Bobby Bowden: Building a Tradition - Documentary (1990)

[Music] he came from west virginia to the sunshine of the south he backs over his performance what he says with his mouth when he came to tallahassee the only good thing was the band but now them fighting seminole are the best team in the land bobby found him you're the coach for me bobby stand [Music] [Music] [Music] hello i'm tim brando you know the tradition of college football goes back well over 100 years when you think of established powerhouse programs images of notre dame penn state southern cal nebraska and michigan naturally come to mind back in 1976 a man by the name of bobby bowden left the hills of west virginia to return to his native south he went down to tallahassee where at florida state university he took over the head coaching job at a program that had indeed fallen upon hard times winning a grand total of four games the preceding three years little did anyone realize at the time that the seminoles were on the verge of national prominence that bobby bowden indeed was building a tradition [Music] second down goal to go when the quarterback has franklin and roger craig he's going to roll toward his right side forever [Applause] recover the quest from at the 11-yard line here's why he takes the snap toss sweep to cedric jones going right now he's going to throw he throws it back to lowry clown he makes the catch of the five he's hit spins touchdown [Applause] [Music] fsu [Music] it's the quarter turn he is to the 30-yard line he is on the 20-yard line [Music] so [Music] tallahassee florida the capital city of the sunshine state and home to the florida state university at all women's school for nearly 100 years it would not be until 1947 that florida state would admit men that would also be the year of fsu's first football team in just a brief time by traditional standards seminole football is known from coast to coast and around the world bobby bowden is the man who made it all happen four years after he walked on campus he had taken one of the worst football teams in the country to within one game of a national championship during the past 15 years at florida state bowden's accomplishments are legendary he is fsu's all-time winningest coach the winningest active bowl coach 12 bowl appearances in 15 years 1980 national coach of the year number two in most wins by an active coach and the list goes on and on seven times in 15 years his seminoles have won 10 or more games in a season never before had an fsu team done that and 10 of his florida state teams have finished the season ranked among the top 20 five times in the top five for all intents and purposes bobby bowden is florida state university bobby bowden in our football program has been very instrumental in the in the growth and development of florida state not only as a as a good place to be an athlete but also as a good academic school it all began in 1976 a program that was not used to winning but was about to learn how former athletic director john bridgers played a major role in bringing bobby bowden to florida state i was coaching at swan and he was playing at howard college and he was quarterback and that's the first time i've seen him and then i'd come down there to florida state uh for a coaching clinic in fact vince lombardi was on the clinic too and he and i were on the clinic together and i had a chance to visit with with bobby and he was the assistant coach at florida state at that time then he went on to west virginia and i just kind of you know the first person i thought of when we had made a coaching change was frankly with bobby batten if you lose time after time after time it becomes a habit and you begin to accept it and the big difference i found out in 76 there was still good physical ability at florida state but they did not think they could win and they wouldn't win at least at first the team was struggling to find an identity we didn't really know where this team could go at the 7016 we just didn't know what we could do what we couldn't do he had a lot of senior guys trying to do as well as they could to go out in a bang and then you had a lot of under classmen freshmen and sophomores and some juniors to try to start developing a nucleus to go on to win more games up the road and so it was a good mix but we still like i said we didn't really know where this team could go after losing the first two games decisively florida state would next travel to norman to play a strong oklahoma team we put seven freshmen in the starting lineup i mean they were true freshmen right out of high school and we and we uh got a big lead on them and outplayed them for yeah i played them for nearly probably a half you know with ahead of them and then then there their superiority showed but it was kind of i don't usually like moral victories but i thought that was definitely a moral victory for florida state following the close loss to the sooners bowden seminoles finally got that first victory in the tribe's home opener against kansas state fsu would upset boston college the next week before losing three in a row with scrappy quarterback jimmy black at the controls and hardnose running backs larry key and jeff leggett pounding out yardage bowden's offensive prowess was beginning to surface during a close loss at auburn the tigers would get the first look at a patented bobby bowden play the coach brought with him from west virginia [Music] on a november 13 trip to denton texas the seminoles would discover more than a tough north texas state team waiting for them that would probably be my favorite game of all time uh the setting was most of my kids had never seen snow i probably had 80 of them never even seen snow those had probably seen it that was about all but anyway we wake up the next morning and there's five inches of snow on the ground five inches of snow and and we're about to freeze to death and so frank the board our equipment man he goes down some store and buys all the gloves he can find he buys all the head warmers he can find he buys everything long underwear everything you know the play that i got was just a straight take off but the funny thing about it was i ran down the field and stopped and the defensive back i think he fell down completely and then i kept on running and jimmy black was the quarterback at a time and i think he just threw it as far as he could throw it which fortunately i caught it and just kept running i didn't know where the out of bounds were the touchdown mark where the goal line was i just kept running all the way past the goal post [Music] that 91-yard play was one of four 90-yard plus miracles in the final three games of 1976 all taking place in comeback wins [Music] late in the game uh we scored a touchdown and we went for two points larry key threw the ball now you talk about a guy taking a football and throwing it like a like a a loaf of bread he threw it to to unglob and the ball was just like a shot put he threw it luckily their defensive guy fell down and unglub caught the ball in the end zone we beat him up by one point i've never had that happen before in my 37 years of coaching never uh i mean out of 37 years how many years do you think i've had where we had a a touchdown over 90 yards not many i mean i can't hardly remember anything and it was just amazing more amazing was the perception that in just one year under bobby bowden the florida state program was on the road to recovery coach bowden came in he established a firm hand of discipline a direction with which we could identify he established a format that we were going to recruit with and from and in other words i think we had a direction there and so we finished the season five and six but the thing is we finished on a three-game winning streak and i think the attitude had turned around hey we can win at florida state we won our last three ball games we got some momentum going into the next year and uh the the the attitude transplant had taken where where's florida state you know i mean what town is that you know i mean seriously i never heard of it and so i come down to visit and i notice notice that a lot of people were kind of like saying it was like a school a girl screen was turning me off immediately first of all because that there's all been an all-girls school if you know if i recall right so then i came down the village and i liked coach brown and i liked the school and uh things happened from there sounded a lot of intent and intentions were to come here here i am and believe me when he came it was the rival i mean it was just unbelievable the athlete he was we were all like oh this is ron simmons you know this is it now this other young man here one that we're all proud of at florida state and really one of the best football players in the united states is ryan simmons ron tell us a little bit about yourself well i'm putting my name's ron simmers i'm from warner robins georgia i play middle guard 6-1-238 majoring in mass communication mass destruction was more like it from his first game on simmons became the impact player you could build a defense around as one sports writer would put it simmons was not bored he was chiseled out of brown georgia granite had the wings of mercury attached to his ankles and had life breathed into him by whatever saint is assigned to bobby bowden number 50 would ravage offensive lines from lincoln to gainesville becoming the school's all-time leading sackmaster he would finish in the top 10 of the heisman trophy balloting and would be the first fsu player honored as a two-time consensus all-american to this day simmons is the only bowed mirror player to have his jersey retire i i don't think there's a world to describe it you know first of all when i heard of that what hit me i looked around i said well i know i've been out of school for nine years but i'm i'm not 50 years old yet am i you know to be retired my jersey yeah that usually happens you know much later on you know if they're gonna do it you know but man i heard that i i just had to break down you know and share the tears you know just the ultimate honor for them to consider me worthy of you know retire my jersey you know never have it worn again [Music] so with simmons leading the charge in 1977 florida state would win its first season opener in five years dropping southern mississippi 35 to six on october the 1st with the seminoles trailing 10 to nothing in the first quarter at oklahoma state another sophomore quarterback who had complained about a lack of playing time was about to get his chance when we were not moving the ball against oklahoma state in the first quarter and a half and we're behind we put wally in the game and while they took us in for a touchdown we were down pretty far we came back and won the ball game so after that the issue became well who are you going to start at quarterback jimmy and wally what would happen was wally would go and then then he'd get cold in