Seminole Domination

Seminoles Dominant Decade 2

Florida State University football program in the 1990’s

The team of the decade

In the State of Florida, and in the city of Tallahassee, FL. sits Florida State

University. Home of the most winningest college football program during the 1990’s.

The Seminoles dominated on the field with more conference titles (9) along with

playing in more national title games (5) than any other college football program

during that decade. Beyond dominating at the championship level the Seminoles put

fear in other teams that played at Doak S Campbell Stadium by having the longest

home winning streak in the nation. (52)

Bobby Bowden, the head coach of the Seminoles, was the key factor in taking FSU’s football program to the next level of championship caliber. Bobby Bowden started coaching the Seminoles in 1976. (The Bowden Way). Before Bobby Bowden came to Florida State University, the program was not considered to be a national powerhouse or threat to be ranked as a national championship contender. Bowden’s first year coaching the Seminoles would be the last time they had a losing record in college football. “Bowden didn’t just turn Florida State into a superpower; he turned it into a monster of a winning machine that would go on a run rivaling any era in the history of the fame.” Fiutak states in his article. Bobby Bowden believes that the path at Florida State was pure destiny, and that he has in turn proved to be a coaching legacy at Florida State. Bowden states “All that has happened in my life has reaffirmed what I had always believed, that God has a purpose for everyone.”

Seminole Dominant Decade 3

(Bettinger, The Book of Bowden, 2001, p. 36). Bobby Bowden wanted to turn Florida State into a national contender and to change the path of the Seminoles into champions. He did just that. Going into the 1990’s The Florida State Seminoles football program was one of the strongest football programs to date. By the end of the 1990’s the Florida State University football program had 9 ACC conference titles, a home winning streak of 52 games in a row without a loss, and had played in 5 national title games, winning 2 of those games to claim the title team of the decade.

In 1976 Florida State University hired Bobby Bowden from West Virginia University in hopes that Bobby Bowden would establish a winning football program. Bobby Bowden not only established a winning football program he built a dynasty. Bobby Bowden had to rebuild this program so that it could become a national powerhouse, and the way to do this was by hiring the right coaches, and recruiting the right players. In 1977, Bowden’s second year, the program starting turning around with an impressive 10 – 2 record and defeating their future arch rivals, the Florida Gators. Along with having to rebuild the program came the task of playing ranked teams on the road, at the opposing stadiums, to get the notoriety to become a national contender. “It was FSU’s ability to beat top-quality teams on the road that gained FSU’s program national acclaim and earned Bowden the nickname �King of the Road’.” (Papa �Nole, 2000)

Seminoles Dominant Decade 4

Building a program that has national contention each year is the goal for majority of most college football teams. To be able to contend at a national championship levels the college or university needs to have outstanding facilities along with great coaches and elite athletes that can help the program take it to the next level. To be able to achieve the facilities and coaches, the school must have the money available for these types of necessities. The money comes from bowl games that are played at the end of each season. Different bowl games provide different amounts of money; of course the larger bowls provide more money to each school that attends the bowl games.

A school that plays in a bowl game must have a certain amount of wins each year and to play in a large bowl the team must be ranked in the Associated Press Poll (AP Poll). Usually the top 2 teams will play for the national championship, and this bowl game will provide the schools with the largest amount of money to build on their programs. From 1977 to 1990 the FSU Seminoles played in bowls that help build their