FSU opponents always knew when Buster Davis was on the field -- both by his jarring hits and his relentless chatter. A Walter Camp and American Football Coaches 2nd Team All-American, Davis had 127 tackles and eight sacks over his career from 2003-06. As a pro he had good years at Detroit, Indy and Houston. In early 2011 he had an offer to go north of the border to play for Canadian Football League champion Montreal. But Buster knew it was time for a change. Not from football -- just to a different place on the field.

Signing on as a grad assistant at the University of South Dakota, Davis was given a big role in coaching the Coyotes' linebackers. He saw it as a first step on a long journey to being a head coach in college or the NFL. His ultimate goal? A return to Doak Campbell Stadium as the face of the program.

Here's part one of our recent interview with the articulate Mr. Davis, as he talks about his days as a Seminole and how he matured, both on and off the field.

What was your favorite game at FSU?

Davis: It would probably have to be that Penn State game (2006 Orange Bowl). That'll go down in history as one of the greatest games at Florida State because of the rivalry between Coach Paterno and Coach Bowden -- going back and forth for the most wins. Playing in the Orange Bowl...a BCS game. Even though we came out on the short end of the stick, it was still a great competitive game. And it signified what both programs have meant to college football.

What's your favorite memory of playing Florida?

Davis: Probably my senior year when I was able to wear number 50, Ron Simmons retired jersey. I had talked to Ron about a year and a half before that. I had bugged Monk Bonasorte about it, because he had introduced me to Ron one day. And I became a fan ever since. I wanted to wear number 50 the whole year, but he wouldn't give it to me, just let me pick one game to wear it. So I picked that game, my last game at Doak. And that truly meant a lot to me. Then, of course, we were playing our rival. So the whole day was a great experience.

What's the game you wish you could play over?

Davis: That Penn State game was so big for us. If we'd made one extra point we'd never have gone to overtime. We would have won the game. So that's one of the games I'd like to play over.

What's the story of how you came to sign with FSU?

After your first year at FSU, you had thoughts of transferring. Why was that?

Davis: I thought about it, you know. But one thing I pride myself on is not quitting anything I do. And it was probably the best decision I ever made, which was to stay at Florida State, because I met so many great people there and had so many great moments on the field. A lot of times freshmen have those moments where they just want to be on the field, and sometimes it's kind of hard to not be playing. But you live and you learn. And I was fortunate enough to have a coach like Kevin Steele to come and raise me, pretty much, those other four years I was in school. He had a dramatic impact on my life, on and off the field. And that propelled me to be successful there and also in the NFL.

What are some of the things Coach Steele did to mold your character and career?

Davis: The thing he brought was professional experience. I remember the first day I met him. I had a meeting with him, and I had missed a class. And he ran me for that, something that happened when he wasn't even there (yet). So he pretty much taught me how to be a professional in college. Which I think is so key because it raises the bar for those particular players you expect greatness out of. And that's what Coach Steele brought to me. It's the same thing I bring to the players I coach right now -- molding them to act like professionals, even if they're in college.

And by being a professional in college you mean…?

Davis: Just everything. You know, on the field, how to think like a pro, how to practice like a pro. Off the field, how to watch film -- because a lot of players don't know how to watch film, what to look for. Taking notes. And then also, in the classroom. Being on time. I think that had the biggest impact on us -- time management. I think a lot of guys in college forget about that. But it's a lesson that goes with you throughout life. Well, time management was an issue for me, so he ran me a couple of times. That's one of the things I learned from him that filters down to the guys I coach now.

What did you learn from Coach Andrews that you use today as a coach?

Davis: Two things in particular: Discipline and being tough. And those are things I demand out of my players. You can go a long way in the game by being disciplined and being tough. Coach Andrews definitely brought those out in us. If you weren't tough, you weren't going to play.

And he also taught the competition factor. Often times people don't realize that the competition factor is huge when it comes to upper echelon football. If you can compete at Florida State, you can compete in life. I tell people that what you do in college football directly affects your life. It's the things you learn (in football) that people who don't play a sport, they don't understand. So football teaches you much more than just the game.

Who's the coach you learned the most from at FSU?

Davis: I can remember sitting in Coach Bowden's office, once I got a little older, talking about important things in life. But I learned so much from everybody I came in contact with at Florida State. I learned a tremendous amount from Coach Andrews, Coach Steele, Coach Bowden, Dave Hart -- being on a committee with him, I learned a lot about what to expect from an athletic director. So it was kind of an all-around learning carousel at Florida State.

