National Championship Games

By Jim Joanos

Florida State football fans are looking forward to January 6, 2014, when the Seminoles will play the Auburn Tigers for the 2013 National Championship of college football. This will be the sixth time in the history of the FSU football program when the team played in the national championship game at the end of a season. FSU has been victorious in two of those prior five attempts. How many of those previous championship games do you remember?

Orange Bowl Program Cover

1993 SEASON: ORANGE BOWL, MIAMI, JANUARY 1, 1994, FSU 18, NEBRASKA 16. The Seminoles won their first national championship in a “real nail-biter.” Neither team scored in the first quarter. FSU scored first on a 34-yard field goal by Scott Bentley in the second quarter. Shortly, thereafter Nebraska scored on a long pass play, making it 7 to 3, Nebraska. Bentley kicked another field goal so that the half ended with the Noles behind 7 to 6. In the third quarter, FSU’s fullback William Floyd scored a touchdown and Bentley kicked another field goal to give the Seminoles the lead at 15-7. But in the fourth quarter, Nebraska came back, scored a touchdown and kicked a field goal to take the lead back, 16-15, with only 1:16 left to play. Then the dramatics really began, as FSU’s Heisman Trophy quarterback Charlie Ward led the team down the field to within field goal range where Bentley's fourth field goal put the Seminoles ahead, 18-16. But with only 21 seconds left, Nebraska, in two plays, moved the ball to the FSU 38 yard where, fortunately, an attempted field goal on the last play went left of the uprights and FSU had its first football national championship.

Sugar Bowl Program Cover

1996 SEASON: SUGAR BOWL, NEW ORLEANS, JANUARY 2, 1997, FLORIDA 52, FSU 20. The Seminoles had beaten the Gators in Tallahassee in the last regular season game, 24 to 21. Unfortunately, they had to play their arch rivals again for the national championship at the Sugar Bowl. FSU spearheaded by running back Warrick Dunn gave the Gators a tough fight in the first half. But the second half was a different story as Florida led by their Heisman Trophy winner quarterback Danny Wuerffel totally dominated the Seminoles.

Fiesta Bowl Program Cover

1998 SEASON: FIESTA BOWL, TEMPE, JANUARY 4, 1999, TENNESSEE 23, FSU 16. Despite an early season upset loss to North Carolina State, the Seminoles won the rest of their games and climbed back into the competition at the top enabling them to play for the national championship in the first BCS game ever. Playing without injured quarterback Chris Weinke, despite a heroic effort on the part of backup Marcus Outzen, the Seminoles came up a little bit short. Tennessee scored a touchdown early in the second quarter and followed that up with a pass interception and a 54 yard return for another one. FSU came back with a touchdown run by William McCray followed by a Sebastian Janikowski field goal to make it 14 to 9, Tennessee, at halftime. Neither team scored in the third quarter. The Volunteers broke FSU’s back with a 79-yard pass play followed up by a field goal in the fourth quarter. The Seminoles fought back with a late touchdown but it was too little, too late.

Sugar Bowl Program Cover

1999 SEASON: SUGAR BOWL, NEW ORLEANS, JANUARY 4, 2000, FSU 46, VIRGINIA TECH 29. The 1999 season was a magical one for the Seminoles as they accomplished what no other team has done, hold the number one spot in the Associated Press poll every week from beginning to end of a season. The final game in the Louisiana Superdome was especially magnificent. The Seminoles led from late in the first quarter throughout the second one so the score stood at halftime 28-14. One of FSU’s touchdowns was scored on a 59-yard punt return by All-American Peter Warrick. However, in the third quarter, the Hokies led by quarterback Michael Vick scored a field goal and two touchdowns to take the lead going into the fourth quarter, 29-28. But the fourth quarter was all FSU, as the Seminoles scored 18 points to put the game away. The last quarter scoring included two more touchdown passes by Chris Weinke. One of them, to Warrick, was a spectacular play, as he caught it with a defensive player draped all over him.

Orange Bowl Program Cover

2000 SEASON: ORANGE BOWL, MIAMI, JANUARY 3, 2001, OKLAHAOMA 13, FSU 2. Despite losing to Miami early in the season the 2000, the Seminoles won all of their other games to advance to the Championship Game as a ten-point favorite. They could boast of the Heisman Trophy winner in quarterback Chris Weinke and a high octane offense as well as a durable defense. However, in the big game, the offense never got on track against a stubborn Oklahoma defense. Oklahoma managed two field goals and a fourth quarter touchdown. A late safety by FSU when Stanford Samuels tackled the Sooner punter in the end zone prevented a shutout.