Unconquered Magazine Winter 2018

SEMINOLE BOOSTERS MAGAZINE

WINTER 2018

MEN’S AND WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PREVIEW

FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

Florida State fans were treated to a B-52 flyover before the Nov. 17 game against Boston College. The B-52 Stratofortress, flown by the 20th Bomb Squadron, 2nd Bomb Wing, from Barksdale Air Force Base, La., flew over Doak Campbell Stadium just as the national anthem concluded. This photo captured the plane as it cruised over the Dunlap Champions Club. It was a memorable moment on an enjoyable Saturday, as the school honored military members and the Seminoles rallied to pick up a 22-21 win.

(Photo by Tammy Franza) SEMINOLE-BOOSTERS.COM

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2018-19 DIRECTORS AT-LARGE

SEMINOLE BOOSTERS, INC. 2018-19 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Diana Azor

Craig Dewhurst

Dan Hendrix

Parrish Owens

Byron Bailey

Charles Dudley

Nick Iarossi

Warner Peacock

W.O. Bell

Albert Dunlap

Bob Johnson

Craig Ramsey

Jim Boyd

Doug Dunlap

Pete Law

Mark Shelnutt

Kevin Carpenter

Linda Dupree

Brett Lindquist

Jim Steiner

Eleanor Connan

Don Everett

Scott Madden

Bill Stephenson

Marilyn Cox

Eric Friall

John McCann

Mike Summey

Clif Curry

Ernie Garcia

Richard McMullen Philip Troyer

Bill Dawkins

Bill Hagen

DeVoe Moore

Richard Welch

Mary Demetree

Kevin Hawkins

Brian Murphy

Jerry Williams

EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS Tom Jennings ..............................................................................Presidential Designee Ed Burr .............................................................................. Board of Trustees Chairman DOUG RUSSELL

BOB DAVIS

Chairman

BOB FREY

Chairman Elect

JOHN CROWE Treasurer

Secretary

David Coburn ....................................Interim Director for Intercollegiate Athletics Nan Hillis............................................................................Foundation Chair Designee Nada Usina............................................................ Women’s Athletics Representative Max Oligario ........................................................................................Alumni Chairman Pam Parrewe ........................................................................... Athletic Board Designee Wade Wallace .............................................................................. Varsity Club Designee Chris Garrison .....................................................................Student Booster Designee Doug Russell........................................................................... Seminole Boosters Chair Bob Davis....................................................................... Seminole Boosters Vice-Chair Gary Thurston......................................... Seminole Boosters Immediate Past Chair Nylah Thompson ........................... Seminole Boosters 2nd Immediate Past Chair

TOM JENNINGS Presidential Designee

GARY THURSTON Immediate Past Chairman

ED BURR

Chairman of the Board of Trustees

NYLAH THOMPSON 2nd Immediate Past Chair

DAVID COBURN

Interim Director for Intercollegiate Athletics

ALAN FLAUMENHAFT At-Large

PAST CHAIRS Kathy Atkins-Gunter

Mike Fields

John Olson

W.G. Babe Starry*

Bob Fohl*

Syde P. Deeb*

Bob Lee Bannerman*

Andy Haggard

Bill Parker

Tom Barron

Kim Hammond

Doyle Pope*

Hurley Booth*

Bruce Harrell

Frank Pope*

Dennis Boyle*

Mike Harrell

Theo Proctor, Jr.

Steve Brown

Ed Haskell, Jr.*

David Rancourt

Spencer Burress*

Sherman Henderson

Gene Ready*

Bob Camp*

Charlie Hill*

Charles Rosenberg*

Joe Camps

Lou Hill*

Godfrey Smith*

Bill Carraway

Ron Hobbs

Lomax Smith

Jim Carter

Jim Kirk*

Brian Swain

Ken Cashin

Chris Kraft

Nylah Thompson

Bob Caton

George Langford

Gary Thurston

Raymond Cottrell

Lawton Langford

Gary Walsingham

Dave Cowens

W. S. Bill Lee*

Herschel Williams*

Carl Domino

Douglas Mannheimer

Tommy Williams*

Bill Dubey*

Payne Midyette, Sr.*

Albert Yates*

Frank Fain

Russ Morcom

*Deceased

FLORIDA STATE BOARD OF TRUSTEES JIMMY GRAGANELLA At-Large

KRIS INCHCOMBE At-Large

DELORES SPEARMAN At-Large

Todd Adams

Mark Hillis

Maximo “Max” Alvarez

Craig Mateer

Kathryn Ballard

Stacey Pierre

Edward E. “Ed” Burr, Chair

Bob Sasser

William “Billy” Buzzett

Brent W. Sembler

Emily Fleming “June” Duda

John Thrasher

Jorge Gonzalez Jim W. Henderson

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SEMINOLE-BOOSTERS.COM

(President, Florida State University)

EXECUTIVE STAFF

ACCOUNTING/HUMAN RESOURCES

Andy Miller ............................................................................................President & CEO Greg Hulen ............................................................................. Executive Vice President Derril Beech ....................................... Vice President, Marketing & Annual Giving Eric Carr ....Vice President of Development Coordination, Training & Oversight Mike Dasher ......................................................Senior Vice President, Development Jerry Kutz ....................................................Senior Vice President, Communication JP Sinclair ..................................................................................Chief Financial Officer Kari Terezakis .............................................................. Vice President of Stewardship Ben Zierden ..........................................................Senior Vice President, Operations

Chyenne Bibik ................................................................................... Accounting Clerk Amy Hanstein .....................Director of Employee Relations & Accounts Payable Mark Majszak ................................................................................................Comptroller

ADMINISTRATIVE Patti Barber .................................................................................................... Receptionist James Bird .............................................................................. Director of Maintenance

ADVANCEMENT SERVICES Patrick Harrity ................................................................... Web Application Specialist Alesha McCann ............................................................................................. Data Analyst

DEVELOPMENT OFFICERS Tom Carlson .......................................Senior Vice President, North Florida Region Chris Wilson ................................................. Director of Development, Atlanta Area Javi Garcia-Tunon .......Associate Director of Fundraising, Goldcoast of Florida Colson Hosford ............................................Director of Real Estate & Development Billy Sexton ................................................. Director of Development South Florida Kevin Smith ...................... Director of Development, Greater Tampa Bay Region Hugh Tomlinson .....................................Director of Development & Gift Planning James Warren ............ Associate Director – Panhandle Area & Big Bend Region Max Zahn ....................................................................Regional Annual Fund Director

TICKET SALES & BOOSTER MEMBERSHIPS Mark Cameron ......................................................................... Director of Ticket Sales Timara Gore ...............................................................Account Executive – New Sales Andrew Pope .............................................................Account Executive – New Sales Justin Schaefer .........................................................Account Executive – New Sales Fernando Segura ............................................. Account Executive – Premium Sales George Seliga ...........................................................................Team Lead – New Sales Ray Silva .....................................................................Account Executive – New Sales Brian Wagner ...................... Account Executive – Premium Service & Retention Mikey Drinkard ...................................... Account Executive – Service & Retention Ed Servil ................................................... Account Executive – Service & Retention D’minia Stokes .................... Account Executive – Premium Service & Retention Nicole Sullivan ...................................................... Team Lead – Service & Retention Analisa Trstensky................................... Account Executive – Service & Retention T. J. Alford ............................................... Account Executive – Service & Retention

COACHES CLUBS Sarah Wisemann .............................................. Assistant Director of Annual Giving

FSU TRADEMARK LICENSING Katie Watt .................................................................Director of Trademark Licensing Garrett O’Connor ................................ Assistant Director of Trademark Licensing

GIFT PROCESSING Logan Byrd..............................................................................Gift Processing Manager Rob Neal..................................................................................Gift Processing Specialist Alex Pope ................................................................................Gift Processing Specialist David Newman .........................................Mail Processing & Records Management

MARKETING Alex Douglas.........................................................................Director of Annual Giving Monica Perez........................................................................... Director of Graphic Arts Kristin Tubeck ...............................................................Director of Events Marketing Joanna White ................................................................... Assistant Director of Events

STEWARDSHIP Jordan Jarmakowicz..........................................Stewardship & Events Coordinator Blake Moore ..........................................................Stewardship & Events Coordinator

VARSITY CLUB Betsy Hosey .............................................................................. Director of Varsity Club

Unconquered magazine (USPS 18182) is published quarterly by Seminole

CONTACT Send correspondence to Derril Beech, at the address shown above or

Boosters, Inc., 225 University Center, Suite 5100, Tallahassee, Florida, 32306.

by email to derril.beech@fsu.edu. Telephone: (850) 644-3484.

(850) 644-3484, Fax: (850) 222-5929. POSTMASTER: send change of address to, Unconquered magazine, care of Seminole Boosters, Florida State University

MAGAZINE STAFF

Center, Suite C-5100, 5th Floor, Tallahassee, Florida, 32306. Periodicals Postage

Publishers: Andy Miller, Jerry Kutz

Paid at Tallahassee, FL, Volume 34, Issue 2.

Managing editor: Derril Beech Design, layout, production, pre-press: IMG College

All advertising revenues directly support programs of the Seminole Boosters, Inc.

