Showtime Seminoles

By Jim Joanos

An enjoyable part of being a fan of Florida State athletics is to observe the paths followed by the athletes after they leave the university. Some continue in athletic participation for awhile but ultimately they have to "hang up their cleats" and choose other vocations or professions. A few of FSU’s former athletes have become stars of the movie and television world. It has been especially fun to follow the careers of four former football players.

Burt Reynolds

BURT REYNOLDS. Burton Milo Reynolds, Jr., an All-Southern high school running back, came to FSU in 1954 on a football scholarship. His athletic abilities were immediately evident and he appeared headed toward football stardom. Unfortunately a knee injury made more severe as a result of an automobile accident changed his plans and caused him to look elsewhere for a lifetime career. Through a series of fortuitous circumstances he became an actor. His first acting was on the stage in bit parts and then he got a break and starred in the television series, "Riverboat." Other performances followed and he made a big hit as the half-Native American Quint Asper in TV’s "Gunsmoke" series from 1962-65. Thereafter, his career took off. Some of his movie performances that I enjoyed the most were in "Smokey and the Bandit," "Deliverance," "The Longest Yard," "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," and "The Cannonball Run." I also enjoyed his "B.J. Stryker" and "Evening Shade" television series presentations. From 1979 through the 1990’s he was awarded numerous awards and was regarded as one of America’s most popular and prolific actors. Since then, he appears occasionally and still provides great entertainment.

Lee Corso

LEE CORSO. One of ESPN’s most popular fall sports programs is the weekly "College Game Day" presentation. One of the stars of that program is Leland Corso, former FSU quarterback and halfback. Corso, from Miami, was a valuable member of FSU’s 1953-56 football teams and also played baseball for the Seminoles. After getting a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from FSU, he became a college football assistant and then a head coach. His head coaching stints included Louisville, Indiana, Northern Illinois, and the professional Orlando Renegades of the United States Football League. Ultimately, he turned to sports television with ESPN in 1987 as a co-host on the popular "Game Day" program. Each year the program seems to get better much to the credit of Corso and the others that share the podium with him. Corso has from time to time also been featured in several very clever television commercials.

Robert Urich

ROBERT URICH. Robert Urich played in the offensive line for the Seminoles in the mid 1960’s. Despite an injury-plagued college career, he lettered and was well regarded by those who played with him. He found his future niche early, for while in college at FSU, he got a bachelor’s degree in Radio and Television Communications. Later he got a master’s at Michigan State in Radio and Television Communications. During the period between 1973 and when he died in 2002, he appeared in numerous television series and miniseries as well a number of documentaries. Some of the tv series that I enjoyed the most were "Vegas," "Spenser: For Hire," "Lonesome Dove," and "The Lazarus Man." He also appeared in a number of full length movies. His career was cut short by cancer when he died at the age of fifty-six.

Deion Sanders

DEION SANDERS. Deion Luwynn Sanders is currently a "hot ticket" on the television commercial circuit as well as a regular contributing analyst for sports television. Perhaps, the best cornerback ever to play college or professional football, he was also excellent in baseball, as well as track and field at FSU in the late nineteen eighties. "Prime Time," as he is called, is probably the only athlete ever to have participated in new year’s day major bowl games, the College World Series of baseball, the NCAA National Track and Field championships, the professional baseball World Series, the Super Bowl and Pro-Bowl football games. Since his retirement as an athlete, he has made numerous appearances on television, been featured in movies, released a rap album, and even preached over the media. You never know where you will see him next.

It is nice that our athletes sometimes continue to provide us with entertainment long after their days of competing in sports have ended.