even won the state championship in 1904. FSU is also about Don Veller who coached the team to victory in the 1950 Cigar Bowl, FSU's first bowl game, and had a perfect 9-0 in the season that followed that victory; and there was Tom Nugent, the inventor of the I formation, who added excitement and showmanship. And do not forget Bill Peterson, who showed the college football world that passing on most downs might be a good thing. He probably did more with limited talent and resources than any other head coach in the history of college football. A master of the malaprop, he once told his players to "pair off in threes and line up in a circle" and another occasion that they should not "kill the goose that laid the deviled egg". He also instructed them that when the national anthem was played he wanted them "standing on their helmets with the sidelines under" their arms. In describing FSU football, Peterson said that "We're going to throw the football, come high or hell water. We're not gonna be any three clouds and a yard of dust kind of team". FSU has been throwing the football ever since.
FSU football is about outstanding Assistant Coaches. The current staff is very good. Mickey Andrews, FSU's defensive coordinator since 1984, was awarded the first Frank Broyles Award in 1996 acknowledging him to be the top assistant coach in the country that year. There have been many excellent assistants in the past, as well. Bob Harbison, a legend, assisted seven different head coaches and taught a lot of people how to block and tackle. Jim Gladden served for 27 years. Some like Don James and Lee Corso later became head coaches at other universities. Others like Bill Parcells and Joe Gibbs went on to become NFL head coaches.
Quarterbacks
FSU football is about good passing quarterbacks. Chris Rix, is the latest in a long list of great ones. Young Rix will put his head down, dive or jump, whatever it takes. FSU football has had some special people at quarterback. From 1954 to 1958, Vic Prinzi took snaps for the team. And remember Jimmy Jordan and Wally Woodham who many called FSU's "two headed quarterback". They led FSU to its first major bowl games. FSU has had two quarterbacks, Charlie Ward and Chris Weinke, who each won the Heisman Trophy as the best college football player in the land at the end of his senior season. Casey Weldon was runner-up for that honor in 1991 when he received the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. I can close my eyes and still see that short pass from Charlie Ward to Warrick Dunn that went for 79 yards and a touchdown at Florida in 1993 that insured that FSU would play for the national championship.
Receivers
FSU football is also about receivers that can catch the ball. The 2002 FSU team is loaded with them. Several of them are sure to become All Americans before they are through. But they will not be the first at FSU. All American receivers have been commonplace at FSU since Coach Peterson installed the pass first, run second scheme in 1964. There was Fred Biletnikoff the school's very first big time consensus All American, and shortly after him was Ron "Jingle Joints" Sellers, and don't forget Barry Smith, Mike Shumann, Rhett Dawson, Lane Fenner, Jackie Flowers, Hassan Jones, Jesse Hester, E. G. Green, Snoop Minnis, Andre Cooper, Tamarick Vanover, Ron Lewis, Lawrence Dawsey, and the others of the "Fab Four", to mention but a few. Remember that juggling miracle catch that Peter Warrick made in the end zone to put Virginia Tech away in the 1999 championship game in the Sugar Bowl?
FSU is about tight ends. Patrick Hughes is expected to be the starter this year. The others on the roster have not had much playing experience. But neither did some of the great ones of yesteryear when they were first called upon and who met the challenge quite well. There was Tony Romeo from 1958 to 60, and Chip Glass from 1966 to 68. And later there was Pat Carter, Zeke Mowatt, Reggie Johnson, and Lonnie Johnson, all of whom were good enough to go on after FSU and have lengthy NFL careers.
Running Backs
FSU football is about outstanding runners. This year has a host of them led by Greg Jones and Nick Maddox. They will be doing their best to give us the excitement that others did in the past, including Warrick Dunn, Greg Allen, Sammie Smith, Larry Key, Amp Lee, Bobby Renn, and Freddie Pickard. Remember Renn's 78 yard run on the opening kickoff against Florida in 1958 after taking a handoff? FSU is also about backs that can block. Remember William Floyd, Edgar Bennett, Jim Mankins, Zack Crockett, Dan Kendra, and Mark Lyles?
Linemen
FSU football is about strong linemen, on both sides of the ball. Several preseason publications have proclaimed that the veteran FSU offensive line this year just might be the best in the USA...all five of them return from last year. Brett Williams is on most preseason lists as a first team All American. They are the successors to some very fine offensive linemen of the past...folks like Del Williams who played in the NFL for seven years, and All Americans Jamie Dukes, Ken Lanier, Todd Fordham, Clay Shiver, Kevin Long, Jason Whitaker, Pat Tomberlin and on and on. I can still see Jamie Dukes leading sweeps around end.
The defensive line should be much better this year than last as they are mostly the same people and they now have lots of experience. Tackles Darnell Dockett and Jeff Womble lead the group of tackles. Dockett is expected to become a first team All American. Historically the defensive line has been a legendary element of FSU football. Remember the Magnificent Seven led by nose guard Jack Shinholser in 1964. And how about, Ron Simmons, two time All American, who many claim was FSU's first great player after Bowden became the head coach. Defensive ends Alonzo Jackson and Kevin Emmanuel are both back from last year and the guys behind them have experience, too. FSU has had great defensive ends through the years. Peter Boulware and Reinard Wilson both went in the first round of the 1997 NFL draft. Boulware was the 4th player taken and Wilson was the 14th. Jamal Reynolds won the Lombardi award after the 2000 season, Andre Wadsworth was runner-up in 1997 and Corey Simon was in 1999.
