Bill Durham was a typical student in the 1960s at Florida State. He was active in campus intramurals, played in a band called the Velvets and was a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. During his
sophomore year he was involved in the Homecoming committee when he came up with the idea to really bring alive the Seminoles of Florida State. It was an idea that would not fly at the time and was
tabled for nearly 15 years.
But as the saying goes, timing is everything. Bill entered the insurance industry and was talking with a client at home who happened to be the new football coach at Florida State. Coach Bowden shared
his desire of establishing some new tradition at FSU and tossed out some ideas. And so, the opportunity arose for Durham to pitch the idea again. By the fall of 1977, Chief Osceloa and Renegade began
to materialize with the support of Bobby and Ann Bowden. One of Durham's first steps was to seek the approval of the Seminole Indian Tribe. He then ran an ad in the Flambeau and received 168
applicants for the first rider. They were unable to locate the "right" horse so the original Renegade who premiered at the 1978 season opener against Oklahoma State was borrowed from a friend. Fans at
that game got a chance to witness the birth of a legend.
The sacred tradition is well known and well protected, thanks to the hard work and dedication of the 2001 Moore-Stone award winner, Bill Durham.