Featured photographers: Ross Obley, Mike Olivella, Ryals Lee Contributing

For advertising rates, please contact the sales representatives listed below. © 2018,

photographers: Seminole Boosters, FSU Sports Information, Andrew Salinero/

Seminole Boosters, Inc. All rights reserved. Opinions expressed herein do not

FSView, Sara Davis/ACC, the ACC, Maury Neipris Columnists: Charlie Barnes,

necessarily reflect those of Florida State University faculty, staff or administration.

Jerry Kutz Contributing writers: Derril Beech, Jim Crosby, Bonnie Holub, Jerry Kutz, John

OVERVIEW Unconquered magazine celebrates Seminole athletics and the

Lata, Tim Linafelt, Jeff Romance, FSU Sports Information, Bob Thomas

indomitable spirit of its student-athletes who overcome adversity, the passion

Copy editor: Bob Ferrante

of its coaches and educators who help students reach beyond their limits and

Photo purchasing information: derril.beech@fsu.edu

the devotion of donors who redefine the boundaries of generosity by giving scholarships that change lives and who make donations that build first-class athletic facilities. By sharing their stories of transformational experiences — on the athletic playing field, in the classroom and in life — Unconquered magazine encourages the growth of responsible world citizenship and cross-cultural understanding. Each issue carries stories on what makes student-athletes great and how they were shaped by their experience at FSU, features on Seminole community sports legends and profiles of donors who make contributions.

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W H A T ’ S

I N S I D E

CONTENTS Booster Life 2 Board of Directors 36 Booster Life 69 Newest Noles 73 Eternal Flame 76 Welcome New Members 80 Compliance Features 12 Unconquered Campaign 26 Al and Judy Dunlap 24 Thanks, Buddy: Remembering Burt Reynolds 33 The George Langford Award 38 Kez McCorvey: Paying it Forward 40 A Life Long Friendship Built at Florida State 42 Gabby Reece: A Renaissance Woman 45 Seminole Basketball Preview 57 Seminole Swimming & Diving Preview 64 Choose Tallahassee 71 Seminole Superhero Report 6 Andy Miller Q&A 8 What Price Glory 30 Best of Times, Worst of Times, We Each Decide 61 Quarterly Report 63 Golden Torch 66 CollegeTown

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On the cover: Al and Judy Dunlap make $20 Million lead gift to Unconquered Campaign.

Photo by Conan Segrest of Full Line Photography Studio in Ocala, FL Cover design by Monica Perez

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Q & A

Q&A BOOSTERS PRESIDENT

ANDY MILLER

SB: You’ve known Interim Athletics Director David Coburn for many years. What is your assessment of David and his ability to lead the program?

Miller: Yes, he and I have known each other since college.

We’ve worked together on the University Center Project back in the early 1990s, among other projects that were jointly funded by the private and public sectors. David, first and foremost, loves Florida State University and always has its interest front and center. He’s a quick study, understands the playing field and is very effective as an administrator.

David is a man of few words. He doesn’t speak frequently, but when he does his words have substance and should be carefully considered. The landscape in college athletics is rapidly changing. We need leaders who recognize the changes and put the program in the best possible position to be successful.

SB: How is fundraising going?

Miller: Major gift fundraising is going very well. We exceeded our $250 million goal in the Raise the Torch/ Champions Campaign and raised $371 million, which was 148 percent of our goal, and then immediately launched the $100 million Unconquered Campaign. The focus of the campaign is the development of facilities, primarily football operations, and does include fundraising goals for golf, baseball, basketball, the endowment and women’s athletics. Consideration is being given to adding a new component for unrestricted giving.

SB: What is unrestricted giving and why is it so important?

Miller: Primarily, unrestricted giving funds operations costs and transfers to the athletics department whereas restricted gifts are earmarked for facilities, scholarships and modest supplements for Olympic sports. These transfers of over $22.5 million annually represent 21 percent of the Athletics Department’s annual budget. These funds underwrite scholarship costs, recruiting, coaches’ salaries and provide the margin of excellence necessary to provide a winning experience on and off the field. Our primary unrestricted revenue comes from annual Booster memberships.

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SB: How are we doing in this area?

Miller: This is an area of major concern. Live attendance at sporting events is in a decline across the country. There are a lot of factors, but primarily television coverage has provided our donors more options. As ticket demand softens, unrestricted funding is affected.

SB: What’s the solution?

Miller: We have to manage our budget, and attract more annual fund members and season ticket holders.

SB: How can I help?

Miller: As a donor and loyalist you can consider your financial commitment as well as volunteer to solicit others.

In most cases, it’s not the message, but the messenger. Talk to your Seminole friends and explain why it’s so important for them to invest in the program. You make a difference SB: What logic led to the development of CollegeTown and how does the Athletics Department benefit?

Miller: CollegeTown was built on blighted land adjacent to Doak Campbell that was donated to Seminole Boosters, Inc. The concept envisioned three benefits to FSU athletic and its fan base and for the university: 1. To generate income to the Scholarship Endowment to fund scholarships for Florida State Athletics. The scholarship endowment generated $895,000 in investment interest earnings last year from the CollegeTown investment.

2. To stimulate property values of the donated land on which CollegeTown was built and the land value of more than 20 surrounding acres owned by SBI. According to information provided by Tallahassee’s Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), properties located within the Greater Gaines Street Area have experienced exponential appreciation over the past several years. Taxable values for the redeveloped properties have increased by a multiple of 23x dating back to 2011.

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BUDGETED REVENUES AND EXPENSES TOTAL BUDGETED REVENUES FOR 2018-2019*............................................................................................................................ $53,857,000 Includes $7.15 million from the Dunlap Champions Club BUDGETED EXPENSES BY CATEGORY 2018-19 SBI Transfer to Athletic Department (Unrestricted and Restricted) .......................................................................................................$22,592,000 SBI Transfer to Florida State University .................................................................................................................................................. $2,640,000 SBI Payment on Existing Debt Service for Athletic Facilities .................................................................................................................. $10,907,000 SBI Operating & Administrative Expenses ............................................................................................................................................... $6,817,000 Dunlap Champions Club Expenses* SBI Transfer to Athletics tor 200 and 300 level end zone seating...................................................................................................... $2,000,000 Operating (inc. food, beverage, operations) and administrative........................................................................................................$2,135,000 Ticket Marketing and Sales...................................................................................................................................................................... $1,011,000 Athletic Program Directly Funded Expenses........................................................................................................................................... $4,878,000 Total Allocated Expenses $52,980,000

Transfer to Athletic Department (Unrestricted and Restricted) ......................... 42.6% Payment on Existing Debt Service for Athletic Facilities .................................... 20.6% Operating & Administrative Expenses ................................................................12.9% Athletic Program Directly Funded Expenses .........................................................9.2% Transfer to Florida State University ......................................................................5.0% Operating (inc. food, beverage, operations) and administrative .......................... 4.0% Transfer to Athletics tor 200 and 300 level end zone seating............................... 3.8% Ticket Marketing and Sales ...................................................................................1.9%

3. To provide game weekend amenities that would create fan experiences and stimulate season and single game ticket sales for football, basketball and baseball. Tens of thousands of fans enjoy the Friday Night Block party and game experiences every weekend during football season.

SB: How was CollegeTown funded?

Miller: The land was donated to Seminole Boosters and the only money used to build CollegeTown came as an investment of the Scholarship Endowment Fund. The earnings of the Endowed Scholarship Fund — which includes all earnings of CollegeTown — may be transferred to the Athletic Department as part of SBI’s yearly transfer and are restricted to scholarships by those donors who made gifts to the scholarship endowment fund. The investment earnings from the CollegeTown investment earned almost $895,000 last year.

SB: How much does Seminole Boosters raise and how are the monies allocated?

Miller: Seminole Boosters’ total budgeted revenues for the 2018-19 fiscal year are $53,857,000 with operating and administrative expenses of $6.8 million. These revenues were used for the benefit of athletics, including more than

$22.5 million for the athletics budget and nearly $11 million to pay the bond debt on existing athletic facilities. Please see the accompanying table for a breakdown on how all of those revenues are allocated.

Seminole Boosters also contributed $2,640,000 to Florida State University to be used for the University’s most-pressing needs at the President’s discretion.

SB: How are Seminole Boosters decisions made and does the university need to approve them?

Miller: All projects and budgets must be reviewed and approved by the Seminole Booster Executive Committee and Board, the University administration and the Board of Trustees.

SB: What is the reporting line for the Seminole Boosters’ CEO? Miller: The President and CEO of Seminole Boosters, Inc. reports to the University President, or his designee Vice President for Advancement Tom Jennings, as well as the Seminole Boosters Board of Directors, which includes the Athletic Director, University President, University Vice President of Advancement, Board of Trustees Chairman along with elected officers and directors.

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BY CHARLIE BARNES cbarnes161@comcast.net Charlie Barnes is the retired executive director and senior vice president of Seminole Boosters.

IT COMES DOWN TO THREE QUESTIONS

T

he Ring Cycle, Richard Wagner’s sweeping 19th Century masterwork, consumes four complete operas. The plot begins innocently enough with the Gods in their mountaintop home displaying a very mortal quality: they contract to build a magnificent castle for themselves, but then the price is more than they are willing to pay.

Should you be inspired to binge watch all four operas in one sitting they comprise 15-20 hours altogether. The work is magnificent, and of course it is ultimately tragic in the manner of all classic opera. After many hours of wondrous performances all the heroes are dead, all the Gods are dead, and the castle Valhalla is destroyed and the whole enterprise entirely consumed in fire.