the game we'd put jimmy and jim and be hot and win the game then jimmy would go wild and he'd get cold and come back with water and we did that for three years and they won a lot of ball games together christened wally jim jordan by sports illustrated the composite quarterbacking tandem shared more than a position incredibly jordan and woodham played at the same leon high school in tallahassee under gene cox woodham took a redshirt year at fsu while jordan played sparingly as a freshman in 76. so here they were both as sophomore quarterbacks again on the same team hey if you if you were wally you'd want to play every down i wanted to play every down but it wasn't that way you know a lot of times and so we sacrificed a lot for the team and so the team did the same for us you know they helped us out a lot so because they they rallied around both of us you know it wasn't just one there was two-headed quarterback system you know you were going to be there's a chance there was going to be a different one in there a lot of times with the eyes of the nation following this unique blend of talent and chemistry wally jim jordan would lead the seminoles to a three-year mark of 29 wins against only six losses but the 77 tribe had more than just a two-trick pony offense senior half-back larry key all five feet nine of him would rip his way to over 1100 yards rushing the third highest single season total in fsu history with a hard charging determined style made even more effective by his low center of gravity he would enjoy his finest day as a seminole on october the 22nd as bobby bowden and his team beat auburn for the first time in school history auburn had always had florida states a number they had three great pro backs they had they had andrews that played with the falcons they had joe cribs and they had brooks all of them were all pro one time or the other on that auburn football team and we beat them we beat them very good here [Music] larry key would break loose for 170 yards including two touchdowns eclipsing the combined totals of the three auburn heavyweights the warriors pounded the tigers 24-3 earning the knolls a spot in the top 20 rankings for the first time in five [Music] years [Music] the defense anchored by simmons was formidable if simmons couldn't get to the quarterback chances were good that big bad willie jones would senior linebackers jimmy higgins and aaron carter were both free to seek and destroy both would finish 1977 with over 150 tackles to this day the five foot eight aaron carter remains the all-time tackle leader in fsu history [Music] at home against 16th ranked north texas state ron simmons would earn sports illustrated's defensive player of the week honors as he penetrated the mean green line to register five sacks and ten solo tackles in the 35-14 florida state route every time we came into a ball game you know we were just about almost underdogs and particularly those first two years and the first one i know in particular we were considered to be the underdog so we always were proving things you know always constantly having to prove people to people who were worthy of being a major college team beating major college you know caliberal type people rivals enemies bitter backyard brawls however you want to look at it the annual in-state clash between fsu and the university of florida is a match-up which simply has no equals problem was for seminole fans you had to go all the way back to coach bill peterson's past happy teams of the 60s to find the last florida state win but in 1977 the series was about to make an abrupt turnaround florida played man-to-man defense a lot surprisingly we didn't feel like they were capable talent-wise of covering us man-to-man but they when they lined up in man-to-man coverage we felt like we would really have a good afternoon throwing the ball on their first possession the seminole strike deep the airborne assault of the gators had begun jimmy jordan the rifleman would enter the game of the second quarter and shred any remnants of uf resistance hitting on 13 of 19 passes good for 240 yards and three tds it almost seemed like when you're out there it was a dream you'd look at the scoreboard and go there's no way that can be true you know what's going you know you almost want to pinch yourself and say wow we beat the gators but we did florida was in a daze because i can remember those guys yelling at each other you know and just they were confused because they weren't prepared for us senior roger overby would have the kind of day that young boys dream about six receptions for 124 yards including three touchdowns the final one closing the door on a 37-9 crushing of florida it didn't seem that great a win to me you'd think well boy that was got to be one of your all-timers it wasn't for one reason i didn't know the impact of that game and what it meant to us i had to lose to him later on to realize how important that game was to us but it was a great win for florida state the 77 seminoles became the first team in school history to win nine regular season games against only two losses bobby bowden said when he first arrived at florida state that the program would not be turned around until the seminoles had beaten the gators in only his second year at the helm it was done i'll tell you what i want for christmas i want you if you're a seminole fan to buy a ticket to the tangerine bowl and come down watch us play and come down they would tens of thousands of fans from all over florida would pack the t-bolt in orlando to watch the seminoles play their first ball game in six years the red raiders would hear the keys jangling for larry far too often as the second all-time leading fsu rusher would finish off his career in grand fashion the first quarter 93 yard kickoff return provided the spark and the tribe raced off to a 16-3 halftime ball [Music] in the second half the dynamic duo took over [Music] florida state rips texas tech 40 40-17 and with the win become the first major college team of the state to win 10 games [Music] that was one of my favorite teams of of coaching and in fact i wouldn't be afraid to say that it's probably my favorite i shouldn't say they're my favorite teams because all of my favorite but let me let me just say i was probably as happy and content that year of any accomplishment of anything we've had there would be plenty of underclassmen making some big contributions for the seminoles in 1978. sophomore reggie herring would begin his three-year reign of terror at inside linebacker freshman punter ron stark would average 40 yards of boot another sophomore sam platt began his multi-faceted career as a wide receiver and a pair of sophomores keith jones and monk bonasort would start tightening down the screws and opponents passing games you get the idea the 1978 florida state football team was young and loaded [Music] however the man that probably made the most lasting impression on seminole football fans that year was a freshman and you can still catch his act at every fsu home game from the first moment chief osceola strode into doe campbell stadium high atop his trusty appaloosa named renegade and thrust a burning spear into the turf at midfield florida state had an identity for the ages the brainchild of staunch fsu supporter bill durham chief osceola wears only authentic indian garb in 12 short years chief osceola and renegade just might have become the most entertaining pregame show found in any sporting arena [Music] well i tell you it really means a lot to us uh at first of every ball game jim when you come out there on that horse and you light that spear and you go out there and you drive that thing in the ground man it gets those seven of those fired up buddy i tell you it does i can hear that crowd [Music] and those crowds have inspired bobby bowden seminoles to a remarkable home winning record of 71 14 and 1 for a winning percentage of over 83 percent [Applause] [Music] perhaps the biggest challenge facing the 78 tribe was a road trip to pittsburgh to face the powerhouse pit panthers in an epic defensive struggle the seminoles virtually shut down the vaunted pit offensive machine so we go up there and play pit and they beat us seven to three but that ball game our defense our defense came of age it was defense that had eight sophomores starting on it i remember that they came of age that day and then we went undefeated now for about the next 17 regular season games lost a bowl in between there but they really put it together after that the seminoles would storm through the remainder of the 1978 schedule a national television audience would witness fsu crush a top 20 navy team by a score of 38-6 the game marked the first and only time the tribe has ever squared off against the service academy team in the season finale at home against florida the knolls and gators would battle to a first half time but senior defensive end willie jones and an aroused fsu defense would see to it that uf would not score in the second half as the warriors won going away 38-21 jones who earned all-american status for his play in 78 despite playing the season with a broken wrist would finish his career with four sacks on the day prompting florida coach doug dickey to lament he was a fifth player in our backfield florida state had recorded its fifth consecutive second half shut up won four games in a row and finished with an eight and three mark however due to miscommunication with several bowl officials the knolls were through for the year well there's no doubt that going not going to a ball game when you go eight and three in the south where all the bowls are located that that's a very traumatic experience for a bunch of young men who laid their guts on the line and worked all year to to get to that point uh there's no doubt that that just made us all a little tougher a little wiser and a little meaner so mean in fact were the 1979 seminoles that nobody would beat them [Music] in the span of four years as head coach bobby bowden had taken a program besieged with disarray to the upper stratosphere of the college ranks ranked at preseason number 19 the tribe begged to differ with the pollsters and anyone else who dared cross their path this was a florida state team that had learned how to win a team incensed with the desire to show the nation it was destined to play in a new year's day bowl but in the home opener against southern mississippi the winning streak was in jeopardy before it had ever begun trading 14-3 in the fourth quarter the fsu special teams would answer the wake-up call breaking free thanks to textbook blocking gary henry motors 65 yards for the winning score and for the eighth time in 24 bowdoin victories at fsu the seminoles had overcome a fourth quarter deficit at tampa playing against arizona state the bowden's scheme of starting wally woodham and then bringing in fireball ridley for jimmy jordan worked to perfection resulting in a 31-3 win over