Whatever Nole fans think about Greg Carr, they probably don't think of him as one of Florida State's greatest receivers. But stats don't lie. And Carr's numbers put him up there with the Noles all-time best.

• Only Peter Warrick has caught more Seminole touchdowns   than Carr (29).

• He's tied with Warrick and Ron Sellers for 4th in all time   Season TD Catches (12).

• He's fifth in all time Career Receptions with 148.

• He's fifth in Career receiving yards (2574)

At 6'6" the guy made it look easy, leaping over smaller DBs like they were Pop Warner kids. Yet Carr had more going for him than just being a jump ball artist. That was his role under Jeff Bowden. But when Jimbo Fisher became offensive coordinator, Greg learned to run better routes and become a more complete receiver.

Signed as a free agent by San Diego in 2009, Carr made it all the way to the final cutdown. But in 2010, he found a good fit with Winnipeg of the Canadian League. Joining the team in mid-season, he scorched opponents with 31 receptions for 568 yards and four TDs in only seven games.

Now Carr is out to prove he can once again dominate DBs, putting up numbers that will make NFL teams take notice and dial his agent's number.

We spoke to him about his ambitions and his FSU career during Winnipeg's pre-season camp.

How's the transition going from American football to the Canadian game?

Carr: "I'm still learning. Instead of being stationary like in the states, I'm able to move back and forth. Here, I'm more of an X motion receiver who can move up and down the line, so that adjustment wasn't too bad."

Are they using you like FSU did in a lot of jump ball situations?

Carr: "I'd say it's more of a variety of things. There's more to it than just the jump ball because there are more things you can do in the Canadian game."

How do you think you've grown as a receiver in your CFL career?

Carr: "I think I've grown a lot. I've gotten accustomed to the game, what you can and can not do. But I've still got a lot of things I can improve at. So it's an exciting time for me. I just want to continue and get better."

What did you do during the off season?

Carr: "I was actually in Tallahassee working out, and spending time with my family."

When you think of your playing days at FSU, what game comes to mind first?

Carr: I would have to say winning an ACC Championship my freshman year. That was a big game. But I just remember everything -- my teammates and just that whole environment then being at Florida State. My biggest memory would probably be my first touchdown, and with my Mom there. That was an exciting experience for me and my family.

At FSU did you have specific jump ball plays, where it was just, "Go up and get it, Greg"?

Carr: "Yes, at times that's exactly what it was. It was just our coaching staff believing that I could make a play because I was a better player than the DB I was going up against. There were times that even Coach Bowden would tell me, "We're going to throw one up to you and we need you to make the play." And I just tried to play to the best of my ability. "

You played for two different offensive coordinators. How did things change with Jimbo Fisher?

Carr: "I would say there were different demands with Coach Fisher. He was more about getting your whole game together. He was focusing more on your weaknesses rather than your strengths. He wanted to get your weaknesses up to the same level as your strengths. That was my biggest adjustment. He'd say, 'You're not going to be able to just go up and get the jump ball. I want you to able to run this route and that route.' And we also had more double moves when Coach Fisher came."

Would you say it made you a more complete player under Fisher your last two years?

Carr: "Yeah, I would say so."

Even though your production dropped off in 2007 and '08?

Carr: "I'd say I was much improved as a route runner and just understanding the whole scheme. So while the production wasn't there, at the same time I thought I was a better player for it."

People remember you for the jump ball, but they never talk about your excellent hands?

Carr: "If I go up with the DB and we both have our hands on the ball and I snatch it away from him, a lot of people just assume that I beat him on the jump ball. People didn't take into consideration that 'he has strong hands.' It's one thing to be able to jump for the ball, and something else to have strong hands to go up and get it. You have to have the right timing. You have to know how to position yourself, and all the rest. There was far more to it than just being 6'6"."

What's the big difference between the defensive backs you faced in college and the ones you go up against in the pros?

Carr: "In college, I didn't think a lot of DBs took the time to study a receiver. While in the pros you have guys that do the film work -- who will study your moves, and who will understand that 'nine times out of ten when he does this, he's going to do that…' As a receiver, you have to be more creative with the things you do (in the pros). You can't just go to the same move every time, because guys will key on that."

What do you recall most about Coach Bowden?

Carr: "The thing that always stuck with me about Coach Bowden was that everybody knows he loves to win, but he was a guy who wanted to do it the right way. He wanted you to go out there and not only represent Florida State, but represent your family. He told us we've gotta go out and enjoy it and be the best player you can be. But at the same time, keep family first and keep your priorities in order. It was great playing for a guy who was well respected for winning. But winning wasn't everything for him, because he understood it's more about doing things the right way."