All of which brings us roundabout to discussions of our Seminole athletic aspirations and money.

There are three questions that every university with competitive collegiate athletic programs should ask in this order.

1.) What do you want?

2.) What are you willing to pay?

3.) Where are you going to get the money?

File this under “What do you want?” There’s been a great deal of excitement here lately at news of Florida State’s spectacular rise to a position just under the Top 25 National Academic Rankings of public universities by U.S. News & World Report.

This extraordinary achievement cannot be understated. It is and has been a lengthy, diligent and expensive crusade. If the trend continuous upward – which it appears will happen – then soon FSU will enter the rarified Top 25 atmosphere shared by fellow ACC institutions Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia Tech and Clemson (yes, Clemson).

Florida State at No. 26 shares that ranking with the University Of Pittsburgh.

Virginia Tech comes in at No. 30 and N.C. State at No. 32. So, seven among the Top 32 schools are members of the ACC. That list is of Top 25 Public Academic Institutions. However, the ACC has far more private universities than any other Power Five conference. All six private universities in the ACC – all of them – rank among the Top 50 private schools on the U.S. News list. Of those, Duke and peripheral member Notre Dame both rank in the top 20 (8th and 17th respectively).

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G U E S T

By comparison, the SEC has only three schools on the Top 25 Public list (Texas A&M, Florida and Georgia) and only Vanderbilt on the private side at No. 14.

In stark contrast, 12 of the 13 Big Ten schools are all ranked among the nation’s Top 50 public universities. Only Nebraska lags behind at No. 129 on the longer list of all national universities public and private.

The multi-campus University of California system boasts the extraordinary accomplishment of having five of the Top 10 public universities. They own four of the top seven including both No. 1 and No. 2 (UCLA and Cal Berkeley). Seven UC schools altogether rank in the Top 35.

Our academic ambitions are important to us. We have come a long way and we are never willing to accept going backwards – only ahead. On Sept. 21 President John Thrasher and Trustee Chairman Ed Burr led the University in celebrating a successful end to the $1 billion “Raise the Torch” Campaign. Led by CEO Andy Miller and the Booster Board Chairman Gary Thurston, the Seminole Boosters portion within Raise the Torch was called the “Champions Campaign.”

It should be noted that “Raise the Torch” included a $100 million gift from Jan Moran and the Jim Moran Foundation, making it the largest single gift to a public university in the history of the state of Florida.

Having calculated Florida State’s academic standing among our peers, let’s turn our attention to funding for Seminole athletics and how that compares to our rivals.

Question: What is financially intolerable in any given collegiate athletic program?

Well, that depends on the outlook, the identity and the personality of the school. An average or losing basketball program is intolerable to Duke and to North Carolina.

On the other hand, for example, Florida State and Clemson depend on successful football to safeguard funding and fundraising. For their part, UNC and Duke must protect basketball’s success at all costs. FSU and Clemson know that winning football ensures financial viability of the entire athletic program.

Florida State Athletics is a huge and intricately complex financial operation collecting and spending tens of millions of dollars annually.

In order to make clear the importance of money, let’s take the complexity out of it and use a simple example from long ago.

The Seminoles had a pretty solid football program in the 1960s under coach Bill Peterson. We did reasonably well against a national schedule, won some big games including a Gator Bowl blowout of Oklahoma and participated in three more bowls in an era when bowl invitations were hard to come by.

The Athletic Department’s income was pretty straight forward. It depended on ticket sales, student fees and whatever revenue could be gained from bowls. Football paid all the bills. An enthusiastic Seminole Boosters organization existed but the fundraising totals were not remotely on the same scale as today.

Florida State’s football orbit began to slowly decay after the 1971 Fiesta Bowl. Our Seminoles endured a frightening drought, winning a total of only four games from 1973 through 1975. Even Coach Bowden’s first season in 1976 had a losing record.

The practical outcome was that all Seminole sports programs suffered because the income was simply not there to provide the full number of scholarships authorized by the NCAA. Neither was money there to repair and renovate facilities, much less build new and competitive structures.

It should be noted that during the period 1970-1974, the University dismantled Seminole Boosters, Inc. and replaced it with a nebulous and ineffective entity.

Once Seminole Boosters, Inc. was resurrected in 1974 new money began to flow into the program for facilities and scholarships.

The Bill Peterson era was more than half a century ago. Only 30 years ago there was no Seminole Boosters Athletic Endowment.

Our endowment today is valued at more than $70 million and all of our Men’s and Women’s sports are fully scholarshipped to the limits allowed by the NCAA. And, for what it’s worth, in August The Princeton Review Annual College Rankings had Florida State in the No. 5 spot with the “best athletic facilities” in the country.

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ACC AND SEC NATIONAL RANKING (312 TOTAL; 132 PUBLIC) OVERALL RANK PUBLIC RANK 8.

Duke 14. Vanderbilt 18. Notre Dame 25. Virginia .............................................3 27.

Wake Forest 30. North Carolina ..................................5 35. Georgia Tech ................................... 8 Florida ............................................. 8 38. Boston College 46. Georgia...........................................13 53. Miami Syracuse 66. Clemson ........................................ 24 Texas A&M..................................... 24 70. Florida State .................................. 26 Pittsburgh ..................................... 26 76. Virginia Tech ...................................31 80. NC State .........................................32 106. South Carolina ............................... 46 115. Auburn ...........................................52 Tennessee ......................................52 129. Alabama .........................................61 Missouri..........................................61 140. Louisiana State .............................. 70 147. Kentucky ........................................75 152. Arkansas........................................ 78 Mississippi..................................... 78 171. Louisville ........................................91 177. Mississippi State.............................97

President John Thrasher

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U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT TOP 10 PUBLIC ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS 1. UCLA 2. California Berkley 3. Virginia (25 overall) 4. Michigan 5. California – Santa Barbara North Carolina (30 overall) 7. California – Irvine 8. Georgia Tech (35 overall) Florida (35 overall) 10. William and Mary California – Davis

Board Treasurer John Crowe and Past Chair Nylah Thompson

Trustee Chairman Ed Burr

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Fifteen years ago the ACC was able to recruit Virginia Tech and Miami in an effort to help bolster the standing of ACC football and to give the league more leverage in negotiating a network contract with ESPN, or indeed with any media giant willing to do business.

We do not know what negotiations subsequently took place. At the same time, each of the other four “Power Five” conferences moved ahead quickly to make their own lucrative network deals to ensure guaranteed income for each member school.

Why? Why did the ACC appear to be less energetic in negotiating a big media contact like the SEC, the Big 12, the Big 10 and the Pac 10?

One suggestion – probably incorrect – is that the ACC didn’t feel especially compelled by a need to act. It’s been speculated that the Carolinacentric ACC hierarchy simply was not motivated to aggressively pursue a big-money media contact for all the league teams because they already had enough money.

In 1991, the ACC actually paid its members more money per school than the SEC, primarily because of the ACC’s draw as the nation’s premier basketball conference. But that was a different day, before the big conference-wide TV contracts that have showered fabulous riches on the Big 10, the SEC and the Pac 10.

In 2003 when Miami and Virginia Tech joined the conference, the 10 largest athletic endowments in America were led by Stanford with $270 million.

Four ACC schools including Notre Dame ranked among the top seven athletic endowments in the nation!

They include the old blue bloods North Carolina, Duke and Virginia.

Money does matter. It matters in pursuit of superior academics, and it matters in the chase for athletic championships.

Among the multitude of lists comparing the assets of different universities, one list of the “Top 25 Largest Public University Endowments” shows four ACC schools among the Top 15: Virginia, Pittsburgh, North Carolina and Georgia Tech. The only SEC school

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among the Top 15 is Texas A&M. The smallest total university endowment among the Top 25 Publics is the University of Indiana with $960 million.

The largest is Texas A&M with $10.5 billion. Florida State’s Endowment is listed at $707 million. Assume that the accounting for FSU’s successful $1 billion ‘Raise the Torch Campaign’ has not yet been fully integrated into the numbers.

If critics were right, then perhaps the ACC appeared lackadaisical in pursuit of a network because the decision makers felt they just didn’t need the money and the wealthy schools could easily cover the enormous gap between what the ACC now pays and what the other conferences provide each of their teams.

That accusation really doesn’t sound reasonable but it would be helpful to hear a better explanation. Florida State President Eric Barron signed over Florida State’s media rights to the ACC in 2013, just months ahead of our NCAA Football National Championship.

USA Today produced a comprehensive examination of the issue titled, “Anatomy of One School’s Role in the ACC Media Rights Deal.”

The article explained that the ground had been shifting beneath Florida State’s feet for more than two years. “The ACC had added Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Louisville and Notre Dame (as a partial member). The Big East was imploding, and rumors were circulating nonstop that FSU was being courted by the Big 12, Big Ten or SEC.” ACC Officials made several trips to Tallahassee to make their case. “The wooing of Florida State and its rich football tradition was vital to the recently expanded ACC’s ability to renegotiate a top-dollar, long-term deal with ESPN, the network that holds broadcast rights to most of college football.”