the sun devils on september the 22nd florida state's oldest rival came to town with a new head coach when i was at miami i said often that i looked at the florida state program as a blueprint as how to build our miami program and that's a true statement and we lived with it we were no measure for them that year the seminoles would force five miami turnovers and enroute to a 40-23 victory the win marked the first time fsu has taken the keynes in tallahassee the winds keep coming ron simmons controls the line of scrimmage at virginia tech giving coach bowden his 100th career victory at louisville the warriors unleash a punishing ground attack as senior mark lyles pounds the cardinal lines for 118 yards the 230 pound fullback would steamroll his way to over 1 000 yards in the season and finish his career number five of the all-time rushing list the unyielding fsu defense would keep the louisville offense somewhere near the parking lot allowing the cards just 92 total yards the tribe special teams had the ul punter just a little bit shook up there's no doubt that as the year went on in 79 we all seemed to get a little bit stronger and get a little bit closer uh as you look at the defense back then we were like ten nine guys that had been playing together for three years and and we knew each other it was like a total total one unit together and guys that really believed in each other and played extremely hard one of the most creative football coaches of all time has to be bobby bowden i remember in the early days when no one would come to tallahassee so bowdoin took his team on the road the seminoles became the road warriors [Music] 1979 marked the first of five straight years in which fsu would have to travel to one of the most hostile arenas in the nation death valley playing lsu in baton rouge is doubly tough because from what i understand it's one of the toughest stadiums in the country to play in so this would be quite a challenge for florida state university because it is a game that we must have to keep rolling what we've got rolling right bobby bowden pulls a lineup sleight of hand to declaw the tiger defense coach bowden came to me and said you know you're going to start you're my starting quarterback we're going to we're going to play fastball with him i was i do remember i was more i was as nervous for that game as any game i've ever played college or pro the nervousness didn't show making his first start in a year in front of abc tv and representatives from nine different bowls the riflemen put on a show that would not soon be forgotten they had a secondary that played a lot of a lot of coverages there that challenged you deep man coverage 3d just okay if you can throw it deep let's see you thought dude i had a uh four guys back there i'll never forget it called the soul patrol trailing by six just before half jimmy jordan and hardish johnson would team up to rip apart the soul patrol out of 53 yard beauty jordan completed 14 of 31 aerials on the day good for 312 yards 174 of those coming by way of senior jackie flowers in the fourth quarter still leading by just one jordan and flowers work some magic [Music] up to number six in the ap poll florida state found itself trailing cincinnati 21-7 in the fourth quarter this time it would be wally woodham who would enter the game and ignite a furious 19 point fourth quarter rally with only two minutes remaining a couple of big plays saved the day for the seminoles [Music] mike whiting's eight yard burst completes the comeback and keeps the unbeaten streak alive [Music] down the stretch run week number nine 20th ranked south carolina and heisman trophy winner george rogers are no match for the fsu defense week 10 one hour prior to kickoff against memphis state florida state accepts a bid to the orange bowl and the tigers must bear the brunt of a 66 to 17 seminole celebration week 11 florida field only the winless gators under first year head coach charlie pell stand in the way of florida state's perfect season the gators are game but the seminole defense is dead serious jimmy jordan goes to work right gators here's the fake by jordan goes into the end zone he's got his chances [Music] mark lyles wraps up his senior year in style trampling the gators for a career-high 151 yards rushing the fsu dream season is in the record book in just four years bobby bowden had taken a ragtag bunch of seminoles in dire need of disciplined leadership to the very pinnacle of gridiron greatness and undefeated season the only team in the 44 year history of florida state football to finish a season 11-0 i've always said and i was brought up in the way coach brown told in me and other guys there if you work hard enough at something it might not happen right then but something good is bound to happen and hey this is a result of that january 1st 1980 the seminole's plane in a new year's day bowl for the first time ever the opponent the oklahoma sooners featuring the number one ground attack in the country and the seminoles would have their chances early fsu drives for a quick score however j.c watts and billy sims would literally run away from florida state i don't say we got overwhelmed but we we got our fannies with but it uh it hurt it hurt it hurt our pride a little bit but we were too strong and had too much character and too much class to think that that was the end of the world because we knew we were coming back for another year optimism the feeling you get when 20 seniors return from an undefeated team stingy the feeling you get when eight starters from a nationally ranked defense return including three all-americans wary the feeling you get when your new starting quarterback has seen about as much action as the maytag repairman cautious the feeling you get when your team is about to take on the most difficult schedule in school history not too pleased about their pre-season number 13 ranking the seminoles would take out some frustration against lsu in the season opener before 78 000 revenge seeking fans behind the likes of lineman ken lanier and john mata the 1980 seminoles thrust forward with a balanced offensive attack even run dominated at times but the defense oh the defense [Music] bottaswart's interception and return would lead to platte's fourth quarter touchdown as florida state opened with an impressive 16 to nothing shutout over lsu [Music] after destroying east carolina the knolls get some excellent reviews and there they are the seminoles burt reynolds is applauding 63-7 over east carolina at the nfl today i decided to rank them number one and that's how it began and then bobby has treated me to some of the most creative games i have ever seen but bobby i still wish you'd have gone for the tie against miami kicked the extra point you might have won a national championship the seminoles may very well have lost a national championship in miami on september the 27th but not without the canes benefiting from a call that would have bowden rubbing his eyes in disbelief there was one call in that miami game that really hurt us and they changed the rule the next year i wish they'd had a change there back in those days if you had a pass in a french call the other team got the ball where it occurred and they had a third down and 18 in that game and jim kelly dropped back through a pass into the end zone and they call interference on us and it was very questionable and that gave them the ball on the one and that was only touchdown they got all day behind ten to three under a minute left in the game with the skill of a master craftsman rick stockstill guides the seminoles to within one the great competitor and and the great student of the game that bobby is he recognized that he had to go for two to have a chance to win it all he went with a very solid outstanding play his receiver was open his center and guard didn't do the job on jim bird a great example of how close and how tough the games always were the loss snapped an 18-game regular season win streak for the seminars [Music] it's kind of like one of those things when you go up there and you're thinking look i've seen alabama come here and couldn't do it i've seen southern cal coming in and couldn't do it i've seen ucla come in here and couldn't do it i've seen oklahoma coming here and couldn't do it nobody beats nebraska there when we walked on that field against nebraska nebraska knew they were going to beat us they thought they were better than us we faced some tremendous challenges in the 1980 season the number three ranked corn huskers jump out to a 14 to nothing lead but the seminole defense makes amends by shutting down the husker scoring attack the rest of the day with brute force when needed senior linebackers reggie herring and paul purowsky would earn immortal status the kicking game would play a pivotal role and in 1980 the finest two kickers in the nation wore garnet and gold ron stark would continually force nebraska to begin each series pinned back deep in their own territory the all-american punter averaged an astounding 48 yards on seven punts many into the win probably one of the biggest wins f you ever had and it was just one of those games where field position was just the thing you had to play for because they were a great team we had a great defense one of the best defenses in the ncaa that year if i could get the ball down there on their side of the field i knew that our defense would hold when we'd come with three points and we just continually did that equally impressive that beautiful fall afternoon was bill capis four times he was called upon and four times he would deliver it was it was a time that fsu never really played a a team ranked that high in the team of nebraska's caliber and we talked to some nebraska fans afterwards and they were talking about how they were used to leaving at halftime we just kept plugging plugging late in the game down by four the huskers have one last chance to pull it out [Music] you just know that they're going to come up with a play they're going to get that eye back in motion and toss it to him he's going to run to the outside and then outrun our secondary and our linebackers and score the winning touchdown you just know that's going to happen and everybody in that stadium knows it's going to happen too and up comes uh gary futch and paul and the play that seminoles will talk about forever second down goal to go twin the quarterback has franklin and roger quagg he's going to roll toward his right side borowski he's going to trap him he loses the football the centaurs are going to fall on it florida state's come up with us they own the football of the ball game recover the clinton maybe the most emotional victory i've ever been involved with the most memorable game of my college career and there was nothing more satisfying than beating them on their own home turf and coming back to tallahassee and seeing the feeling and the intensity in the air with the wind the