You grew up in gator country. How did you end up at Florida State?

Carr: "I wasn't a gator fan. I was a Michigan Wolverines fan. And my favorite player was Charles Woodson. So I wanted to get away from home, and Florida was recruiting me and I thought Gainesville was too close to home. Miami was too far away from home. But Florida State in Tallahassee was just right. And then I was more familiar with the guys who came in my recruiting class, like Xavier Lee and Kenny O'Neal. That helped make it a more comfortable decision for me."

Are you hoping to get a call again from an NFL team?

Carr: "I'm looking at it. That's something I want. But at the same time I'm just taking advantage of the opportunity I have here and want to make the best of it. And if it comes, it comes. But if not, I'm perfectly fine being in the great city of Winnipeg. This is a very nice place to be."

Focus. Motivation. Goal setting.

Three things every player needs, no matter how much talent they're blessed with. Those who don't have it often look to their coaches and team leaders for it.

Not Larry Key. With him, it seemed to come as naturally as his speed and great moves.

In the second part of our interview with no. 44, Larry talks about his personal goals for every game. This clip begins with Key describing his 97-yard TD run against Virginia Tech in 1976, still one of the longest in the history of FSU Football.

Florida State fans know all too well who the Noles last 1000-yard rusher was. But too few remember, or maybe never knew, who was the first FSU running back to hit the 1000-yard mark.

That would be Larry Key in 1977.

Small but fast and shifty, Larry was often greeted by the jingle of keys -- whether at Doak, on the road, or even off the field. Especially during crucial game moments, when FSU fans would signal who they wanted to get the ball by shaking their key chains like Mississippi State fans wave their cowbells.

Though he didn't know it when he signed with FSU in 1974, Larry's timing was excellent. His Nole career would fall right in the middle of the coaching transition from Darrel Mudra to Bobby Bowden. Key flourished under Bowden's rebuilding, going from 522 yards rushing in 1975 to 1117 during the Noles ten win season in '77.

In the first of our multi-part interview, Larry talks about the highs and lows of his days in Garnet & Gold. (By the way, you can tell by his 'fro that this team picture was shot in Larry's pre-Bowden years. Beginning in 1976, long hair and mustaches became a memory if you planned to play at FSU.)

It's been 417 games since Florida State took the field with a new head football coach. And now that the Bowden years are beginning to fade, most Nole fans like to remember the good times. One of them is Doc Lawrence. Since graduating from FSU, he's been a journalist with a long career in print, online, broadcasting, and television. A regular contributor to Wines Down South, he's launching a new syndicated radio show to be heard throughout the Southeast. Today, Doc shares a memory of a coach who was never too busy for people he didn't even know.

Some of my favorite personalities are chefs, folk artists musicians and occasional sports celebrities. I include Mario Batali, the late Howard Finster and Willie Nelson in this assemblage and among the sports stars, no one has brought more joy to me than Bobby Bowden. I first crossed paths with him in 1976, where he met with a small group in an Atlanta hotel to chat about his plans as head coach for FSU. He was the most relaxed man I ever met and he was funny. The kind of humor that doesn't offend.

Over the years I saw him speak before auspicious gatherings like the Atlanta Touchdown Club and even churches where he would stand in for a minister rather admirably. You could look for piousness or some self-serving motive, but you'd leave empty handed. Bowden was true to his core beliefs and about as fairminded as any spiritually based fellow I know. If one of his purposes was to lead others by his example, he did a fine job by my standards.

One season, Bowden played a killer schedule that included road games with Pittsburgh, Ohio State, Notre Dame, LSU and Nebraska, all in a row and all on the road.

The fearsome schedule caught the imagination of major newspapers all over America and Bowden, to the surprise of the sports world, came home with victories. His comments after defeating Notre Dame still bring chuckles. "Today Touchdown Jesus (a reference to the statue at the Notre Dame field), is a Southern Baptist." Bowden is a Southern Baptist. Over the years Bowden seemed to be LSU's curse, winning regularly. On one fateful night in Baton Rouge, FSU lost convincingly and LSU fans threw oranges at the
Seminole bench, celebrating a bid to play in Miami's Orange Bowl game. Bowden was asked what he thought about the debris thrown on the field: "I'm just thankful they weren't invited to the stone bowl," he said.

