vs Stetson
October 18, 1947
Five Early Important Games
By Jim Joanos
Florida State University has now won three national championships in football. After an exciting game against Auburn University at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, the Seminoles again sit at the top of the college football world. They also won national championships after the 1993 and 1999 seasons. Competing at the national level did not come overnight. There were lots of interesting and important games played on the way before the competition at the top. Here are five of them.
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vs Stetson |
(1) The First game...October 18, 1947, Tallahassee, Florida State 6, Stetson 14. There were nearly 8,000 of us jammed into Centennial Field, the old minor league baseball park which had bleacher seating for only about 6,000 to see Florida State restart its football program under head coach, Ed Williamson. It was a great coincidence that Stetson was the opponent that night for Stetson had been the last team that Florida State College had played and beaten in 1904 when Florida State won the state championship. In the year following that 1904 game, football was discontinued at the school as it was transformed into a women’s college.
The 1947 game got off to a great start with FSU having the early momentum. FSU scored first in the second quarter. But FSU would not score again, and a better organized, more experienced Stetson team scored two touchdowns to win the game. Although FSU lost, there was proof that FSU football would be popular in Tallahassee.
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vs Florida |
(2) First game versus the U of F...November 22, 1958, Gainesville, Florida State 7, Florida 21. In 1958, FSU finally got the opportunity to play the University of Florida in football. FSU, led by head coach, Tom Nugent, lost the game, but it was a major step forward in FSU’s progress. This was the first FSU vs UF game in modern times and it took acts of government to get it done. Legislative attempts and pressure from numerous public officials brought the game about.
FSU received the opening kickoff and the game started off with a bang. Halfback Jack Espenship got the kick and handed off to Bobby Renn who followed blocker Bob Swoszowski. Seventy-eight yards later, Renn was tackled on the Gator fifteen yard line. Shortly afterwards, the Seminoles scored and it was 7-0. It was mostly UF after that, but a big time rivalry was born.
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vs Kentucky |
(3) A big homecoming game...October 10, 1964, Tallahassee, Florida State 48, Kentucky 6. In 1964, FSU had won all three of its first games by shutouts: 14-0 at Miami, 10-0 at Texas Christian, and 36-0 at home against New Mexico State. But despite that, Kentucky came into Doak Campbell Stadium the heavy favorite for they, too, were undefeated (they had previously beaten Misissippi and Auburn) and most importantly were ranked fifth in the country. FSU totally demolished the Wildcats. The score was 21-0 after one quarter, 27-0 at halftime, and 48-0 until the final moments of the game when Kentucky finally scored after a fumbled punt by an FSU player. The victory was easily the biggest FSU victory of all time up to that point.
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vs Florida |
(4) "They're back"...December 3, 1977, Gainesville, Florida State 37, Florida 9. Bobby Bowden became FSU’s head coach beginning with the 1976 season. The team had only won four games in the three previous years. Improvement did not come immediately, as FSU lost its first three games of the 1976 season. But then things started to improve as the Seminoles won five of their last eight games. The turn around became complete the next season. In the last game of the regular season, the Seminoles went to Gainesville and hammered the Gators, 37-9. The game concluded the 1977 regular season with 9-2 record and got the Seminoles an invitation to the Tangerine Bowl in Orlando, where they soundly defeated Texas Tech 40-17. That season, the Seminoles finished the season ranked 14th in the country by the Associated Press.
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vs Michigan |
(5) A big time in the big house...September 28, 1991, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Florida State 51, Michigan 31. Many believe that the best football team that FSU put on the field prior to winning a national championship was in 1991 when the Seminoles carried the national championship hopes all the way until the last two games of the regular season. FSU was at the height of its game that season when it went to Ann Arbor in the fourth game of the season. Not only was the game before 106,145 fans but the entire football country’s eyes were upon the nationally televised match. The game was between number one FSU and number three Michigan.
The excitement did not take long to begin. Michigan took the kickoff and moved to its own forty yard line. Then on the very first play from scrimmage, FSU’s Terrell Buckley intercepted a pass in the flat and ran it back for a touchdown. Throughout, it was an exciting game with lots of scoring by both teams. It was a “big game on a big stage” and FSU gained national exposure and acclaim.
Hopefully, there will be many more exciting and important FSU games. We look forward to them.