Former Seminole Boosters Chairmen Andy Haggard and Dr. Joe Camps – then in the role of Trustees - both signed on. Haggard said, “It all came down to what was best for Florida State. I wanted to make sure he (Commissioner Swofford) was investigating the possibility of getting the best deal he could with ESPN,”

G U E S T

The USA Today article continued, “Before last week’s (Grant of Rights) deal, FSU and other ACC schools each received about $17 million annually in TV revenue. That number is expected to increase by at least $3 million with the new deal; the pending ACC Network would mean untold additional millions.”

All this happened five years ago, in April 2013. A month later, in May 2013, the SEC announced a 20-year deal with ESPN to create the SEC Network. By 2013 the Big Ten Network, now owned 49 percent by Fox, had been in place since 2007. In 2012 the Big 12 announced a 13-year network broadcast deal with Fox and ESPN. Also in 2012, the Pac 12 launched the only network to be owned by a conference outright without support from outside companies.

In 2016 the ACC and ESPN finally announced the projected creation of an ACC cable channel network to air in 2019.

Five years ago ESPN was the king of all sports broadcasting, but things do change and ESPN has lost subscribers

due to shifts in the technology of how fans view their games. ESPN revenues are down, but their built-in guarantees to the conferences are still there and must be honored. This is not a good circumstance for a conference still looking forward to launching a network. At this point the likelihood of financial guarantees is unknown.

Two years ago, this feature in the Raleigh News & Observer sounded twin notes of optimism and caution. “It’s impossible to say how much revenue the ACC Network might generate. That answer will come in time, yet Jordan (Dean Jordan, Managing Executive: Global Sports Media Rights) said with confidence recently that if the network ‘performs even moderately, it’ll put the ACC in a situation where they’ll be very, very competitive financially’ with the SEC and Big Ten.” Absent a contract comparable to those currently enriching the other Power Five conferences we are largely on our own, as we have always been.

We have extraordinarily generous fans and alumni and we’ll be fine. Smile

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in acknowledgement that only three national championships have been won by schools that didn’t start playing football until sometime in the last 80 years.

And of course you already know that all three of those trophies are on display in the Moore Athletic Center.

On the day the “Raise the Torch” campaign concluded, Seminole Boosters, Inc. announced their next capital campaign. Called Unconquered, it will raise $100 million for athletic facilities and scholarships.

Past Chair Nylah Thompson and current Board Treasurer John Crowe will co-chair the campaign.

Consider it to be good fortune for us and for the ACC that Clemson now bears the crown as the league’s national champion contender. I’ve no doubt that once Florida State gets our footing back, the crown will return to Tallahassee and to its rightful brow.

In fact, I know our fans would view it as intolerable if that does not happen.

We know who we are. And we know the answer to that first question.

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UNCONQUERED CAMPAIGN

The Sunday night before the Virginia Tech game was a time of new beginnings, the start of the 2018 football season and the first game for head coach Willie Taggart. It was also the launch of the Unconquered Campaign, an initiative to fund Florida State facilities and scholarships for the men’s and women’s teams.

“The campaign was the culmination of a unique process of groups coming together and ending up with a great plan that has universal support of the university administration, Seminole Boosters and the athletics department and excites our people,” said interim athletics director David Coburn.

The $100 million Unconquered Campaign seeks to fund the following athletics initiatives: • • • • • •

Football Operations Redevelopment of Moore Athletics Center to benefit all student-athletes Dick Howser Stadium Enhancement Men’s and Women’s Basketball Player Lounge at the Tucker Center Jack Nicklaus Design Enhancements at Don Veller Golf Course $5 million in honor and celebration of the Women’s 50th Anniversary of women’s athletics • New student-athlete scholarship funding “Seminole Booster CEO Andy Miller and I served on a committee that was led by Board of Trustees Chairman Ed Burr. This included President Thrasher, VP of Finance Kyle Clark, athletic director David Coburn and senior athletics staff,” said Seminole Booster Chairman Doug Russel. “We assessed needs and wants and this is a plan where everybody wins and can take pride. It certainly adds space for football operations. But it also adds space for all the men’s and women’s Olympic sports and academic space.”

The Unconquered Campaign will be led by Nylah Thompson, a former Seminole Booster Chairman and John Crowe, a former FSU defensive back who currently serves on the Seminole Boosters executive committee.

THE LARGEST INVESTMENT WILL BE FOOTBALL OPERATIONS Football operations is a major component of the campaign.

“We want to build an environment where a team can have success and their families can continue to take pride that they are part of something great,” said head coach Willie Taggart. “Those before me laid the foundation and the Unconquered Campaign helps continue our great legacy we have here at the university. Again it is all about the student-athlete. We want to be great here and we want our players to have everything they need to be great and to live up to the expectation we all have for them.”

Seminole Boosters began raising money for football operations more than a year before the campaign launch, securing a number of major leadership gift pledges, which fueled confidence.

On the night of the launch and with nearly 25 percent of the $100 million campaign goal already pledged, Willie Taggart surprised the crowd by announcing a commitment he and his wife Taneisha had made.

“I’m here to do something,” Taggart began. “We need donors here to do something.

We need student-athletes who are here to do something with us to get there. You have heard my story and how much I feel about Florida State University and Taneshia and I would like to invest in the student-athlete and continue our rich tradition here at Florida State University. We, ourselves, would like to pledge $1 million to the campaign.”

There was a gasp from the crowd and then a standing ovation.

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“I am always talking to our players ‘don’t talk about it, be about it’. I can’t ask you to do something and not do something ourselves,” he explained. “I can’t sit around and talk about doing something if I am not doing something. Taneshia and I would like to do something! And we need more.”

It wasn’t long before a Seminole Booster development officer’s phone rang. The caller, who wishes to remain anonymous, was moved by Taggart’s leadership and pledged another $1 million.

“I was astonished by Coach Taggart’s and Taneshia’s personal investment in the Unconquered Campaign and in this new football operations concept,” said the donor. “Anyone who has the conviction and character to lead by example like that – especially so early in their tenure – deserves a high level of support.”

But there was an even more good news yet to come. On October 26, Al and Judy Dunlap once again took the field at Doak Campbell Stadium to announce the lead gift – a $20 million commitment – to the Unconquered Campaign.

“College football and college athletics in general is a competitive landscape,” said Al Dunlap. “I’m a competitive guy. My wife, Judy, and I identified immediately with this football operations facility concept when it was first presented to us back in late August. It’s not just about being competitive – it’s about staying competitive.

That’s who we are. We want FSU’s student-athletes to have the very best and equip them with opportunities to achieve on the highest levels possible on and off the field. They make us proud with their effort and resolve.”

The Dunlaps have now committed more than $40 million to Florida State University and its athletics program.

“Al and Judy have demonstrated time after time their willingness to invest in all students at FSU, not just student athletes,” said interim Athletics Director David Coburn. “Their commitment to the Dunlap FSU Student Success Building is the most obvious example. Clearly, the Athletics Department and all of our student-athletes deeply appreciate this particularly generous gift, which comes on top of the many other gifts they have made to FSU and to Athletics.”

Thompson, who is friends with the Dunlaps, understands FSU’s needs are real.

“I know there was a lot of discussion about the football operations project but I did a survey myself and looked at training table, weight rooms, academic space and we needed to do something to upgrade these spaces,” she said of why she accepted the role of campaign co-chair. “We don’t want to be left behind, like other universities have. You need to do these things to benefit our students and get the recruits we need. If we provide the best facilities we will put the best teams on the field.”

Crowe, who played football in the 60s, understands the need to keep progressing.

“I was here when this was the erector set and I have seen so much progress,” he said. “You just like to see the things you are involved with get better and better and that’s what’s happened here.”

WEIGHT ROOM

HYDROTHERAPY

LOCKER ROOM

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CAMPAIGN BENEFITS ALL SPORTS The Unconquered Campaign is designed to benefit all men’s and women’s sports in the Moore Center, at the Don Veller Golf Course and at the Basketball Practice Facility.

The goal is to provide football with an efficient space for coaches and players to get their work done and to provide better accessibility to strength and conditioning spaces for all men’s and women’s sports in addition to additional square footage for academic needs.

Lonnie Alameda, who coached FSU’s women’s softball team to the 2018 national championship, is thrilled by the inclusive nature of the plan.

“We have an amazing strength and conditioning staff and this plan now allows

them to actually give our kids the time and the space they need within the Moore Center,” she said. “It gives us the room to build and grow. We are giving every sport the room to grow.”

Mark Macek, a defensive tackle on the 1980 team, was moved by Alameda’s softball team and by the Unconquered Campaign’s inclusive goals.

“I was so inspired by the women’s softball national championship world series this year. The way they played, the heart, that was true Seminole spirit,” Macek said. “The presentation of the Unconquered Campaign and the investment in football will not only help football but all the other sports.”

The campaign seeks to raise money to complete Phase II of the men’s and women’s basketball locker rooms adding a players lounge for each team. The new space, located above the teams’ locker rooms, will provide a communal space to study, relax and bond with teammates before or after practice and games (see page 20).

Seminole Booster fundraisers are in contact with prospective lead gift donors for this project and construction will begin as soon as the project is fully funded.

DICK HOWSER STADIUM RENOVATIONS The Unconquered Campaign also seeks funds from prospective donors to enhance Dick Howser Stadium (see page 18).

Improvements to the iconic venue will be completed in phases as funds become available. The first phase envisions extension of the grandstand seating down the third base and left field line. The grandstand will include premium seating opportunities, a locker room for visiting teams which can help ensure more NCAA Regional Tournaments, a recruiting/ reception area as well as a distinctive second entrance to Howser in the right field.