seminoles send shockwaves across the nation's heartland that can be felt all the way back in tallahassee the victory may have done more for the reputation of fsu football than any other game played before or since to this day coach bowden's all-time favorite win no i don't believe i've ever had a win that i had a stronger feeling of at the end of the game of thankfulness for a bunch of players and a bunch of assistant coaches and a bunch of fans that followed us up there than i did the 1980 nebraska game the following week in tallahassee fans would get a chance to witness that intensity firsthand as the 11th ranked seminals for the second week in a row would battle the number three ranked team in the land this time it's the pit panthers this pit team is the best team i think i have ever lined up in my career of coaching it had 17 boys that went to the pros dan marino hugh green i made a first round i'm not sure how many first-rounders came on that's really the best college football team i've ever lined up against employing a brilliant offensive strategy designed to confuse pitt the seminoles moved down the field with unbelievable ease against the top rated defense in the nation [Music] and the nation's number two defense isn't about to let a 23-7 lead fall by the wayside the kicking game is again spectacular with stark booming punts and bill capis setting a school record with five fuel goals we we both what some people call we put on a kicking clinic we just seemed like both of us just could do no wrong in those two particular games so we just we we're in the groove and just every time we went out we just did what we were supposed to do you know when you when you size up a great competition and having to prepare yourself knowing it's going to be just so tough they really were they're just great victories for pittsburgh this would be their only loss of the season another number three falls at the hands and feet of bobby bowden's fired up seminole beating nebraska and pitt back to back as two top right teams was one of the greatest feats i think florida state university has ever pulled off [Music] the seminoles were more than happy to show off the number one scoring defense in the country in the big season finale with the gators riding the crest of a relentless defense that prided itself on plane as a team bobby bowden seminoles finished the year just one point shy of a second straight undefeated season not one opponent scored on the seminoles in the fourth quarter there's no doubt that i hope that people remember the 7980 teams for their great defenses but just guys that put their total life and and their heart into building a top program i know florida state now has more talented teams they have more talented players but as far as a team a togetherness and it was so strong [Music] okay man the thing i'm gonna ask you to do tonight just do the best you can you ain't got to score a touchdown you ain't got a block of kick i wish you would give 100 that's all you do we've got this field you got your like national champion and you have a smile on your face and you'll be happy just be loose you're not trying to do the darn best you can do ranked number two in the nation the highest ever for a florida state team the seminoles ventured to the orange bowl for another shot at the oklahoma sooners had a chance for the national championship twice the seminoles had the orange bowl trophy in their grass but it was not to be our kids fought hard i really felt like should have won but we lost a close game we were not very successful but but that's the last bowl game we've lost [Music] always one with a keen interest in military history bobby bowden learned how to quickly reverse the fsu bowl misfortunes following the battlefield losses in miami amazingly to this day his florida state teams have yet to drop another ball game that's nine straight post season appearances without a loss such a brilliant run has catapulted coach bowden to the top of the list of ball winning coaches whether it be with a freshman quarterback leading the team a game saving special teams play new year's day underdog favorite sugar peach tangerine citrus gator or all-american bowden's blockbuster bowl teams always seem to find a way you have to have a few breaks because it's a couple of those bowl games we could have lost as easily as we wanted but something happened a big play here that enabled us to win the ball game and but we've we've been very fortunate in that regard [Music] a new dawn was rising on the fsu football program in 1981 only three starters returned on offense from the 1980 team but one of them senior quarterback rick stockstill would lead this new bunch of seminoles to some of the most memorable road wins in the history of florida state football the season opener with louisville would be a sign of the ever-changing times as a rebuilt defense would shut out the cardinals and freshmen would account for all 17 fsu points yeah you know anytime you talk about florida they could take me back to the good old days especially with the guys who i played with you know but i have to think about the first pass that i caught was a touchdown in the corner you know uh first collegiate pass first game type deal you know we won the game we did well i did well and i just set this home for me for my career there nothing could have prepared the seminoles for what was to follow a five-game road trip to play at five of the most fearsome settings in college football successive weeks would be spent at lincoln columbus south bend pitt and baton rouge but i really think we probably got on the map because going into the season it was labeled as the oktoberfest it was all in october and the nation picked up on this and the fact that we were playing intersectionally the nation saw us saw us win three of those ball games and that might have put us on the on the road to national acclaim the first of those victories would come against seventh ranked ohio state down seven to nothing florida state special teams would get it back nobody was going to stop ron hester from turning that block punt into a touchdown and then the master of the trick play would send in backup quarterback kelly lowry with the doozy it's a fake lowry rolling to his right he might throw no he's going to keep it flowery at the 5 4 3 touchdown florida art sleester keeps the buckeyes close with a barrage of his own but this day belongs to rick stockstill and the seminoles the two scoring strikes lift the tribe up by nine and a gutsy goal line stand would make it stick bobby bowden's columbus debut is a smash [Music] bobby balton would pull out all the stops to earn what even some of the greatest coaches have only dreamt about a victory at south bend they are the number one traditional school in the nation in regard to football started back newt rodney and to take a florida state team and then have your florida state team win that's that that'll all be something we'll never forget the emotion pumped florida state defense would nullify any fighting irish attempts at a passing game two stock still to whiting touchdown passes lead florida state to victory over the irish and the only game ever played between the two schools florida state shocks the college football world for the second week in a row [Music] the final stop on what one magazine would liken to the batan death march would find florida state paying a visit to what was becoming a familiar stomping ground tiger stadium in baton rouge in his first start greg allen would blaze his way to 202 yards rushing on the night becoming the first seminal in history to crack the double century mark the seminoles whip lsu and complete their fiendish road swing [Music] tributes to the three oktoberfest victories can be found in the sod game cemetery where chunks of turf from the victim stadiums are buried under a grave marker signifying another fsu upset win on the road these days sod games are rare because florida state is rarely an underdog in any stadium bobby bowden is truly the king of the road the weary seminoles finally returned home to face western carolina however one 18 year old was not wary at all greg allen simply put number 26 would have the finest game ever for a freshman running back anytime anywhere 322 yards rushing 417 all-purpose yards a mesmerizing captivating performance one that the catamounts and the rest of the country will always remember well i was a little more relaxed it was home had home crowd behind me i thought hey i did it at lsu why not do it at home for the home people and just turn them loose a little bit more greg allen turned him loose for four years at florida state his name is still at the top of the all-time rushing list at fsu with over 3 700 yards piled up over his career allen scored so many rushing touchdowns during his days at tailback that the number two name of the list is 20 behind the milton florida native would lead the country in scoring during 1982 crossing the goal line 20 times in 1983 number 26 was voted consensus all-american as he slashed his way to more than 1100 yards rushing if i were drawing up runners i'd say ball wish you could run with the stride with the fluidness of greg allen and he was a slashing runner he he carried us i had a lot to do with our winning in the early 80s [Music] in 1982 for the third year in a row bowden seminoles would again be challenged with the most difficult schedule in the country tailback greg allen returned to lead a talented offense which would average over 35 points a game against a tough southern mississippi team junior kelly lowry celebrates his first start as fsu signal caller returning to the ohio state capitol coach bowden's trick play wizard would catch the northerners flat-footed cedric jones hits kelly lowry on the 46th throwback and number 12 becomes the only fsu player to pass for run for and receive a touchdown stunned the buckeyes try to come back but on every opportunity they are met with bone jarring resistance from the seminole d i like the idea that we're a a wild offensive football team i get sells tickets you know and brings us fans but really anybody thinks that we don't play pretty sound football well they're thinking just like i want them to think when we play them the seminoles thrash ohio state 34-17 to this day the two teams have never met [Music] again playing down in miami and they they say you can't beat miami in miami and you know i was just a young you know young kid and impressionable and that to go down there and win you know that that really let me know what big time college football was all about the seminole's defensive fury would take the hurricanes by storm i saw characters who i saw you know and he made a point to let me know who he was every time he got me on the ground and i don't know how many times he sacked me but i definitely got i probably got hit by him after every time i threw the football it seemed like it anyway linebackers tommy