One beautiful autumn morning, I drove over to FSU's stadium with my then young son and noticed people going in and out of the athletic offices adjacent to the stadium. We walked in and I noticed a door open on the second floor balcony. Why we walked up the stairs, I'll never know. But, sitting at a desk with framed photos of Bear Bryant and Dolly Parton was Bobby Bowden reading what appeared to be letters.

"Come on in," he said, and after introductions requested that my son call him when he reached his junior year in high school. "Be sure," he said with laughter, "to ask for only me if you are six four and weigh around 220 pounds and run fast."

Before leaving, he went to his closet and gave my wide-eyed son an autographed poster of Deion Sanders who would go on to make consensus All-American that season before becoming a NFL legend.

I've interviewed numerous coaches and a fair share of jocks. Most are congenial and some are good with people. But none ever came close to Bowden's easygoing ways. He put a good face on college football and was always just a phone call away if you needed him.

Bob Neal, the distinguished sportscaster, was once a play-by-play college football announcer for Ted Turner's TBS and covered several FSU games. He introduced Bowden once to an Atlanta VIP gathering and said that one thing he admired about the coach was that Bobby made college football fun.

Bobby Bowden, the man who introduced "dadgummit" into football's lexicon, has earned a good rest with days on the links and long vacations with family and friends to faraway places. I will miss him each time I see another insincere overpaid windbag coach talking mindless trash to a television camera.

by Bob Perrone

The 2009-10 Florida State women’s golf team completed one of their finest seasons in school history. They won three tournaments, came in second twice and finished the year in 10th place in the NCAA Championships. The future looks bright for the Lady Seminoles as only two of the golfers are graduating and five of the top six will be returning.

Tenth place is their best finish so far in the NCAA tournament, but they did place higher in national level tournaments that preceded the NCAA. The NCAA did not govern women’s athletics until the 1981-82 school year and the Lady Seminoles did not join the NCAA until the next season.

Women’s golf did not become a varsity sport until 1968 when Florida State hosted the Fifth Annual Florida Intercollegiate Golf Tournament for women; however, FSU had some excellent women golfers before then.  Jo Ann Whitaker and Mary Lena Faulk are two of those golfers. They were probably good enough to make the men’s team in 1948 as they both shot close to women’s par which translated to about six extra strokes from the men’s tees. Whitaker won the Florida Women’s State Amateur Tournament that year and Faulk later joined the LPGA and became an outstanding player.

In 1968 the governing body for women was the Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (CIAW), and they first sponsored Division of Girl’s and Women’s Sport (DGWS) tournaments starting in 1969-70. In the 1972 DGWS Golf Championship, Florida State tied for second place with Arizona when the two-member team of Cynthia Peterka and Janet Lester shot 641, two shots behind Miami.

The next year the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) replaced the CIAW and beginning in 1977 FSU was a regular in the AIAW finals. Colleen Walker, Linda Lupica and Patti Belcher led the 1977 and 1978 teams to 13th and 15th place finishes. Laurie Rusk and Lea Ann Duke in 1977 and Fran Kocsis and Debbie Warford in 1978 were also important team members.

In 1980, two additional freshmen, Jane Geddes from South Carolina and Marla Anderson from Jacksonville provided two more pieces of the puzzle. Anderson, Guilbault, Young, Geddes along with Nancy Scranton improved to 15th place in 1980 and looked to do even better the next year.

After the first two rounds the Lady Seminoles were in third place, eight shots behind Georgia and four behind Tulsa. The ladies came through on the third round and shot a 298, tying the best round of the tournament. That gave them a one shot lead over the Bulldogs going into the final round. The two teams were neck-and-neck that last day and Georgia actually led through the 17th hole, but key birdies by the Seminoles and bogies by the Bulldogs opened the door for FSU and the team of Lisa Young, Barbara Bunkowsky, Jane Geddes, Michele Guilbault and Marla Anderson won FSU’s first national golf championship. Young finished the tournament in 3rd place, one stroke behind the leaders and Bunkowsky placed 14th. Young, Bunkowsky and Guilbault earned AIAW All-American honors.

The Noles were primed (pun intended) for a big season in 1988. Loaded with playmakers like Prime Time, Sammy Smith, Ronald Lewis, Edgar Bennett, Leroy Butler and Dexter Carter, FSU had the Canes in the cross hairs. It was to be a signature win in a nasty rivalry, at the Orange Bowl, and on national TV. Nole players were so jacked they produced a now infamous video that included lyrics like, "Our code is simple, We're the best in the land."

