Bobby Bowden ignited Florida State football in the 1970s, turning the Seminoles into one of the most successful and storied programs in the country. Even for a program that officially dates back to 1947 when the campus became co-ed again, and unofficially dates back much further, all the way to the turn of the century, Bowden’s 34-year tenure also marked the beginning, or at least the solidification, of many of the program’s greatest traditions.
His time in Tallahassee has defined the program and left it with some of the most iconic traditions in college football; traditions that game days at Doak Campbell Stadium would not be the same without.
4. The Sod Cemetery
200 feet north of Doak Campbell Stadium lies the Sod Cemetery. A visit every gameday in the fall isn’t mandatory, but all Seminole fans have to at least get back once a year to soak in the gooa energy of their opponent’s misery.
Dating back to 1962, the well over 100 bronze plaques each commemorate a “sod game” in which Florida State went on the road and won. Beneath each plaque is a sod extracted from the field on which the Seminoles claimed their victory. The first-ever “sod game” was FSU’s 1962 18-0 win over Georgia.
On Thursday before the game, Dean Coyle Moore, a longtime professor and member of the athletic board, told the team to “bring back some sod from between the hedges at Georgia,” and thus one of the most unique traditions in college football was born.
3. The unconquered statue
A much more recent addition to the gameday experience in Tallahassee, the Unconquered statue was dedicated on October 10, 2003. Fritz White’s creation, designed to “capture the indomitable spirit of the Seminole people and those who have adopted that spirit as a symbol for their university,” stands 31 feet tall.
At sunset the night before each home game, the spear is lit and burns until sunrise on the morning after the game. The idea was born from attorney and FSU graduate Stephen Reilly’s trip to Notre Dame for a Florida State road game. He wanted to capture the pageantry of college football in a similar way to the Fighting Irish band, which gave a concert on the steps of Bond Hall before leading the fans across campus and to the stadium.
2. Chief Osceola and Renegade
In 1962, Bill Durham, a 1965 graduate of Florida State, conceived of the idea of Osceola and Renegade when he was a sophomore on the Homecoming Committee. However, his idea didn’t come to fruition until Bowden took over in 1977.
Durham obtained approval from the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and for the opening game of Florida State’s 1978 season against Oklahoma State, Chief Osceola and Renegade charged down the field and planted a flaming spear for the first time.
Since then, it has become one of the most indelible images in college football. Not mascots, Osceola and Renegade are symbols of the Seminole tribe.
1. The War Chant
Speaking of indelible, the War Chant is one of the most indelible sounds in all of sports, let alone college football. For Florida State fans, it’s an inextricable part of the team’s most memorable wins. For opposing fans and players, it’s the soundtrack of their nightmares.
The tradition seemingly began against Auburn in 1984, but its history ties back to the popular “massacre” cheer of the 1960s. The Marching Chiefs would “chant” the melody, which was essentially the original version of the War Chant. During that game in 1984, the Marching Chiefs played that popular cheer, but that time, once the band ceased, fans in the student section continued the “War Chant” portion.
By 1985, it had spread from the fraternity section, where most agree it began, to the rest of the student section. By 1986, the entire stadium joined in as the Marching Chiefs refined the chant and added a special accompaniment.
Add us as a preferred source on Google