young and ken rowe played like twin wrecking balls smashing um at every juncture coach bowden brought his seminoles down there and dominated us embarrassed us and uh really brought us back down to earth with the 1982 fsu offense averaging 465 total yards per game it was more than the keynes could handle we executed good played good ball you know it was a great win it was just something to be proud of the seminoles earn a hard-fought 24-7 victory over miami propelling them to an 8-3 season and a ball game family feud well that's going to seem uh fun funny because i've got so many uh my daughter married to west virginia two of my sons married west virginians their family will be for west virginia this part of the family will be for florida state so there's going to be a lot in our family there'll be a civil war within our family the only major college team in florida to go bowling in 1982 bobby bowden would get a chance to renew old acquaintances against the favored mountaineers of west virginia in the gator bowl but i had coasted west virginia for 10 years and i was excited about playing them because i knew so many people there a lot of the fans came down and i was able to see people i had not seen in a long time and that's west virginia had a an excellent football team i remember we ran the uh shotgun for the first time and and that game and surprised them with it and uh and it was a good win for florida it's one of those games where we really just played good good enough to manhandle west virginia and the only meeting with his former school bobby bowden and his seminals would wallop the mountaineers 31-12 and finish the season ranked number 13 in the country how many times have you seen a team begin a season with an onside kick florida state did in 1983 a bizarre start to what would turn out to be a very strange season i think we took east carolina a little late it's basically what it is in 1983. um it was a high scoring game offense was clicking defense had a little problem of you know holding east carolina an ecu had a big problem holding greg allen the tribe has to make good on a late scoring drive to subdue the pirates in a wild 47-46 opening win for the fifth straight year florida state makes the i-10 trip to baton rouge down by 14 early the fsu defense rallies the seminoles kelly lowry then rips apart the bayou bengals [Music] greg allen explodes for another 200-yard rushing performance as fsu scores 33 unanswered points and wins 4 out of 5 at death valley [Music] homecoming 1983 a time for returning to the alma mater seeing old friends and watching your team set new fashion trends what was that it seemed like kelly larry came to me and said why don't we we might have been coming off of a loss and trying to get something started and let's come out and and and pure gold or something so we did we we wore a pure goal and and and and i think we won the ball game and i don't think we ever did that again well the defense certainly liked the new look even if no one else did we looked like we were going to halloween they look like look like they just had a a bowl of bean soup spilled all over them so they look like the uh the diaper you change on your baby i don't really don't remember that to be honest with you so what did ever become of those gold uniforms i don't know probably taken out to some big pasture and burned if you want to know the truth i don't really don't remember that oh i don't know they're probably callaway probably got a hit back down the boxes somewhere that's right you haven't seen the last of these gold jerseys yet fair warning tempe arizona 70 000 on hand to watch arizona state and fsu shoot it out in the desert starting quarterback kelly lowry out he's replacement senior bob davis who had thrown all of 11 passes in his career 88 seconds on the clock seminoles trailed 26-22 82 long yards from victory thing i remember about that ball game is we went all the way down for us for score using two plays and bob just took us right down the field right down the field right down the field that that has always been called the drive [Music] scan seconds remaining there are only 15 seconds left davis from the shotgun he drops back there's a blitzing linebacker in his face he throws toward the end zone touchdown jesse hester florida state is taking the lead if the 1983 miami hurricanes were to play for a national title they would first have to survive a trip into seminole territory coach howard schnellenberger flew into town a day early to mix it up with bobby babin although no punches were thrown of course bobby bowden didn't mind the media spotlight he's been at home in front of a camera for years i don't think there's a coach that i've come in contact with and this is my 43rd year in broadcasting that has more enthusiasm and understands the media as well as a bobby bowden i don't know why humble and winning good luck y'all got a break gracious and defeat give him 21 points now let's take 21 points out of there then he only got 50 right i mean if you think now the ball is snapping bowden and television were meant for each other you know very original and bobby bowden knows how to captivate an audience we win 40 games this year i can pass him back only experience that we do not have but it'll come we just have to be patient you have to be patient i'm going to be i got a lifetime job it's it's going to be a new experience for us being number one now oklahoma is used to it nebraska is used to it alabama's used to it we want to get used to it you know what we got coming up now we got miami they wanted they they're going to come in here about fourth in the nation or fifth they're gonna come here fourth or fifth of the nation [Applause] well let's pray [Laughter] down by a touchdown to the hurricanes the seminoles fight back with a vengeance [Music] bernie kozar feels the fury [Music] but um gets back into it on the last play of the game miami takes another one-point heartbreaker from the seminole but the season would end on a happy if not frigid note at the peach bowl eric thomas gets his first started quarterback and fires two first quarter strikes to weegee thompson fsu destroys north carolina and finishes 1983 just 15 points shy of an 11-1 [Music] season [Music] ever since bobby bowden arrived at florida state outstanding special teams have played a crucial role on each and every one of his teams special teams designed to emphasize strengths or shore up deficiencies some of the years where we our material was not as strong maybe as we felt like our stronger opponents we had some good players maybe didn't have as many and we were outmanned we did utilize the kicking game a little bit more blocking punts but in the early age we were a pure block team and we sure blocked our share well the 1984 florida state seminoles were throwing a little party a block party and everyone was invited [Music] it's the most devastating play in football guys like joe wilson uh just just solomon uh linda shavers you know those guys was running like a contest trying to block the uh punt and it worked it won a lot of games for us at lawrence kansas senior greg allen would have a field day slashing through the jayhawks for 133 yards and two touchdowns but an unknown guy would also make an impact that day it was my way of contributing at that time going into the season i was at 15 free safety and this was my my fifth year and it was something that uh that i had an opportunity to do it just kind of like it got it was like a snowball rolling downhill that it just started collecting and people started just you know getting pumped up about it in the beginning of the year it was from the outside and then lenny started blocking him and jesse started blocking him in the middle and we just had you know we we had a a very dangerous team at that point [Music] tempe arizona the wild west the only better setting for this shootout might have been the ok corral that was a big play players type of football game because every down something happened you had a lot of points scored you had a lot of yard score you had two great offenses going against each other and i mean things just exploded nobody played defense that game in the fourth quarter with the seminoles up 45 to 30 in a game which no lead is big enough wessel puts it away the 96 points scored by the two schools represents the highest scoring game the knolls have ever been in the florida state defense had a message for the defending national champion miami hurricane no way [Music] our kids played really well against them i believe we sacked them six seven times something like that uh it was a big win uh to beat them in the orange bowl that big but i guess back then that we used to beat them down there and they used to beat us up here and the florida state offense had a message for the miami defense hot stuff coming through [Music] final score florida state 38 miami 3. nuff said [Music] the citrus bowl orlando for the first time in 20 years the seminoles get to scrap with the junkyard dogs of georgia legends about to collide that was an excellent bowl game i always want to play georgia because of their neighbors there would be nothing mickey mouse about the hitting in this one [Music] four minutes to play trailing 17-9 the seminoles desperately need to make something happen it's the block party to the rescue [Music] still down by two bobby bowden calls for an old favorite [Music] a gut-wrenching finish to an exciting year [Music] those block party boys won't soon be forgotten at the start of 1985 the seminoles appeared set with sophomore danny mcmatus the number one signal caller after a season opening win at tulane the tribe headed to nebraska where temperatures were more befitting venus i remember going out and warming up on the aster turf and burning my hands and i couldn't believe it behind the leadership of mcmanus the florida state offense torches nebraska in the first half mcmanus spins around wants to run the option fires catch donovan touchdown florida state defense if they don't score we win and we do want to win right are we going to let them beat us let's get out there and get on can you hold up strong in the fourth quarter we're in the briar patch this is our kind of weather the fsu defense turns up the heat the seminole shut out the big red in the second half and upset the huskers 17 to 13. back home the next week against memphis state the world of danny mcmanus gets [Music] rocked two weeks later in auburn the seminoles find out mcmanus hasn't recovered from the huge did you all hit he said well i'm alright he said i'm just a little dizzy i got hit oh we can't afford to lose again i know what i do he's blown formation he only he wants one formation any fumble to snap other than that everything's all right let's give one more you keep your eye on it it's important here we don't play as long again right now do you think you're okay huh buddy it's very important now if you're not