The second phase envisions an extension of grandstand seating down the first base and right field line, premium seating opportunities, and a more-distinctive main entrance to the stadium.

GOLF COURSE ALSO BENEFITS THE UNIVERSITY Construction has begun on a new and exciting redesign of the Don Veller Seminole Golf Course which is a joint project between the City of Tallahassee, Florida State University and FSU Athletics. The project will create a south entrance and pathway from the Tallahassee airport to the Capital Complex

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connecting numerous parcels of university land with the FSU’s main campus.

Board of Trustees Chairman Ed Burr explains how the campaign and specifically the golf course will benefit Florida State University.

“The new golf facility, designed by Jack Nicklaus Design Group, will create a pathway from the airport to the FSU campus that has never been there before,” said Burr, who is a donor to the project. “So it will give us a chance to have a great golf course for the golf teams, students, faculty and visitors to Tallahassee. And it really helps to spur economic activities in an area the university owns, the city owns and other people own. We will be able to bring all the University’s parcels of land together in a cohesive manner and make it a special place.”

Seminole Booster have created numerous naming opportunities, including specific hole naming opportunities, which will provide the Athletics portion of the funding.

The course will be completed in the Fall of 2019.

GROWING THE SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENT The Unconquered Campaign has set a goal of raising an additional $5 million toward the endowed scholarship fund for men’s and women’s scholarships, currently at just above $70 million.

Currently, the cost of scholarships is $11 million per year for FSU’s 350-plus men’s and women’s student-athletes.

Donations to the scholarship endowment are invested with the investment earnings restricted to funding the annual cost of scholarships. Because only the earnings on the donor’s contribution are spent, the gift helps fund scholarship in perpetuity.

Mark Macek likes the feeling of knowing his gift will help fund life-changing opportunities for future studentathletes forever. And he likes the idea that he could make the gift in honor of his former teammate Monk Bonasorte.

“No question about it, scholarships change lives,” the Wyandotte, Michigan native noted. “I would have never

have been able to afford college tuition. I probably would have been working in a steel mill in Michigan. Thank God for Seminole Boosters, which were founded a few years before I started, and the scholarships they have provided. What an organization it has become.”

Bonasorte, who played safety on that 1980 team, served as President of the FSU Varsity Club and as senior athletics director in charge of football operations until his life was cut short by cancer.

CAMPAIGN IS BUILDING MOMENTUM Launched in August, the five-year $100 million Unconquered Campaign – named in honor of the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s indomitable spirit and FSU’s ambitious nature --has surpassed the $30 million mark and is building momentum.

“Unconquered, they never quit. They never gave up,” said co-chair Crowe of the Seminole Tribe. “And we won’t.

We’ll get this done. We’ll be successful. There won’t be any quitting on it.”

Seminole Booster President and CEO Andy Miller expressed confidence in Florida State’s ability to fund the campaign.

“We have a new challenge now which is very formidable but we have 25 percent of the money already raised and I have ultimate faith we can raise the rest.”

Coburn echoed the confidence.

“What the Unconquered Campaign shows is while we’ve had great success at FSU, athletically and academically, we are not resting on our laurels,” Coburn said. “This is the start of the next day for a new generation. We have come a long way but ladies and gentlemen, there’s still a way to go. What we are going to do is take the first step down the road to sustained greatness.”

For more information about the Unconquered Campaign and to learn how you can help FSU remain unconquered, visit www.

UnconqueredCampaign.com or contact Greg Hulen, Executive Vice President of Seminole Boosters, at 850.644.3484. or ghulen@fsu.edu.

SOFTBALL HEAD COACH LONNI ALAMEDA SEMINOLE-BOOSTERS.COM

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The Campaign for Athletics Excellence The word “unconquered� has served as a unifying term and symbol for Florida State University. In this spirit, FSU is announcing The Unconquered Campaign.

This five-year effort will represent Seminole Boosters, Florida State Athletics and Florida State University making a combined investment of $100 million in our athletic program. This will be a significant commitment toward FSU Athletics and will positively affect the lives of every Seminole Student-Athlete.

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DESIGNING A LEGACY DON VELLER SEMINOLE GOLF COURSE

Beginning in August of 2018, the Don Veller Seminole Golf Course will receive an $8 million renovation by the Jack Nicklaus Design Group. When it reopens in the fall of 2019, the course will be transformed into the nation’s first Nicklaus Legacy Course. This special designation will make it a bucket list destination for golfers visiting Tallahassee and help the Seminole Golf Program attract the nation’s best student-athletes.

It serves as a lead investment in the creation of the new “Gateway District” which includes a scenic road connecting the Tallahassee International Airport and the FSU Campus. The Gateway District, which includes more than 900 acres owned by FSU, will be a key for the future growth of the university.

The course renovation is being jointly funded by Seminole Boosters, the athletic department and the university.

T O TA L I N V E S T ME N T

$8 MILLION

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TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLPARK DICK HOWSER BASEBALL STADIUM As we enter the final season of Head Coach Mike Martin, FSU looks to the future of Seminole Baseball with the proposed renovation of Howser Stadium.

Since its opening in 1983, the facility has hosted more than a million fans and countless great players and teams. As it reaches its 35th anniversary, the university has developed a master plan to prepare it for future generations of service to college baseball’s greatest fans.

Phase I of the renovations is anticipated to cost $6 million and will include: • New field lighting • Construction of permanent bleachers down 3rd base • A new team building and enhanced entrance • Renovated team weight room.

Additionally, needed infrastructure will be done throughout the stadium to make sure all fans can safely enjoy their time watching the Noles.

The project will be funded entirely by Seminole Boosters through the generosity of its donors. Additional planning and construction will be contingent upon receiving needed funding.

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$6 MILLION

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COMPLETING THE VISION DONALD L. TUCKER CENTER Beginning with the $17 million renovation of the arena prior to the 2014-15 seasons, FSU has made several strategic investments in its basketball programs. The payoff has been evident as both teams once again advanced to the NCAA tournament for a second straight year.

Phase II of the Donald L. Tucker Center renovations is the final step in completing the vision for the home of FSU basketball.

The construction of new team lounges and other student-athlete spaces will provide members of the men’s and women’s basketball first-class areas to study, relax and build relationships with teammates away from the court. These areas will be important for Coaches Hamilton and Semrau as they recruit future greats to wear the Garnet and Gold!

The anticipated cost of the Phase II renovations is $4 million and will begin after funding has been identified.

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$4 MILLION

PLAYERS’ LOUNGE RENDERING SEMINOLE-BOOSTERS.COM

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50 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF WOMEN’S INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

Women’s athletics has held a rich tradition in Tallahassee since the early 1900’s when Florida State was the Florida State College for Women; the 2018-19 season marks the 50th Anniversary of a continuous women’s intercollegiate program at FSU. Since volleyball took the floor in 1968 as the first women’s intercollegiate sport for the Seminoles, FSU has been a national leader in promoting and supporting women’s athletics. Florida State has won seven national championships over the last 50 years, including last year’s softball national championship.

In honor and appreciation of the history and accomplishments of our women student-athletes past, present and future, The 50th Anniversary Committee has set a goal of raising $5 million in new support. This will be used to help fund scholarships and facilities.

INDIA TROTTER Media Production

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$5 MILLION

SUE GALKANTAS SPORTS MANAGMENT RECREATION , TOURISM AND EVENTS 20

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BOOSTERS.FSU.EDU/50YEARS

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KIM BATTEN SOCIAL WORK

SCHOLARSHIPS CHANGE LIVES Athletic scholarships help Florida State University maintain a competitive edge in attracting and retaining top studentathletes. Scholarships enable our programs to grow and enrich the lives of all who step foot on our campus. More than 80 percent of Seminole athletic scholarship recipients receive an undergraduate degree — including a high percentage of first-generation college students — and their lives, and future generations of their family are changed as a result.

Seminole Boosters, through the generous support of its donors, fund all scholarships for 399 FSU studentathletes totaling more than $11 million per year. This total comes from earnings from our scholarship endowment and unrestricted contributions to the annual fund. Florida State has one of the largest athletic endowments in the ACC with more than $70 million. During the Unconquered Campaign, the goal is to receive $9 million in new pledges toward the endowment with the long-term vision to fully endow the entire scholarship program.

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$9 MILLION

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B U R T

R E Y N O L D S

THANKS, BUDDY: REMEMBERING BURT REYNOLDS

BY ROB WILSON

T

he wire story hit like a gut punch.

Burt Reynolds has passed away at the age of 82.

Buddy, as he was known when he was at Florida State, was a highly-recruited running back out of Palm Beach High School. He fell in love with FSU on his recruiting visit when fellow West Palm Beach native Dick Howser, who would become the Seminoles’ first baseball All-American, and football star Lee Corso, eagerly hosted him on campus.

Reynolds showed tremendous promise over his freshman season, gaining 33 yards on a pass reception in his first action against Georgia in 1954. He gained 134 yards rushing on 16 carries over the first half of the season before a knee injury, which ended many an athletic career in the 1950’s, sidelined him for the rest of the season.

He sat out the 1955 season while still trying to get the knee in playing shape and returned to FSU in ‘57 but was once again sidelined by injury, ending his FSU career.

