FSU Football Timeline

By Jim Joanos

Since football was reinstated at Florida State in 1947, some amazing things have happened. I thought it would be interesting to construct a timeline of some of the more interesting ones.

• 1902-04 - Florida State College fielded its first intercollegiate football teams. The 1904 team, after defeating Stetson, 19-6, was awarded the Florida Times Union's College Cup as the State of Florida's Collegiate Champions.
• 1905 - The "Buckman Bill" enacted by the Florida legislature reorganized Florida's collegiate system. Florida State was converted into a woman's only institution, later named Florida State College for Women. There would be no intercollegiate football at the school for forty-two seasons.
• 1947 - Following World War II, Florida State became coeducational, renamed, Florida State University, and immediately resumed intercollegiate football. The first team, composed mostly of returning military veterans, was quickly organized under Coach Ed Williamson, who served without pay, and despite going 0-5, had a "wonderful season."
• 1949 - After going 8-1 during the regular season, FSU, under Coach Don Veller played and won its first ever bowl game, 19-6, over Wofford College of South Carolina in Tampa's Cigar Bowl.
• 1950 - FSU had its first ever undefeated season under Coach Veller, going 8-0. Half way through the season, the team moved into brand new Campbell Stadium which had at that time seating capacity of only 15,000.
• 1954 - After a successful regular season, FSU was the first team from Florida to play in a bowl game outside the state when they lost to Texas Western in the Sun Bowl at El Paso, Texas. Innovative Tom Nugent who is credited with developing the I formation and the typewriter huddle was the head coach. The team had lots of characters including two have become quite famous, Lee Corso and Burt (Buddy) Reynolds.
• 1958 - Nugent's last FSU team beat Tennessee and Miami during the season and thereby received recognition by many as having arrived in the "big time." The team finished the year by losing to Oklahoma A & M (State) in the first and only Bluegrass Bowl Game played in Louisville, Kentucky. The Bowl game may have been the coldest game ever played by an FSU team.
• 1964 - The 1964 team coached by Bill Peterson is one of the most famous. It featured a passing combination of quarterback Steve Tensi and FSU's first consensus All American, Fred Biletnikoff, as well as a great defense composed of the Seven Magnificents (linemen and linebackers) and the Forgotten Four (backs). Coach Peterson was a pioneer in college football by featuring an offense built around the forward pass. The team finished the year by defeating Oklahoma 36-19 in the Gator Bowl and going 9-1-1.
• 1967 - Kim Hammond to Ron Sellers was the passing combination that led this team to a 7-2-2 record including a 17-17 tie with Joe Paterno's Penn State team in the Gator Bowl. When he completed his college career in 1968, Sellers, known as "Jingle Joints" held most of the NCAA receiving records.
• 1971 - In Coach Larry Jones' first season at FSU, the team was quite successful in going 8-3 during the regular season and playing in the first ever Fiesta Bowl. The team featured quarterback Gary Huff, All American wide receiver Barry Smith, and defensive backs J.T. Thomas and Eddie McMillan as well as several others that would later play in the National Football League.
• 1972 - After a spring practice criticized by the St. Petersburg Times for the methods used that has been termed, "The Chicken Wire Scandal," FSU lost a number of players and went 0-11 during the season. This was undoubtedly the all time low point in FSU football history.
• 1976 - Bobby Bowden was hired and came back to FSU as its head coach. He had been an assistant during the 1964 and 65 seasons under Coach Peterson. In his first season, FSU won five games and lost six. The team had won a total of four games in the three previous seasons.
• 1977 - FSU went 10-2 including a 40-17 victory over Texas Tech in Orlando's Tangerine Bowl and finished the year being ranked 14th in the nation by the Associated Press. The team featured running back Larry Key and freshman nose guard Ron Simmons. Fans would jingle car keys each time Key ran the ball. Simmons later became FSU's first two time All American First Teamer. Simmons became a star professional wrestler after his college days.
• 1979 - The team went undefeated during the regular season (11-0) but lost to Okalahoma in the Orange Bowl. It was the first season of many more to come that FSU ended by playing in one of the four major bowl games. At that time the major bowl games were the Rose, the Cotton, the Sugar, and the Orange. The AP ranked FSU 6th in the nation when it was over.
• 1980 - The team went 10-1 during the year but lost again to Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. The AP ranking of 5th at the end was the highest ever for an FSU team at the time.
• 1987 - After a 31-28 victory over Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl, FSU ended with a 11-1 record and in the AP's Second Place. At the time, it was FSU's highest spot ever at the end of a season.
• 1988-92 - In these five seasons, FSU ended ranked by the AP as follows: third, third, fourth, fourth and second. The 1992 season was the first in which FSU was a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. It won the conference championship.
• 1993 - FSU won its first ever National Championship when it beat Nebraska in the Orange Bowl, 18-16. Charlie Ward also became the first Seminole to win the Heisman Trophy as the best player in college football.
• 1994-98 - FSU ended these five seasons ranked by the Associated Press as follows: fourth, fourth, third, third and third. The 1996 team went undefeated during the regular season and played against the University of Florida in the national championship game at the Sugar Bowl but lost, 20-52. The 1998 team also played for the national championship in the Fiesta Bowl but lost to Tennessee, 16-23.
• 1999 - FSU had a perfect season in 1999. From the very first poll of the year through the last, FSU was in first place. The National Championship was won in the Sugar Bowl when FSU defeated Virginia Tech, 46-29.
• 2000 - At the end of the season, after going 11-1, FSU played for the National Championship, but lost to Oklahoma, 2-13, to wind up 11-2 and in fifth place according to the Associated Press. Chris Weinke became the second Seminole to receive the coveted Heisman Award.
• 2002 - FSU won its tenth Atlantic Coast Conference Championship. Since entering the conference in 1992, FSU has won or shared the title each year with the lone exception of 2001 when Maryland was the champion.
• 2003 - ?????