to be honest with me yeah he was he was out of it he really was he was calling plays he was calling pass formations with running plays he was he was really out of it i mean he just he couldn't do it players want to play you know they're motivated but we kept him out the rest of the year he just couldn't play with the 1985 freshman crops second to none a youth movement was on underclassmen would account for 57 points in a 76-14 annihilation of tulsa the 76 points represents the highest offensive output in fsu history [Music] with an 8-3 record florida state became the first team to compete in the gator bowl on four occasions freshman chip ferguson would capitalize on his postseason start riddling the oklahoma state secondary for 338 yards and two touchdowns despite suffering a broken collarbone in the first quarter coach bobby bowden celebrates his 10th year as tribe mentor with another great bowl victory over a top-notch opponent [Music] yeah 1986 was a very frustrating year frustrating because right off the bat we lost pablo lopez who was killed and our team went into shock and uh but it was a year and that which really kind of set the foundation for the next four years because we had all sophomore and freshmen on that team at least most of them and we knew if we could survive that year we could be pretty good and that was when dion and sammy smith and odell higgins and peter tom willis all those guys were only sophomores i think the most frustrating thing that year was the loss to florida when sammy smith had about a 70-yard touchdown call back that would have won the football game and we we got better at the end of the year it's kind of one of those deals at the end of the year we're pretty good again birmingham alabama childhood home of one bobby bowden setting a boyhood dreams turned into phenomenal gridiron achievements as a little all-american quarterback and later as head coach at howard college later renamed samford place where a young lady by the name of anne captured the man with her charm the city would open its arms to welcome back its well-traveled son in the tenth all-american bowl the weapon of choice for the seminoles would be a redshirt freshman tailback named sammy smith having a shot to go to the all-american bowling and play a team against indiana you know was really fun for me and i enjoyed every moment of it the six foot two 225 pound smith utilizes his unique combination of speed power and grace to run for over 200 yards against indiana and the seminole defense comes to play as well bobby bowden returns home on a triumphant note as florida state takes care of its big ten opponent 27 to 13. you have to give credit to the class of 86. i wasn't here then but those are the guys who really started florida state under this winning streak you know they you know they had the talent enough to go out and you know start beating people with all but three starters returning for the 1986 team you could feel the rumbling of not so distant thunder [Music] in 1987 florida state's favorite son was back in town of course burt reynolds is no stranger to the place returning to dedicate the new football dorm named in his honor burt reynolds will forever bleed garnet and go he likes to be around the players the players love to have him here and he has made great contributions to this team not only morally not only spiritually but financially has made great contributions and he's our number one ally but burt reynolds is a spirit behind his football team and of all the experiences i've had in my life and i've been lucky enough to go around the world a few times and meet a few nice people the the best friends that i have are the guys that i play football here at florida state [Music] igniting a season which would have no equals in the adults of florida state history the 1987 team literally destroyed opponents whether it be a shellacking administered on the friendly grass of doe campbell or a thorough humiliation put to them in their own stadiums bobby bowden's 1987 team took the term prolific offense to new heights averaging nearly 500 yards of offense and 44 points per game both florida state records [Music] at east lansing michigan the defense would show that it was just as devastating limiting the eventual rolls bowl champs to a paltry three points in 1987 when you have to punt to fsu you know what's coming a little prime time he's down the sideline makes his cut of the 45 strokes to a tackler looks for a block he's to the 35 40. it's a big return by dion sanders a patented bowden play would break the backs of the spartans and lead to a 31-3 tribe thrashing for the 40. ronnie lewis cuts it back across the field either the 25 in the 20 50 10. he'll go all the way touchdown florida state playing against florida state you never know what to expect we may come with the reverse we may come with the fate reverse i think that's what makes us so exciting you know people around the country like to see us play because we're so excited october 3rd tallahassee number three miami number four florida state national title hopes on the line fsu unleashes an offensive gale at the hurricanes on his way to the single season fsu rushing mark of over 1200 yards sammy smith rips off huge chunks of real estate [Music] the tribe defense is nothing short of sensational [Music] and inspired special teams play has the seminoles up 19-3 and fans thinking blowout yeah that was one of the best ball games i've ever been around with that we lost i don't usually like to talk about losses but our kids played so good that day our kids really deserve to win it only miami could come back and win a game like that they had such great players steve waltz finds a in the fsu defensive armor and the stunned seminoles are down by seven with just over two minutes to go we take the football with danny mcmanus at quarterback hitting uh key uh passes to dossier and other receivers but i remember hitting dexter carter with a key pass down the sideline and then uh mcmanus hits uh ronnie lewis in the end zone for a touchdown toward the end zone and phil mccarthy [Applause] we had decided in our game plan the night before that if something like it should occur we'd go for one get the time we sent our players in and they went out there to line up somebody called timeout i looked around at my team and also our coaches that were standing by and they looked very dejected that we were going for one you know i didn't think they would but i thought it would be elated that we're not going to lose the game but they really look kind of dejected and i said gee we we're not going to go for a time we're going to go we got to go for the win these boys want to win and we we call a play that we just felt sure would score but we didn't we executed terribly not didn't look like the same play with practicing and they stopped us they won the ball game and uh so i go in the dressing room and the boys are sitting there and they're very dejected and i tell them man it was my fault that we we should have gone for one they said no we wanted to go for two they were they were mad but we didn't make it but that really just showed you what they were made out of and so at that time that was i i believe that was the right call and i wouldn't change it i mean we knew in our minds that we ran up and down the field on them which we did you know so we i think most of the players were satisfied with that decision at that time i think that's the first game i've ever cried after that was a tough loss you know especially when you know and everybody else in the country knows that you're a better team than they are and um and to not win and and as it ended up at the end of the year you know that was the national championship game it was time to make good and an old debt at jordan hare stadium the defense led by terry warren odell higgins and paul mcgowan annihilates the would-be tiger offense all through the game i kept thinking well you know when's it going to stop you know when are we going to stop playing so good you know because we couldn't do anything wrong neither could the offense pillaging the sec champs for 34 points with his extra point in the second quarter senior kicker derek schmidt becomes the all-time ncaa scoring leader amassing close to 400 points in his career the seminoles punish auburn 34-6 handing the tigers their second worst home loss ever at that time we were playing the best that a group of guys could play gainesville gator country we had just gone over six straight losses to florida and that gets very frustrating for a coach and for a university and so 87 we have to play them in games we hadn't beaten them down in years and we go down and get behind fourteen to three early in the ball game looks like we're going to get blasted again even though we had a better ball club but our boys came back and we won the game handily and uh that was one of the most satisfying wins i believe in my career fsu pummels florida and the seminole faithful can let out six years of frustration january the 1st 1988 the fiesta bowl trailing nebraska 28 to 24 in the fourth quarter certain defeat is just three yards away reborn danny mcmanus leads the seminoles downfield faced with a fourth and goal from the 15 mcmanus connects with ronald lewis on a square in and jubilation struck all who wear the garnet and gold the 11-1 seminoles finished the season ranked number two in the country the highest finish to date for a florida state team i'd have to say that that team was you know the best team i played on while at florida state for his monumental defensive play in 1987 senior paul mcgowan would be presented the butkus award given annually to the finest linebacker in the land captain of a defense that would give up only 12 points a contest mcgowan led the team in tackles with 150 chalking up double figure totals in every game you just got to have confidence in yourself and not worry about the negative things people say you know they say you're too small they say you can't play just as long as you got the confidence to go out there and do the job then you know that's all that matters we are the symbols of florida state we know we're good some say we're great a golden symbol best in the land rocking to the beat of the march there was a first time for everything and for the first time in 42 years of football at florida state the 1988 seminoles were ranked pre-season number one that's right pre-season but it was still a good reason to celebrate even if there were 11 games yet to be played i i don't think the guys realized what that meant man when i saw the polls come out for the first time in the sea florida state number one i mean in the mount and just and just this thing back 10 years ago he wouldn't even notice for even being ranked in the poll and then here it is a decade later number one in the country this this university was i don't think it registered on those god what that meant because man when we played