Famous last words. It was all Miami, 31-0.

Fans on both sides say it was the over-the-top swagger of the rap that fired up UM. Another take is that FSU went into the game far too over-confident. Now Dexter Carter has a new perspective that we haven't heard before, as he explains in this short clip from our recent interview.

While Dexter isn't proud of his impulsive reaction, it's probably what Seminole fans will most remember him for -- even though he had nearly 150 yards on the night. Seldom has Doak seen a louder, more intense crowd than that 1989 game (background here from Frank D. Nole). And when 5'9" Dexter embarrassed stud linebacker Bernard "Tiger" Clark (now LB coach for the Pitt Panthers), the place exploded.

Today Carter has moved on from coaching RBs at FSU and runs his own program of summer camps for young players from six to 17. And though he coaches kids in his camps to control their emotions, he doesn't mind telling the story of the night his got the best of him.

If you were at Doak in 1987, or glued to the annual TV Game of the Century that was FSU - Miami, then you recall the heart stopping finish. Ronald Lewis caught a TD in the back of the end zone, just a hair from the end line, to bring the Noles to within one point. Then, with 42 seconds left, Bobby Bowden rolled the dice. Forget the dadgum extra point. It was win the game and a possible national championship on a two-point conversion attempt.

That's where Pat Carter played his biggest role as an FSU tight end. Pat went on to have a decade-long NFL career, followed by a coaching gig at Detroit. But among his biggest football regrets is the two-point pass play that he never laid a single finger on. He joined us recently to look back at the highlights and lowlights of his Seminole career.

What would you consider your biggest win at FSU?

"I guess to me it would have to be the Florida game my senior year, just for the simple fact that we finally got one after losing the first three. I knew if I didn't get this one I was going to be shut out. And I just didn't want that to happen."

Talk about a game that probably isn't your favorite -- the '87 game against MIami?

"That was a tough one. We just didn't close it. We had the game and we didn't take care of our business as we should have. And we lost to a really good team. Now they weren't a better team. And it's funny, every time I saw Coach Bowden he said that the '87 team was his best team. And we didn't even win it. But Miami was the only one we lost."

It came down to the two point conversion and the pass to you in the end zone, which was just a little short.

"Yeah, it was short. It was supposed to go to the back corner pylon. And when I looked up I saw the ball was short. I wish I just could've been able to make a play back there -- maybe just tipped it up to myself. But unfortunately it fell short. And the Miami players, they always like to make the claim they were in the right position. But if Danny (McManus) had thrown that to the back pylon, they would've been done. That's one of the plays we always practiced, and it's unfortunate we didn't execute it."

"I've read over the years that there was, though I just don't recall there being one. I do remember that after the play I was behind the decision. I mean, I wasn't mad that we didn't kick it. We had to go for it. So I commend the decision. I was totally behind it."

"That would be it. To be honest I'd like to play that whole game over. If we played ten times, I think FSU would've won seven of those. Don't get me wrong. That Miami team was loaded. But we made stupid plays to turn the ball over. Those are unfortunate. But we played very uncharacteristic."

"True, but Lonnie Johnson still had more TD catches (ten vs. Carter's seven). Of course, the one disclaimer I always bring up is that they didn't count our catches in bowl games back then, but they do now. Because I got another 15 catches in bowl games that they didn't even count."

"Well, blocking was a big thing. I remember Coach (Wayne) McDuffie would say, you aren't going to get on the field until you can block. So really, I had to make a name for myself blocking and caught a few passes here and there. But they turned me loose my senior year and allowed me to showcase my skills."

"Loved it. Initially, I didn't. It took me awhile to love it. And really, that's how I played ten years in the pros because of my blocking."

"The best example of that was when I played in Houston. My neighbor three houses down was Bubba McDowell, the same guy who knocked the ball down in that two-point conversion try. So every year when FSU played Miami, he would always remind me of that. That was back in '94, when we both played for the Oilers and lived in the same subdivision."

Who did you want to beat more back then, Miami or Florida?

"I can honestly say I hated Florida more -- on and off the field. But I wanted to beat Miami even more because I had some pretty good friends down there. So I would call Miami a gentleman's rivalry, where Florida was just a straight, diehard 'I hate you.' "

  1958: FSU's Bobby Renn returns the opening kickoff 78 yards to the UF 15

Separating Fact from Fiction

by PJD3883

It would be difficult to fully comprehend the struggle that Florida State University endured to schedule a football game verses the University of Florida without first explaining the birth of the animosity between the two schools.