Linebackers
FSU football is about super linebackers. Kendyl Pope and Michael Boulware should be fierce this year and will remind us of some the great ones of the past. Two were Butkus award winners in each of their senior seasons as the best linebackers in the country. Marvin Jones, who may have been FSU's hardest tackler of all time won it in 1992, and Paul McGowan won it before him at the end of the 1987 season. Marvin Jones also won the Lombardi Award his senior year. And do not forget Gene McDowell, Dale McCullers, Reggie Herring, Paul Piurowski, Terry Warren and, of course, Derrick Brooks, the defensive leader of the 1993 National Championship team who now leads the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defenders. Do you remember the 1980 Nebraska game when Paul Piurowski caused the fumble that saved the game for FSU?
Defensive Backs
FSU is about having great defensive backs. Although the last year was one in which the defensive backs were mostly young and inexperienced, the new season promises to be one like those of the past when FSU was known as "Cornerback U". After all, this has been THE POSITION AT FSU ever since Mickey Andrews came on board as the Defensive Backs Coach and Defensive Coordinator in 1984. Speedy and now experienced Stanford Samuels, Rufus Brown and Bryant McFadden will lead the cornerbacks and the team will be quite deep at that position. They will do their best to be compared to the cornerbacks of the past. Deion Sanders played cornerback at FSU and was probably the best one in the history of football. Remember his interception in the end zone against Auburn in the Sugar Bowl? Terrell Buckley, like Sanders, also won the Jim Thorpe Award, as the best defensive back in the country in 1991. Rember his two big interceptions against Michigan that season? Remember Bobby Butler who covered wide receivers like a blanket? FSU's safeties have been great also. A sophomore Kyler Hall from Live Oak will be a starter this year. He played mostly special teams last year but has already gained the reputation as one of the hardest hitters ever seen on the FSU practice field. They say he will remind us of Stan Shiver and Keith Jones who were real headhunters. The other safety, Claudius Osei, may remind us of Monk Bonosorte of the 1977 through 1980 teams who seemed to always be where the ball was. One of the greatest players in FSU history was J.T. Thomas who played defensive back and went on to play nine years in the NFL, as part of the great dynasty of the Pittsburgh Steelers who won several Super Bowl Championships while he was there.
Punting and Kicking
FSU football is about punting and kicking. This year's punter is Chance Gwaltney, same as last year. He looks much improved and will do his best to measure up to the great punters of FSU's past. Remember the 84 yard punt by Tommy Brown against Tampa in 1950, the first year that games were played at Campbell stadium? And there was Rohn Stark who made the ball soar at FSU from 1978 through 1981 and went on to punt for fifteen years in the NFL. There have been lots of others including Keith Cottrell, a member of the 1999 national championship team that punted for four years at FSU and majored in punting the ball out of bounds within the opponent's fifteen yard line. It did not phase him either to have to kick out of his own end zone.
Xavier Betia is already the preseason favorite to be the best kicker in the ACC and one of the best in the nation. When he finishes at FSU he will probably be remembered right up there with the great ones of the past. FSU has had some special ones including Sebastian Janikowski, who may not be able to stay out of trouble but he sure could kick. Remember his 56 yard field goal against Wake Forest and his 54 yard ones against Florida and Miami? Grant Guthrie, Derek Schmidt, Mike Rendina, Dave Cappelen, and Bill Capeece all kicked field goals of fifty yards or more. There was also Scott Bentley who kicked the winning field goal in the National Championship game against Nebraska after the 1993 season and Frank Fontes, the FSU outstanding kicker who kicked barefoot in 1970 and 71.
The Fans
FSU football is also about the fans. Season tickets have already sold out for this year, making it five years in a row that has happened. For FSU's first home game in 1947, there were 8,000 fans packed into old Centennial Field to see the team play Stetson. For the home games this year, there will be more than ten times as many, over 80,000 in the stands at the Gothic Castle known as Campbell Stadium. In 1950, some Tallahassee business men dug into their pockets and paid $50 each for certificates that would entitle the bearer to seats in the stadium for five years so that the stadium could be built, that means that they paid $10 for each season. Season ticket holders will pay $186.00 for each season ticket this year and there will not be enough tickets to meet the demand. Millions of television fans around the country watch FSU games weekly during the Fall each year. Kids are growing up all over the fifty states and around the world watching and cheering for FSU as their favorite team. They wear ball caps and t-shirts to schools and the malls. I have seen FSU hats for sale in Venice, Italy, Victoria Station in London, and in Paris, France. I met a young man from Mexico while walking up to the Acropolis in Athens. He had on an FSU ball cap.
I sure am looking forward to that first game!