However, the end of his playing career was just the beginning of his public love affair with FSU. Reynolds became a television and movie sensation just as Florida State’s budding athletics program needed a boost on the national stage. He hung FSU pennants on the sets of his movies and constantly sung the praises of the Seminoles.

He put his arm around Bobby Bowden like he never wanted to let go, and palled around with then FSU President Bernie Sliger.

After watching FSU’s fantastic 1979 and ‘80 football teams play Oklahoma in back-to-back Orange Bowls, Reynolds decided that the Seminoles’ uniforms weren’t flashy enough for television.

He went to a costume designer friend in Hollywood, and together they designed all gold pants and tweaks to the game jersey. He then had uniforms made for the team and shipped them, unannounced, to Tallahassee. The crates arrived at the football locker room with a note addressed to Bobby Bowden from Burt that read: “If you like ’em, wear ’em.” And FSU did.

And while Reynolds loved FSU, the Seminoles loved him right back.

The construction of a new FSU football dorm was a major accomplishment in the early 1980’s. It was named after Burt, and the official ribbon cutting was set for mid-August when the players reported.

Reynolds arrived in a helicopter from his home in Jupiter, along with Dom DeLuise, Ricardo Montalban, Ben Casey and several other Hollywood stars. They left all of FSU’s staff starstruck and with a boat-load of stories.

Burt loved FSU football. Not just the FSU vs. UF game or a huge bowl game, but he loved everything about Seminole football. He would fly up from Jupiter, again unannounced, and land on the then-Florida High baseball field just to watch a midweek practice for a few hours.

He loved Bowden, likening him to a second father figure. He loved his Florida State teammates and, boy, did he love Gene Deckerhoff.

Reynolds would do all he could to promote his alma mater wherever he went, even appearing on regular segments of the Bobby Bowden TV Show along with his close pal Gene.

From 1990-94, Burt had a popular TV show called Evening Shade. He played a former pro football player who returned to his childhood home to coach the high school team.

Reynolds wanted Bowden to be on the show and wrote a program that would feature him as a college coach coming in to recruit his TV son, who was not quite good enough to be considered by FSU, which aired May 10, 1993.

It makes for a good story because the writers and Burt sent Bowden the script with his dialogue weeks in advance.

Bowden arrived on set in Los Angeles and was startled to see a live studio audience. He then began looking around behind the set. When producers asked him what he was looking for, he said he just wanted to get a look at the cue cards.

Reynolds, realizing that Bowden had not committed his extensive lines to memory, sat down with him and described a scenario that was familiar to the coach. Essentially Reynolds told him just to be himself and say what you would during a home visit to a recruit.

Remarkably, the show went off without a hitch and Bowden was a natural in front of the camera. They say no one was smiling wider at the end of the show than Burt.

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The Burt Reynolds Memorial Scholarship Endowment Fund Please consider honoring Burt while helping a future student-athlete by making a tax-deductible contribution to the Burt Reynold Memorial Scholarship Endowment Fund. Many endowments are funded with a pledge of $1,000 paid over two years but donations of any amount will help.

The Burt Reynolds Memorial Scholarship goal is $100,000.

Donations can be made online at SeminoleBoosters.com under the Scholarships menu option.

Gifts of $50 or more will receive a replica helmet sticker worn by the team on Sept. 8 vs. Samford.

For more information or to donate over the phone, please call (850) 644-3484

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CELEBRATING THE DUNLAP’S SECOND $20 MILLION TO THE SEMINOLES

BY ERIC CARR

F

rom the playing fields of West Point to the corridors of corporate power across three continents, Al and Judy Dunlap moved about like characters in a romantic adventure novel for 50 years.

For them, the romance has never dimmed, and now their adventure is ensuring the success of their Florida State Seminoles.

On Oct. 27 during a crisp autumn day on the 50-yard line of Bobby Bowden Field, the Dunlaps stood proudly flanked

by Florida State University President John Thrasher, Vice

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Al and Judy Dunlap preparing to be recognized on Bobby Bowden Field October 27, 2018 for their new $20-million-dollar Unconquered Campaign lead gift, lifting the Dunlaps’ FSU lifetime giving total beyond $40 million. (Photo by Dallas Cotton / Silver Digital Media)

President for University Advancement Dr. Tom Jennings, Interim Athletics Director David Coburn, Seminole Boosters, Inc. President & CEO Andy Miller, 2018 Booster Board Chairman Doug Russell, past Booster Board chairman and current Unconquered Campaign Co-Chairman Nylah Thompson and Booster Treasurer and Unconquered

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AL AND JUDY DUNLAP

Campaign Co-Chairman John Crowe.

The purpose of this high-powered gathering prior to the Clemson-FSU game was to announce the Dunlap’s $20 million cash pledge — the lead gift for the Unconquered Campaign — and celebrate their lifetime giving to Florida State now soaring above $40 million.

The Unconquered Campaign is a five-year, $100 million initiative to raise funds for facilities and scholarships benefitting all 20 varsity sports.

But why would a couple having already committed in excess of $20 million — neither of whom had even taken a class at FSU — decide to duplicate that figure in one fell swoop?

It’s an easy question to ask and one the Dunlaps have heard often since news broke. The answer, more complex, is revealed in this story.

Born a very poor inner-city child in Hoboken, N.J., neither of Al Dunlap’s parents completed their respective high school educations. Growing up in the less desirable part of town, the “nothing kid from Hoboken” was often put down and cast aside due to his family’s lowly socioeconomic status.

This disparaging treatment sparked within Al a lifelong smoldering desire to accomplish anything; to prove he could be as great as anyone. At his core, this is who he is still today, and this is what has driven him since grade school.

His father, Albert, Sr., was a union steward who worked in the very shipyards that served as the setting for Marlon Brando’s 1954 film On the Waterfront — a tale of an ex-prize fighter turned longshoreman who struggled to stand up to his corrupt bosses.

The elder Dunlap was a tough man who raised his only son to attack the world with a similar grit.

It was his wife, Mildred, though, who guided young Al to achieve in the classroom and on the field. Mildred impressed upon him that it would be through football and academic performance that he would become the family’s first-ever college graduate.

During Al’s four-year tenure as a

Al Dunlap and fellow members of the 1955 state champion Hasbrouck Heights High School offensive line.

Al Dunlap (#73) with fellow members of the 1955 state champion Hasbrouck Heights High School Aviators.

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AL AND JUDY DUNLAP

(Left to right) FSU President John Thrasher, 2018 Booster Board Chairman Doug Russell, FSU Interim Athletics Director David Coburn, Judy & Al Dunlap, Booster President/CEO Andy Miller, Unconquered Campaign Co-Chairman Nylah Thompson, Unconquered Campaign Co-Chairman John Crowe, and FSU VP for University Advancement Dr. Tom Jennings on Bobby Bowden Field October 27, 2018. (Ross Obley / FSU sports information)

Hasbrouck Heights High School Aviator, his football team won three New Jersey Group I state championships. It was the 1955 squad — on which Al was an All-District senior offensive guard — that was the most commanding. Led by one of his most revered mentors, Coach Andy Kmetz, the Aviators surrendered just one touchdown all season. The lone blemish occurred in their third game when an opponent ran a punt back, making the final score of that contest 33-6.

This displeased Mildred, who informed young Al that more was expected and that special-teams lapses like that were unacceptable.

How is that for a high standard considering her son’s team collectively outscored their opposition 330-6 on the year?

When college recruiters visited the Dunlaps’ home, Mildred welcomed them and made sure young Al listened just as intently as she did. It was only for her preferred schools, though, that she placed cookies on the apartment living room table. When young Al came home and saw cookies on display, he knew he had better take seriously whomever he was about to meet. Princeton, Dartmouth, Yale and others were among Mildred’s cookie-worthy prospects.

One institution separated itself, however — the United States Military Academy at West Point. Less than 60 miles north of Hoboken and a 90-minute drive, West Point provided an ideal environment for young Al to mature.

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experience that Al still recalls his graduation ceremony as having been the only time she purchased a new dress.

Army Football was a truly dominant program during Al’s formative years. The Cadets — now the Black Knights — won three consecutive National Championships in 1944-46 and boasted a 57-3-4 record during the legendary seven-season stretch from 1944-50.

Similar to FSU football with Charlie Ward in ‘93, Chris Weinke in 2000, and Jameis Winston in ‘13, Army has three Heisman trophy winners of its own: fullback Felix “Doc” Blanchard in ’45, running back Glenn Davis in ’46, and running back Pete Dawkins in ’58. The latter of these is a personal friend of the Dunlaps and earned his hardware during Al’s junior year. Dawkins, also that season’s Maxwell Award recipient, led the ’58 Cadets to an 8-0-1 record and No. 3 ranking in the final UPI Coaches Poll.

Though a severe knee injury cut short Al’s playing career, the same fury that fueled his gridiron days — the obsession with proving himself worthy of any challenge — was catalytic to his professional rise.

After graduating, Al served the U.S. Army as a paratrooper and later an executive officer of a nuclear missile site before taking on the paper industry.

Another of his role models, Eli Meyer, hired Al in 1967 to save his struggling company, Sterling Pulp & Paper. He then met his soulmate, the humbly raised Judy Stringer. Then a

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young finance executive with First Wisconsin Bank, Judy was initially paired with Al on a blind date by the president of the bank. His sole motivation was to appease Meyer and Sterling Pulp & Paper, the bank’s single largest commercial client. Al and Judy began dating soon thereafter and the two were married on March 30, 1968, in St. John’s Lutheran Church in Judy’s hometown of Eau Claire.