The Beginning...

House Bill No. 361, commonly know as the Buckman Act, condensed all state universities into three schools.

 Florida State College, in Tallahassee was renamed the Florida State College for Women, and would remain in Tallahassee.

Florida A&M School for Negroes, as it was known in those days, was established and it also was located in Tallahassee.

The University of Florida was moved from Lake City to Gainesville.

The Schools operated in their segregated modes for the next thirty-eight (38) years, but World War II began to make Florida Lawmakers rethink their stance on gender segregation.

The war had created a gender imbalance. The University of Florida, had empty buildings and half-empty classrooms, while FSCW was experiencing over-crowded conditions.

The idea of establishing coeducational institutions first officially came up for debate when the State's Board of Control met in March of 1945. There was ample justification to make such a move, but the Board tabled the matter.

The State Legislature remained concerned, but they likewise failed to act on the matter.

The end of World War II changed all of that.

Just before the fall semester of 1946 was to begin, University of Florida President, John Tigert, informed the Board of Control that because of space limitations, the University of Florida would have to decline the enrollment of over 2500 qualified applicants.

FSCW President, Doak Campbell offered a solution to the situation.  He told the Board of Control that FSCW would take 500 of those applicants on a temporary basis.

Florida Governor Millard Caldwell, who liked that idea, sought and was immediately granted extra funding for the endeavor. The Board of Control approved the temporary enrollment of males at FSCW and delayed the start of the fall semester until October, allowing time for proper accommodations for the male students to be readied.

Although the enrollment of the males was considered temporary at the time, the move signaled the end of gender segregation at state-supported institutions.

In May of 1947, the State Legislature made it official.

The Florida State College for Women ceased to exist and Florida State University was born.  At the same time both Florida State University and the University of Florida became coeducational institutions.

 From Partners in Academics to Animosity in Athletics

The curriculums of FSCW and the University of Florida had been carefully designed to enhance the quality of education for the gender segregated schools. FSCW students had specialized in such area's of learning as Music, teaching and home economics. University of Florida students specialized in the area's of Agriculture and Professional services. Coeducation ended that type of specialization. Both schools would offer well-rounded academic menus, which created academic competition between the two state-supported universities.

Then Doak Campbell dropped a bomb shell.

Three months after Florida State University had been born, President Campbell announced that the school would compete in Intercollegiate athletics, including football, and they would begin play that coming year.

Florida immediately protested the announcement. They demanded that all Florida State University teams be considered junior varsity teams of the University of Florida.

Campbell scoffed at the protest and demands, stating that Florida State University was its own entity and would compete as such in both academics and athletics.

The animosity was just beginning.

FSU did indeed play football in 1947. It took the school six (6) weeks to put a team together, arrange a schedule and find a place to play. Their school colors would be Garnet and Gold.  The Garnet, a combination of the purple worn by FSC back in 1905 and the red worn by FSCW in swimming meets. The Gold was derived in the same manner. A merger of the yellow worn by FSC in 1905 and the white worn by FSCW.

Florida State played their first game against Stetson University on September 27, 1947. A nickname for the new school was selected after the first game but before the second game verses Cumberland College. "Seminoles" was the name selected by students, defeating five other finalists: Crackers, Statesmen, Golden Falcons, Indians and Senators.

The "Seminoles" would lose all five of their games in that abbreviated initial season, but the state had another university playing football and the University of Florida had a challenger.

Don Veller became FSU's first full-time Head Football Coach in 1948. Florida State also entered their second season of competition as the newest member of the Dixie Conference, a small-college league made up of teams across the southeast.

It was a preview of things to come. Florida State won the League Championship in their first year in the league in 1948, compiling a 7-1 record along the way.

The Seminoles would remain in the Dixie Conference for two more seasons and would win the Conference title both years. They posted a 9-1 record in 1949, which included a win at the Cigar Bowl in Tampa. 1950 saw the Seminoles post a perfect 8-0 season mark.

Florida State University had been in existence for only four years, yet in that period of time, they had won three conference championships in football. Had been invited to and participated in a bowl game. Had recorded a perfect season. The University of Florida, had been playing football for forty-four (44) years, and had never been invited to or participated in a bowl game. Had never posted a perfect season. Had never won a conference championship. Not in their eleven (11) years in the Southern Conference, nor in their seventeen (17) years as members of the Southeastern Conference.

Florida State's achievements were not going unnoticed down in Gainesville.

