FSU Sports: Top 5 Seasons Football, Mens Basketball Both Dominated
By Jason Parker
FSU has had plenty of great seasons for both football and men’s basketball – but what have been the best times both teams dominated at the same time?
When you look at the 70 seasons that FSU athletics have fielded both a football team and a men’s basketball squad, there have been plenty of moments to make Seminoles fans proud. For the football team, you can point to their three national titles – two of which came during that magical 14 year dynasty run that went from 1987 all the way to the 2000 season.
For the men’s basketball team, the ‘Noles have gone dancing into March Madness a total of 15 times – eight of them coming since the school joined the ACC a quarter century ago. For the hoopsters, the program’s history revolves around being national runners up in 1972 and making it to the Elite Eight during the 1993 tournament.
But, what have been the best times where both the FSU football and men’s basketball programs dominated in the same season? Here’s a look at the top five years where both squads shined.
No. 5 – 2011/12 Season
Football: 9-4 Record (Beat Miami and Florida, Beat Notre Dame in Champs Sports Bowl)
Basketball: 25-10 (ACC Tournament Champs for First Time in Program History)
Head coach Leonard Hamilton finally got everything going his way and put together a team led by Michael Snaer that brought home the first ACC crown for the school. Jimbo Fisher’s team dealt with a three game losing streak to Oklahoma, Wake Forest and Clemson, but got the state title and the second of four straight bowl wins.
No. 4 – 1979/80 Season
Football: 11-1 Record (Beat Miami and Florida, Played in Orange Bowl for First Time Ever)
Basketball: 22-9 Record (NCAA Tournament Appearance)
FSU football, under fourth year head coach Bobby Bowden, won the state championship for just the third time ever and played in a major bowl game for the first time as well after completing an undefeated regular season. The basketball team made it back to the tournament for the third time ever, losing to eventual champion Kentucky.
Florida State Seminoles Basketball
No. 3 – 2010/11 Season
Basketball: 23-11 Record (Sweet 16 Appearance for Fourth Time in Program History)
Football: 10-4 Record (Beat Miami and Florida, Won ACC Atlantic and Chick-Fil-A Bowl)
For Hamilton, one point was the difference between the season ending in heartbreak and advancing on, as the Seminoles upset Notre Dame in the second round before losing to follow double digit seed VCU by a single digit. Fisher debuted with a rocky start, but finished hot and started to the right the ship after the lost half decade.
No. 2 – 2016/17 Season
Basketball: 25-8 (2nd Place in ACC, No. 3 Seed in West Region)
Football: 10-3 (Beat Miami and Florida, Beat Michigan in Orange Bowl)
The basketball team will get things started this evening, tying their highest seed in program history with a team that beat seven ranked teams over the course of the season. The football team suffered two close losses, but ended the year on a high note and is now one of the early favorite to play in next season’s College Football Playoff.
No. 1 – 1992/93 Season
Football: 11-1 Record (1st ACC Title in Program History, Beat Florida and Won Orange Bowl)
Basketball: 25-10 (2nd Place in ACC, Elite Eight Finish for Second Time)
The Seminoles played for the first time as members of a major football conference, running off a streak that would have them go 47-1 in the league over the first six seasons. The men’s team, which had actually been in the ACC for a season before, were one of the final eight teams left standing thanks to four future NBA players – including quarterback and guard Charlie Ward.