that would have been oh god i think that would have just been the ultimate high you know you couldn't get over it florida state's stay at the top would be a brief one so much for the bad news it didn't take the now back to earth 10th ranked seminoles long to regroup [Music] with any hopes of a top 10 finish at stake fsu had to travel to the other death valley to face the 4th ranked clemson tigers sporting their white uniforms for the first time the seminoles were dressed to kill trailing 14-7 in the third quarter the nation's leading punt returner in 1988 would silence a packed house first of all we definitely had on a return and the guys from clemson was harassing me over there on the sideline and i looked over there and told him it's going back it's going back baby and once i got in my head i really believed i could take it back and once i hit a little scene and we had great blocking on the play that was it it's prime time i got in the end zone asked him how you like me now with the game knotted to 21 under two minutes remaining the seminoles face the grim prospect of giving the ball back to a fired up clemson and here's the short hand off and the little handoff to the up back playwright butler's got a long way to go to the 40. be right below the 50. be right below the 40 to the 30. lee right by the 20. leeroy to the 10. leroy butler knocked out about to the four-yard line quite a play by the seven awesome razzle dazzle i'm hoping that when we run it we might can make a first down and get some momentum see never expect it to go 78 yards dane williams catches the ball sticks it under old butler's legs butler runs left and some guys chased him one guy sees it one guy sees it and starts chasing him and chases him all the way down the one yard line their safety comes back tackles him on the one and we kick a field goal rich andrews kicks a field goal two plays later we win the ball game the greatest play since my fair lady i said it then and i say it again samson gets caught florida state wins the game and bobby bowden is the professor higgins of college football brought to fsu by an assistant coach from arkansas state the pond roosky made its mark that day on a soggy carolina field you know it's a lot of people that you can say brought it here and things like who originated but it up to him to call it and i really really respect him for that if somebody were talking about my career at florida state and if they said did you see the play i think everybody refer back to that because that's got to be the play of the last 15 years here [Music] resurrected by the wind at clemson the seminoles steamrolled through the rest of their schedule including a lopsided win over michigan state the first and only time a big ten team has ventured into tallahassee [Music] a return trip to the palmetto state resulted in one of the most amazing florida state victories ever playing a top 20 gamecock team peter tom willis would get the starting nod of her injured chip ferguson and what a start it was from the second play on willis owned the gamecocks completing an unbelievable 17 of 20 passes for 270 yards and four touchdowns the entire seminole team picked up on the willis q dominating south carolina in every department on the way to a 59 to nothing route you know as long as i was here i don't ever think a florida state team played as well as we did that that one particular night back up to number five in the polls florida state was not about to let the florida gators sidetrack their plans for new year's day glory the seminoles put such a severe licking on the gators that their fans were heading back to gainesville at halftime junior wide receiver lawrence dossey showed the nation why he was mr touchdown in 1988 out of his 18 receptions on the year nine would go for touchdowns including one against florida that still has folks buzzing i just felt like every time i touched the ball i had a will to score and i just tried to use all my determination all the injuries i had on that particular pedestrian getting it in zone zigzagging through the defense because i was just waiting on somebody to jump on my bike and nobody never did jump so i just kept crawling and crawling finally i was able to dive on in for about a three yard line it was just a great feeling that night the tribe defense terrorizes florida all night long and the resulting 52-17 thumping represents the largest margin of victory ever by a seminole team over the gators they were saying we're going we're still going to win it you know the gator family yelling back there's not over and i say you're right it's not over to the fat gator sign and i see how they're saying oh lord you know it's just like christmas you know it's coming but i know you can't wait we are florida state when you say florida state just like yeah people listen i thought detroit was going to take me i would ask for so much money that i had to put me on lay away they call him prime time and from the first day he stepped onto the field at florida state dion sanders lived up to the nickname so dominating was sanders play in 1988 he was named recipient of the jim thorpe award as the nation's top defensive back sanders ranks second on the all-time fsu interception list returning four of those for touchdowns and holds most of the pup return records as well dion sanders joins ron simmons as the only two-time consensus all-american to play at fsu i've learned when you at the top like i am now you got to work harder than everybody else below you because somebody out there always tried to knock you down all i got to say is prime time is back on january the 2nd 1989 prime time would be back and talk about going out in style with auburn driving late in the sugar bowl for what would have been the winning touchdown sanders makes the prime time play to preserve a 13-7 seminole victory the 1988 seminoles had overcome what could have been disaster at the start of the season and fought their way back to a number three final ranking truly a masterful job of coaching by bobby bobby [Music] i think if you have any ambitions at all as far as playing professional football florida state is a school to go to because of the offense because we feature the wide receivers and we have outstanding quarterbacks we're going to practice the way we're going to play any football game if you're going to dive for a pass in the game if you're going to go all out in the game you're going to do it in practice too 1989 was the final year that perhaps the finest assembly of receivers ever to play at receiver u would get to showcase their talents ronald lewis terry anthony bruce lessane and lawrence dawsey the fab four this remarkably gifted quartet would total 120 receptions on the year good for over 2 000 yards and 18 touchdowns throwing all those passes was peter tom willis the fifth year senior would launch a one-man assault of the florida state record book breaking or tying 14 passing and total offensive records including single season passing yardage with more than 3 100 yards in the home finale against memphis state willis threw for a career-high 487 yards and drilled six touchdown passes virtually all in the first half you know i played with probably four four the best receivers that just ever played together in college football and um you know our offensive line and everybody it was just i think i was lucky that i just played on a great team but it wouldn't start out being a great team two opening losses would drop the tribe from the top 25 for the first time in three years that was terrible that was a disaster but the seniors of that ball club they really took over and said well look okay we lost the first two games we're not gonna lose anymore i don't know what it was just that third game against lsu we really really came together and you know we could have lost the game they were heading to fourth quarter and we came back and scored a couple touchdowns and the defense played great football in the second half and you know from that point on we were just a different team [Music] if the 1989 team had any hope at all of returning to the upper echelon of college football a victory at syracuse was a necessity the orange offensive line was reputed to be the finest in the land but they had never faced the likes of the sack pack our boys were quicker we had nine sacks that day and our defense played great in the october 21 showdown in front of the largest crowd in campbell stadium history tribe defenders continually stymied the auburn offense limiting the vaunted auburn ground attack to 92 yards florida state showed its offensive versatility through a dominating running game freshman tailback amp lee would zigzag his way to 115 yards in the night while fullback edgar bennett banged his way to a pair of touchdowns a defensive stand with time running out preserved the 22-14 victory marking coach bobby bowden's third in a row over auburn we were ready we were prepared we weren't intimidated at all we were the intimidators and uh we came out to dominate he rolled out to the right kirk carruthers had great pressure on him you know he had to get rid of the ball to take a sack so they tell you know quarterbacks you know to get rid of the ball and take a sack so clerk really got up on his own he overthrew his receiver and i intercept the ball and um once i intercept the ball i mean the crowd went crazy i went crazy guys it's like oh yeah we got him we got then the first play is just like the first two plays you know it just took him out of the game because the next play dexter went for the touchdown [Music] [Applause] well they had the best defense in the nation and especially against run they wasn't giving up but i bet they wasn't giving up 60 yards a game on the ground we got 250 yards rushing and our defense again played great again our defense made three goal line stands that night inside the five not allowing them they needed touchdowns and not field goals our defense made three goal line stands that's the that was the key to us winning that ball game that game was head and shoulders above every other game i've ever played in every single play you just feel the crowd i mean it's like you're getting shot by electricity the whole game your hairs were standing up on your arm and everything and it was really something special i mean we you know it wasn't the prettiest thing in the world sometimes but but we did what we had to do and we beat him beat him pretty convincingly the miami game was just that was something else i mean they literally had to come get us off the field after that game we didn't want to leave the field it just gave us an idea of what florida state can really accomplish around here we can do anything we put our mind to it the 1989 season would end with a resounding 41-17 victory over nebraska in the fiesta bowl you know that was a lot of fun that was like a circus act or something i mean i just throw the ball up and those guys would run get