Upon leaving Eau Claire in 1977, the Dunlaps embarked on a global adventure that included triumphant turnarounds at American Can (1977-82), Lily-Tulip (1983-86), Diamond International and Cavenham Forest Industries (formerly Crown-Zellerbach) (1986-89), Australian National Industries (1989), Consolidated Press Holdings (1991-93) and Scott Paper (1994-96).

From 1986-89, Al ran the empire and fortune of financier mogul Sir James Goldsmith. The finest man he ever knew and one of the world’s first billionaires, he was among the most influential human beings on the planet. There are countless stories of Sir James’ universal clout. One in particular that stood out was the fact that, no matter which restaurant he visited, it was understood by proprietors never to present Sir James with a bill. Instead, all dining bills were mailed to a specific address and full payment plus handsome gratuity was returned immediately.

As Al’s career exploded with meteoric trajectory, his reputation amongst his peers and the public did as well. A 1995 international survey of chief executives named him “Most Admired.” He went on to headline a world-renowned speaking tour alongside former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and fellow West Point alumnus General Norman Schwarzkopf, leader of all Gulf War coalition forces.

Shortly after the 1996 launch of his New York Times and Businessweek bestselling book, Mean Business, co-written with prominent author and close friend Bob Andelman, former FSU College of Business dean Mel Stith invited Al to come speak on campus. Though the Dunlaps lived in Boca Raton at the time, they had never been to FSU. Al’s initial response was, “Florida State University? Where the hell is that?”

He accepted the invitation and a beautiful friendship between the Dunlaps and Florida State University began.

Former Booster senior vice president and executive director Charlie Barnes rekindled the relationship nearly a decade later following a warm introduction by former Marion County Seminole Club president Stacie Spears.

The relationship was cultivated by Coach Bobby Bowden, shepherded by former Booster Winning Edge Campaign chairman Larry Strom and assisted by numerous University leaders, and it blossomed. Here are some of the fruits bared to date: 2006

Albert J. and Judith A. Dunlap Student Success Center (dedicated 2008) and Al Dunlap Football Practice Fields — $10 million including state match

2012

Albert J. Dunlap Athletic Training Facility (dedicated 2013) — $5 million

2016

Albert J. and Judith A. Dunlap Champions Club (dedicated 2017) — $5 million

2018

Albert J. and Judith A. Dunlap Football Center (targeted dedication 2021) — $20 million

The Dunlaps also donated a dazzling, life-sized horse sculpture painted with ornate images of FSU’s tradition. It adorns the President’s Box in Doak Campbell Stadium and is a popular backdrop for guests’ pictures.

Al and Judy deeply admired the quality of the FSU student education and experience and appreciated the unshakable determination of Seminole student-athletes. Combined with the Dunlap’s storied victory in persevering through early indigent hardships and competing on an otherworldly level to be the best, the result has been a tidal wave of transformational blessings to Florida State University.

When Booster leadership approached the Dunlaps about making the $20 million lead gift to the Unconquered Campaign, it did so with absolute confidence, fully respecting the Dunlap’s tenacious spirit.

In 1996, Al scribed a telling aspect of who he really is in Mean Business: “The essence of Mean Business is competitiveness — how to become competitive, and perhaps more important, how to stay competitive. That’s what I’m about ... What works today won’t even be satisfactory tomorrow. The predators are out there, circling, trying to stare you down, waiting for any sign of weakness, ready to pounce and make you their next meal.”

The Dunlaps’ mindset remains today. After unveiling the recent colossal gift, Al had this to say: “College football and college athletics in general is a competitive landscape. I’m a competitive guy. My wife, Judy, and I identified immediately with this football operations facility concept when it was first presented to us back in late August. It’s not just about being competitive — it’s about staying competitive. That’s who we are. We want FSU’s student-athletes to have the very best and equip them with opportunities to achieve on the highest levels possible on and off the field.

“They make us proud with their effort and resolve. Judy and I wanted to send a message loud and clear that this program will meet any challenge. Anyone doubting FSU Football’s commitment to be a top contender in all facets of the game has another thing coming.”

Regarding the Dunlap Legacy and Florida State University, perhaps no line was more opportune than one of Judy’s while delivering the keynote speech to FSU’s December 2012 graduating class at Commencement. The crowd roared when she dropped this gem: “No more excuses. We want to see a National Championship here at this great University!”

The Dunlap Legacy is an enduring vision of greatness for the Seminoles, and the extraordinary generosity to ensure success.

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“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

Does that famous quotation resonate with you right about now? I felt it after Florida State failed to score from Notre Dame’s 1-yard line late in the third quarter with a comeback victory still in play.

I know Seminole fans who also thought it to be the worst of times and are now wondering, “When do the best of times begin again?”

For the answer I went to Bobby Bowden, who assured me these are neither the best or worst of times. He knows. He lived through both. You’ll recall, the winningest coach in college football history, at least by my count, is also the last FSU coach to suffer a losing season. And he’ll tell you, it’s no coincidence it was his first season.

Bowden knows exactly what Willie Taggart is going through, as the two talk on a regular basis. His words of explanation are words of hope for those wondering where FSU is headed.

“If you want to build a brick house and all you got is lumber, you can’t build it.

You got to go get bricks,” Bobby explains in layman’s terms.

“As a first-year head coach you come in wanting to run a certain type of offense, which requires a certain kind of blocking, and the kids he inherited just can’t do it. I don’t blame the offensive line coach for that.

“I was telling a group the other day that if you don’t block, can’t block, all running backs look the same. All quarterbacks look the same.

While Bowden says you can’t blame the coaches for issues on this year’s offensive line, which suffered attrition and injuries, he said he and Taggart do talk about reducing the number 30

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of penalties, which will exceed 100 by season’s end, especially those of the dumb variety. While ACC refs had a penchant for flagging Bowden era teams with 100 or more penalties more seasons than not, those penalties were often of the “aggressive” variety.

Bowden’s goal was to reduce the dumb penalties by making the consequences so great that it would change behavior. And if running stadium steps didn’t work, the bench would.

Taggart will need to evaluate both players and a coaching staff he assembled shortly after arriving in Tallahassee, a staff with five coaches he’d had not worked with before.

In 57 years of coaching, Bowden learned those things, and more, about rebuilding programs. In addition to taking over a Florida State team that had won only four games in the prior three seasons, he also led transitions at South Georgia College, Samford and West Virginia.

“Look at Chip Kelly at UCLA, every school wanted him to be their coach, and he’s won two games,” Bowden said, commenting on Jeremy Pruitt’s struggles at Tennessee and Scott Frost’s trials at Nebraska.

“I know exactly what they are going through,” said Bowden, who turned 89 in November. “They are having to play with someone else’s kids and it is hard to put those kids together to do what you need them to do.”

Bowden says it’s simply too early to evaluate Taggart or any other first-year head coaches.

“I think if we judge now we’d be judging too early,” Bowden said. “Before you

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can do an honest job evaluating a coach you have to let him have three years with his kids. If they aren’t getting it done by then, you can say they are not the right coach for the job.”

Schools and their fan bases are too quick to pull the trigger, Bowden says, which leads to revolving door jobs and decades of turmoil.

“Everyone was hoping he’d pick up where the program had left off but the situation he inherited wasn’t very good,” Bowden said. “You always have to evaluate, ‘What kind of players did he get from Jimbo (Fisher)?’ There’s some skill players, yes, but it wasn’t good otherwise.”

Bowden wasn’t surprised to hear FSU and Taggart had agreed to a fiveyear contract with a large buyout. It’s a mutual commitment.

“You wouldn’t dare take a job without a five-year contract,” Bowden said.

“The first year you are late on recruiting so that class will be your worst. Then the second year, after you have time to evaluate what you need and what’s available, you’ll have your best recruiting class.”

Taggart’s first year was especially difficult with the new, early-signing period implemented last year. He was forced to assemble a coaching staff in a hurry in order to salvage the signing class.

After the third recruiting class is enrolled, the roster is dominated by the new coach’s players, which sets the culture for the team and the program moving forward.

Bobby flashes back to his 1976 arrival at Florida State. “If we hadn’t won the

Photo by Liz Condo / ACC (soccer)

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last three games, we would have ended with two wins,” he said.

But he did win those last three games which gave FSU momentum and a tiny fan base hope.

“When I first got here I had a choice: Play freshmen who don’t know how to lose or go with experience,” Bowden said. “We went with the older kids and got stomped. Miami trounced us, 47-0, and that was before they were good. We started seven freshmen the next week at Oklahoma. We went 5-6 that year and won 10 the next year including a bowl game and a national ranking. Within four years they went undefeated.”

Taggart is sprinkling in freshmen with veterans. “Even though we played those seven freshmen we continued to play veterans like Jimmy Black at quarterback and Joe Camps, a captain on defense,” Bowden reminds.

Bowden isn’t surprised to see Taggart mixing in his signees with veterans but was both surprised and pleased to see Taggart do something he couldn’t make himself do until many years later; give up play calling..

Bowden said Taggart’s decision to give the responsibility to Walt Bell is a very big step and telling.

“I know how tough it is to give up,” Bowden said. “But you reach a point you can’t do it anymore, you simply do not have enough time.”