Florida State University earned a 6-2 record during the 1951 season, but the highlight of that season was a loss. A 35-13 loss to the University of Miami. The first Major College team to appear on a Florida State football schedule.

The Seminoles would only win one game in 1952, while losing eight and tying one. The schedule, however, was continuing to be upgraded and four (4) major college teams appeared on their 1952 slate. Coach Veller, citing a "distaste" for recruiting stepped down as football coach after the season. Yet, even with the on-the-field setbacks, the program was moving toward major college status and idle chit-chat began to surface about a game against the University of Florida.

The events of the 1953 and 1954 football seasons would turn that idle chit-chat into demands that Florida and Florida State meet on the football field.

Florida State Attains Major College Status

Coach Tom Nugent was named to replace Don Veller as Head Football Coach for the 1953 season.

Seminole Fans of later years that grew to adore the "Petersonese" of Coach Bill Peterson's vocabulary and his aerial circus on the gridiron or those that fell in love with the southern charm of Bobby Bowden, along with his "riverboat gambling" on the football field, would have equally embraced Nugent.

He was an innovator, being credited with the invention of the "Typewriter I" offense. He was a showman. He was a task master. He was a communicator.

Nugent wasted no time in making his presence felt at the University of Florida.

During the late 1940's, the State Legislature had negotiated a deal with the race tracks of the state.

They would allow the tracks to remain open for more days throughout the year, in exchange for the tracks giving a portion of their profits to the State's three Universities. The race tracks agreed and they were able to generate thousands of extra dollars to the state-supported schools. The bulk of that money was to be used for scholarships and the majority of the money was directed toward the University of Florida.

Nugent's first task was to grab a bigger slice of those revenues. He started to lobby legislators and within two years had convinced them to take almost a quarter of a million dollars away from the University of Florida and give it to Florida State University.

He made progress on the football field also. The FSU football schedule, not only featured a majority of major college schools, but the Seminoles were starting to win those games.

Florida State went 5-5 in 1953, but two of those victories were over major colleges. They defeated North Carolina State 59-0. They defeated Louisville 59-0. Louisville being quarterbacked by Johnny Unitas.

1954 was the year that Florida State established itself as a major college football program.  The Seminoles would lose their first two (2) games of that season, but then proceeded to win eight (8) of their next nine (9) games on their way to an 8-3 season log and an invitation to the Sun Bowl.

The Sun Bowl invitation marked the first time that a team from the state of Florida participated in a bowl game outside the boundaries of the state.

The Seminoles were continuing to register firsts, but now they began to openly lobby for the most important first of all...A football game verses the University of Florida.

The Legislature Gets Involved

Prior to 1954, FSU and Florida had only competed against each other in a couple of swimming meets and a basketball game during the 1951-52 season. Throughout the 1954 season Florida State stepped up its vocal campaign to force Florida to play them in football.

Florida wanted no part of Florida State.

Florida's reasoning was sound, as far as it went.

A victory over FSU would be expected. A loss could have catastrophic repercussions. Just scheduling Florida State would give the Seminoles the credibility that they were seeking as a major college program.

Florida's recruiting of the state's best athletes and their dominance over the state media had never been challenged and they weren't about to give their "stamp of approval" to the upstart school from the Capitol City.

Florida initially dodged attempts to schedule Florida State by pointing out that they were a small college program. The results of the 1953 and 1954 FSU seasons, along with their invitation to the Sun Bowl had rendered Florida's arguments moot.

And the state's populous wanted the game played.

Florida's Board of Control was being called daily by fans of both schools insisting that a game be played.

The state's media, was constantly demanding that a contest be arranged and questioning the University of Florida as to why they wouldn't play Florida State.

Florida Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Bob Woodruff decided to go on the offensive, and he initiated a meeting between he and Florida State Athletic Director Howard Danford, in November of 1954.

Woodruff made what he considered a fair offer. Danford was outraged.

Woodruff told Danford that the University of Florida would schedule games against Florida State University in all sports, if Florida State University would drop the demand that the two schools meet in football.

Danford refused.

Media from across the state covered the meeting and reported the events back to their viewers, listeners, readers.

The Uproar Intensified

Woodruff and Danford would meet again in December. That meeting was equally fruitless.

January of 1955 found many State Legislators questioning why the two schools  hadn't engaged in athletic competition and began to hint that maybe they should enact laws that would force the two schools to compete against each other.

Neither school was in favor of legislative involvement and both formed Ad Hoc committees to study the feasibility of competing against each other on the athletic fields.