it and you know before i knew it you know we were crushing them the seminoles would rise from the ashes of despair to major bold glory fsu under the leadership of bobby bowden won 10 straight games and climbed all the way back to number three in the country by seasons in 10 fsu players would earn all-american status for their play including consensus all-american cornerback leroy butler the 1989 seminoles will be remembered as a team that refused to give up [Music] inexperienced but talented inexperienced but talented we've got good talent here we've got good talent i think we've got as good of talent as we have had at florida state but it's the least it's the most inexperienced has been since 1986. bobby bowden was faced with some major questions heading into his 15th season as head man of the tribe would a team with only five senior starters be capable of playing up to the caliber that seminole faithful have come to expect there were a lot of expectations because you know florida state is known for having a great team we were ranked for aldehyde um preseason going into the um first four games of the season we are we were punt we knew we'd be playing some teams in which um we were expected to beat you know we were chosen to win those games by large margins and we didn't we struggled through a lot of them and um we weren't winning as convincing as a lot of people thought we should we just had better talent than those other teams and it was a great learning experience for our young team in the early going a promising new star had risen a true freshman inside linebacker marvin jones had already registered more tackles in one game than any seminole in three years and would continue his dominating play throughout the season earning all-american status [Music] 200 victories an achievement so rare that you can count the number of coaches who have reached that milestone on two hands with a victory over lsu bobby bobbin would carve himself a place on the mount rushmore of college coaches beside the likes of bryant hayes and jim beckler in his 25th year of head coaching excellence the time had arrived for bobby bowden from the opening kickoff there would be no doubt what the florida state seminoles were playing for [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] the boys went out against lsu played a great game and they made it a very happy day for all of us and again i cherish it as much for florida state as i would for my own family because i want florida state to have every plus in their record books on their walls that that they can get here that people can come in here and be proud of and if i can contribute something to that i owe it to florida state and i'd sure like to contribute to them [Music] bobby dobbin 200 career wins and going strong [Music] the seminoles squashed their remaining opponents setting up a gargantuan showdown with the new look sixth ranked florida gators guided by first year coach steve spurrier the gators weren't prepared for what would hit them on the second play of the game pops the arm now he wants to go long downfield he's got dorsey wide open he makes the catch of the 420 to [Applause] we knew that we could move the ball if we execute nobody could stop our offense and they hadn't really been tested as their stats had shown and so going in we were confident we could move the ball it was just one of those nights where we executed real well florida would never recover the gators nationally ranked defense was no match for the seminole's balanced offensive scheme during the course of 1990 the young florida state defense had grown some very sharp teeth seniors bill reagans and john weich would inspire the seminole d [Music] junior casey weldon enjoying his finest outing as a seminole would shred the gator secondary hitting on 13 of 23 passes good for a career high 325 yards amp lee capping a sensational 147 yard effort on the night puts the finishing touches on a 45-30 victory over uf number four in a row over the gators [Music] the setting joe robbie stadium the occasion the first annual blockbuster goal number six florida state meets number seven penn state for only the second time in the tradition-rich history of college football will two coaches with 200 wins exchange hostilities on the gridiron the blockbuster bowl was that was a godsend really you know i mean florida state has established themselves a reputation of being a class football team that has built a program clean penn state has had that tradition for years and years and years joe paterno will go down as one of the great all-time coaches there's no doubt about it you're talking about two teams that might be as good as anybody in the country terrell buckley astonishes everyone my teammates been telling me that they was kind of worried at first i was going back you know they was calling me you know what kind of names and what is he doing and everything but i knew if i could i could get to the wall that i have a chance to score the seminoles and nittany lions play like one would expect from two of the finest programs in the land with the 24 to 17 victory bobby bowden finally beats an old nemesis for the fourth year in a row the seminoles end the season ranked among the top four teams in the [Music] country following the 1990 season wide receiver lawrence dossey joined the elite ranks of ron sellers and fred volitnikov by being voted consensus all-american since bobby bowden has taken florida state into the national limelight lawrence dossey is just one of many former seminoles to make their way to the national football league [Music] bobby powder's record on the field speaks for itself the man is truly a legend of the game but what bobby bowden means to florida state university off the playing field cannot be measured the man is just a great coach you know just an excellent all-around human being you know anything that he can do to make you better as an athlete he'll do and a better person he'll do he's just a superman you know uh when i was being recruited to a lot of other schools i still even saw the head coach um he you know coach bound is a part of our team he's a part of the family and uh he's he's the father of the family and he's you know just he's the almighty around here and he's a great man um coach bowden is probably the most special person i've ever been involved with as far as football is concerned and um hold a lot of respect for him and you know hold more respect for him for his his the things that he does outside of football you know the way he um motivates his players not only on the field but you know in life [Music] words like respect admiration class honesty charisma charm and humor all are words that easily fit the image of the man he's meant everything you know from being a father image to kids that come from across the country i came from minnesota we had guys like ken lanier from ohio we had guys from all over the country that would leave their families and go down there and i feel comfortable being away from home because i felt like bobby bowden was there if i had something i had to talk to him about he was there he motivates you by truly caring about you coach bounds was a great man a great influence my mother loved him she's always writing letters and said robert you know i want to make sure you're taking care of my son i want you to you know treat him right i want you to make sure he grows up you know become a real good man and she knew that with with the religious background that he had that um you know his morals were very good and it was that was somebody that she could trust coach bowden he you know he instilled in us you know confidence he instilled in us you know that we don't have to do what's right and uh i think it worked this is a fabulous school for a lot of reasons not just for the fellowship and the education that you get but for the memories that you'll have the rest of your life and the only regret i have is that i never had a chance to play for bobby bowden perhaps no sports personality in the country is more recognizable so likable as the man that even adversaries sing his praise he brought sportsmanship he brought a proper attitude and perspective to the game and uh made it very tough to recruit against him because of this grandfatherly image that he brings to all his players recruits and parents he's been a very positive influence on collegiate football if you really want to know about bobby bowden as a football coach look at him as a man and look at him as a husband look at him as a father look at him is a contributor to society young a success in one area of your life and fail in other areas of your life that's why what bobby bowden has done on the football field is probably very minimal compared to the impact he's had on the lives of his children and other people he's come in contact with i'm happy to call bobby bowden a friend robert kleckler bowden is a man of unquestioned integrity and a man of his word his priorities are set god family football bobby is a an institution he is he's the development he is mr football in florida and he's certainly mr football florida state i can't say enough about everything the man's brought to the program but i can't say this everything that's happened it's been good it's been because of bobby bob what bobby bowden also is is the spirit of florida state university he is honest he is dedicated he's hard-working he's a family man and bobby bowden exemplifies everything that we feel about this great university bobby bowden and florida state to me they're synonymous every school has something to showcase fsu chooses bobby bowden i can't tell you how good i'm going to feel five years from now but as long as god gives me good health and as long as florida state wants me here that's how long i want to coach in a span of 15 short years bobby bowden has been building a tradition [Music] [Applause] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] let's thank the man that gave us the strength man okay ready as your father we thank you for the strength that you gave us the hearts that you gave us i thank you for these boys lord what great lords they are please protect them and keep them safely healed or injured be with their parents and their girlfriends and their friends as they go back home be with our coaches and everybody has a part of us how thankful we are for you help us to be great winners help us to be good winners and again we just we just thank you man i'm mighty proud of you and these things were planned [Music]

Channel: Seminole Moments

Views: 13,686

Keywords: FSU, Florida State, Seminoles, Noles, college football, classic play, classic game, Seminole Moments, Tallahassee, Doak Campbell Stadium, Bobby Bowden, documentary, highlights, 1990, 90s

Id: ZrStHHO3O5o

Length: 120min 55sec (7255 seconds)

Published: Tue Sep 08 2020

Reddit Comments

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All I can say about the thumbnail is DAMN!