Florida State Seminoles at Doak Campbell Stadium
Tallahassee, Florida, is home to one of the most prestigious and successful programs in college football. The Florida State Seminoles are the class of the Atlantic Coast Conference, having won a stunning 15 conference championships and six Atlantic Division titles since joining the ACC in 1992, in addition to national championships in 1993, 1999 and 2013. The Seminoles play at Bobby Bowden Field at Doak S. Campbell Stadium, which opened in 1950 and whose capacity has grown from 15,000 in its inaugural season to 79,560.
Florida State Seminoles Football History
Florida State College first fielded a varsity football team from 1902 until 1904, when the Buckman Act merged and segregated Florida's university system by race and gender. Florida State exclusively served white women from 1905 until 1947, when the postwar boom necessitated the school's return to coed status. The newly rechristened Florida State University had a fledgling football team in the ‘50s, featuring future college coach and ESPN analyst Lee Corso, as well as Burt Reynolds, who gained international fame after a series of injuries shifted his focus from football to acting. Bill Peterson undersaw both the rise of Florida State's program and the team's integration as head coach from 1961 to 1970, and mentored Bobby Bowden, who would lead the Seminoles into national prominence as head coach from 1976 to 2009.
Three Heisman Trophy winners have played for the Seminoles: Charlie Ward in 1993, Chris Weinke in 2000 and Jameis Winston in 2013. Other notable Seminole legends include Fred Belitnikoff, whose name graces the trophy given for best college wide receiver, WWE Hall of Famer Ron Simmons, Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Brooks and legendary cornerback Deion "Prime Time" Sanders. Florida State's biggest rivals include Florida and the University of Miami, as well as such in-conference opponents as Virginia and Clemson.