The Committees reported to the Board of Control in February that they had reached an agreement and asked for approval from the board. The report was brief, and stated that the University of Florida and Florida State University would enter into competition in all sports, as soon as possible. The Board gave its approval.

The schools did begin to take steps to schedule their athletic teams against each other in all sports except football. Football, though, was the one that everybody wanted.

The quote from the Committees' report..."as soon as possible" was the new problem.

The Legislature became active again.

State Senator William Carraway of Leon County began to probe his peers on the matter, and he was being pushed by FSU Student Body President Coyle Moore, Jr.

Moore also began to lobby other lawmakers.

He found a friend in Senator Harry Stratton from Callahan. Stratton had begun working on a bill after the failed meetings of Woodruff and Danford. Stratton believed that FSU's program had come of age and he did not like the way Woodruff was dodging the issue.

Stratton then announced that he would place his bill on the floor of the legislature if Florida did not schedule Florida State for the 1956 football season.

Woodruff did not want government involvement and asked Stratton to delay the bill until he could speak with Nugent.

Woodruff offered a game to Nugent in 1956, but the financial offer to Florida State amounted to nothing more than gas money and a meal for the Seminoles to come to Gainesville in 1956.

Nugent refused.

An ensuing meeting between President's Campbell of Florida State and Reitz of Florida produced no results.

Realizing that he was slowly losing his argument, Woodruff altered his tactics. He stated that Florida had long term contracts and they had to adhere to those contracts. He said that there wasn't anyway a game could be played in 1956 and that 1958 would be the earliest that the two teams could meet.

Stratton refused to back down and insisted that a game be scheduled for 1956. Woodruff agreed to meet face-to-face with Stratton and the Senator from Callahan agreed not to submit his bill until after that meeting.

The meeting was held on April 18, 1955.

Neither man budged from his position. Stratton wanted a game played in 1956 and Woodruff said, that he had to honor his contracts as a member of the Southeastern Conference.  Woodruff added that he couldn't break signed contracts.

Stratton countered that unless he submitted his bill, then Woodruff and the University of Florida could just continue signing contracts and delay a Florida-Florida State football game for years to come.

The meeting ended with no progress.

What happened next stunned both Woodruff and Stratton.

Even before Woodruff had arrived back in Gainesville, State Senator Nick Conners of Inverness, who had quietly written his own bill, placed that bill on the floor of the Florida Senate immediately after the meeting between Woodruff and Stratton had ended.

House Bill 333, called for a state policy requiring athletic competition between Florida and Florida State in all sports.

Political debate now took over.

After days of concessions and alterations to the bill, it finally came to a vote.

Florida State supporters were now against the bill because of the changes that had been made to it and Florida supporters were never in favor of it in the first place.

The headlines of the Tallahassee Democrat  the next day (April 28, 1955) told the story...

"Bid fails in Senate by 19-15 vote."

So Who Ordered Florida to Play Florida State?

At this point, Governor LeRoy Collins entered the fray.

Governor Collins had been outraged that a bill had even been placed on the floor of the Senate. He believed that the State Legislature had more important things to do than schedule football games.

His outrage intensified to extreme anger, when he learned that as many as three other bills were in the process of being written.

He decided to act.

He summoned both Presidents to the Governor's Mansion for a meeting.

There are no official documents of what was said in that meeting, but whatever was said worked. Within a matter of a few weeks the Presidents of both Florida State and Florida appeared before the Board of Control and asked that the Board initiate action that would result in the two schools competing against each other in all sports.

A game was close, but still not official.

The Board turned the situation over to the athletic departments of both schools to finalize everything. Despite numerous meetings, nothing could be concluded and negotiations dragged on for another 6 months.

Finally, a still angry and now agitated Governor Collins ordered both President Campbell of Florida State and President Reitz of Florida to return to Tallahassee to meet with him and the Board of Control.

Collins would later be quoted..."there are some things that are better off not being mentioned in the sunshine," when he was asked why the meeting was behind locked doors.

The only thing known for certain is that when the meeting ended the Board of Control announced that Florida will play Florida State in football next year.

The headlines of the Tallahassee Democrat stated..."UF-FSU FOOTBALL ORDERED".

It would later be determined that the University of Florida did indeed have some contractual issues and they were granted a grace period from the Board of Control, and were ordered to play Florida State in 1958.

Fiction:  There was never a law enacted that ordered Florida to play Florida State in Football.

Fact:  The State Board of Control Ordered Florida to play Florida State in Football.