Bowden understands impatience but offers words of hope for Florida State fans.

“Just look at his history,” Bowden said.

“Every job he has had, whether Western Kentucky, South Florida or Oregon, he started off slow and finished good. It takes time.”

FSU’s administration is keenly aware of how important it is for FSU football to win games. The revenue generated by football ticket sales and the accompanying Booster seat contribution account for more than 35 percent of the athletics budget and are essential to the financial well-being of FSU’s 20 teams.

FSU’s revenues were down this football season in spite of an attractive seven-game home schedule that included Clemson, Florida and Virginia Tech. FSU’s downward trend tracks a

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worrisome national trend for live sporting events at both the college and pro level. And a struggling football team doesn’t help.

In spite of a 7-6 record in football last year, FSU’s other 19 teams enjoyed the best of times with a top 10 ranking in the Learfield Director’s Cup for comprehensive excellence. FSU fans enjoyed watching softball have fun dancing, cheering, singing and flashing gaudy championship rings. Seminole fans were on the edge of their seats at the Beach Volleyball championship game and when men’s basketball advanced to an Elite Eight appearance then opened this season with their fifth-straight win over rival Florida.

It was also the best of times when Florida State University exceeded its $1 Billion Raise the Torch Campaign. Seminole Boosters exceeded a $250 million goal for Athletics, raising $371 million over eight years. No sooner was that campaign complete than the Boosters announced a $20 million lead gift from Al and Judy Dunlap for the new, $100 million Unconquered Campaign, an initiative for facilities and scholarships.

The best of times, the worst of times, occurring concurrently. Major gift fundraising is up while operating revenue is down. The duality is puzzling, seemingly a contradiction.

In an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat and Warchant, Florida State’s interim athletic director David Coburn addressed the Seminoles’ financial health.

“I think you have to ask yourself the question, “Are we OK? Do we have enough?” he said. “And the answer, I think, is yes.”

“Will we have enough? Yes.” “Are we going to have as much as those (SEC) guys? No, we never will in my view because (The ACC Network) started off behind (The SEC Network).”

USA Today reinforced Coburn’s assessment. FSU’s athletic revenues were ranked 13th in the nation and No. 1 in the ACC last year, so the program is not without resources. Within the ACC, the budget for every FSU team is ranked among the top two or three. And, according to NCAA statistics, Florida State and Alabama boasted the largest recruiting budgets in college football.

Coburn is a three-time FSU graduate, including the School of Law, with experience managing budgets, including 34 years in the Florida Legislature, where he was Chief of Staff of the House of Representatives, director of planning and budgeting and served as Staff Director for the Florida Senate Committee on Ways and Means. He came to FSU to serve former President Eric Barron and, most recently, as President John Thrasher’s Chief of Staff.

Seminole Boosters President and CEO Andy Miller has known Coburn since the two were undergraduates. They have worked together on a variety of projects over the years and share institutional knowledge and points of reference.

They are both watching the ACC Network, which finally launches in August 2019. It is projected to narrow the $15 million per year, per school gap with the SEC Network. But Coburn won’t count on projected revenues until they are realized. For now, he is targeting operating expenses that can 32

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be managed while focusing on revenues that can be grown.

He has announced cuts of $600,000 in FSU’s $106 million budget, cuts that won’t affect team operations or recruiting.

And he has put a freeze on hiring in non-coaching areas and is requiring more financial control on purchases and travel.

Coburn made it clear the football recruiting budget has not been touched and that Willie Taggart has the full support of Athletics, the Boosters and the university administration.

“We are in it for the long haul,” Coburn said. “His track record of turnarounds is clear to everyone. And he’s an excellent coach.”

Coburn has seen football improvement off the field, where Taggart is creating a climate of accountability that will find its way onto the field.

“He insists they attend every class, sit in the front row and introduce themselves to professors,” Coburn said, noting Taggart inspects and enforces what he expects.

When the accountability reaches the field, and the dumb penalties go away, the wins will follow.

Athletics and the Boosters will continue to look to non-traditional revenues, including events, concerts and neutral site games, like the Seminoles’ 2019 season opener against Boise State in Jacksonville. But the most important line items in the budget are season tickets and Booster contributions, which are in the hands of each and every Seminole Booster member, season ticket holder and fans.

Miller and Coburn were students when FSU went 0-11 and 1-10 so they too have seen the worst of times and the best of times. In Miller’s first year, FSU went 3-8 and hired Bobby Bowden. FSU then went 5-6 in Bowden’s first year before starting a streak of winning seasons that grew to 41.

They know the importance of giving FSU fans a reason to buy tickets and come to home games.

“The 41-year streak happened because everyone got behind the coach, bought tickets, came to games, joined the Boosters and encouraged others to do the same. One by one, the program was built,” Miller remembers. “Many of the people who took a chance on FSU then now tell me, ‘I knew I was needed and making a difference, which was very rewarding.’

“If we all do something — administration, coaches, players, fans — this program will be right back to where we all want to be, enjoying the very best of times.”

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THE

GEORGE LANGFORD AWARD PRESENTED BY THE SEMINOLE BOOSTERS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, the George Langford Award recognizes leadership and lifetime achievement serving the best interests of Florida State University.

Named for an esteemed civic leader, the award embodies his giving spirit and dynamic personality.

GEORGE LANGFORD

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rchitectural icons and statuary enrich the remarkable beauty of our university campus. Among the most prominent of these is the bronze likeness of Francis Eppes, seated on a small bench in the landscaped apron around Westcott.

The bronze figure is depicted gazing toward the town center of old Tallahassee. As the founder and first president of Florida State University, Eppes came under criticism for building the new school too far west, too far away from town. But Francis Eppes, who was three times elected mayor of Tallahassee, knew that the city and the university would grow together. And his vision came true.

Eppes shared much with his grandfather, Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States. Both men proved to be remarkable visionaries and both were driven by unquenchable intellectual vigor.

Ten years after the end of his presidency, Jefferson founded the University of Virginia. Only 32 years later,

in 1851, his grandson Francis Eppes established the Seminary West of the Suwannee, now Florida State University.

George Langford is a worthy inheritor of this enduring connection between Jefferson’s university and the proud institution that has evolved from Francis Eppes’ Seminary. George grew up in Thomasville, not far from Tallahassee. While almost all members of his immediate family are alumni of Florida State, Langford earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Virginia.

Langford’s leadership in the Tallahassee community is unsurpassed. His achievements in business, his support for Seminole athletics and his commitment to enhancing the intellectual foundations of Florida State University mark him as a Renaissance Man worthy of comparison to Jefferson and Eppes.

It is most fitting that the Board of Directors of Seminole Boosters recognize the man who served three terms as Chairman of this Board, who resurrected the Boosters organization and the Seminole Athletic Program from a dark passage in time, and whose demonstrated character and dedication inspires all of those who love Florida State University.

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PRESENTED TO

JOE CAMPS

A LIFETIME OF SERVICE From football captain to trusted advisor

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ometimes it must seem to Joe Camps that he has spent much of his life standing at the turning point.

Most Seminoles don’t know and never will know about the drama and turning points that came to conclusion in Joe Camps’ living room. Whether the crises involved a change in University leadership, or the future of Seminole Boosters, or even the future of the Atlantic Coast Conference, critical decisions transpired in the room full of people where Joe Camps was counted on to provide the most thoughtful, moral and intelligent leadership.

One by one across the many years — directors of athletics, presidents of the University, leaders of the Boosters, even the commissioner of the ACC — passed through Joe Camps home seeking his wise counsel and approval. This quiet parade is an extraordinary tribute to the man.

Neither is it a small consideration that Joe and Marion Camps are also known to have the best wine cellar in Tallahassee. Invitations to be a guest in the Camps’ home are sought an envied.

Joe Camps was Coach Bobby Bowden’s first player to become a distinguished physician. After graduating from medical school at the University of North Carolina and performing the required years of internship and residency, Joe and Marion retuned to Tallahassee to establish his practice.

Joe instantly launched his support of the Athletic Department by becoming a Golden Chief, and developing a “recruiting lounge”

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at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital for medical staff to join Seminole Boosters as Annual Fund donors.

As renowned and respected as he is in circles of University academic and athletic leadership, Dr. Camps is an extraordinary presence in the Tallahassee medical community. He has served with distinction as the Chief of Staff and Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Capital Regional Medical Center, as well as Chairman of the Cancer Committee at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. He has also served as Chief of Staff at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital and is currently a member of the Hospital Board of Directors.

Camps was a scholar first and then a player; then a leader, then a star.

And then Bowden’s first captain.

“Coach Bowden picked four of us to be captains for the year: the quarterback, two running backs and me,” Camps says, laughing. “It was typical Bowden — all offense.”

He lettered three years and was one of the first great defensive backs of the Bowden era. At the end of his senior season, the coaches named him recipient of the coveted Bob Crenshaw Award, signifying the player with the “most fight; the biggest heart.”

Camps was elected National Chairman of Seminole Boosters at the height of The Dynasty in 19971998. He was elected to the FSU Hall of Fame as a three-year letterman and star, and the Moore-Stone Award as a leader in athletics and academics.

FSU’s faculty senate presented Camps with the prestigious Torch Award for his exemplary leadership.

Joe was tapped to serve a term on

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the Florida State University Board of Trustees beginning in 2011.

Of all his gifts to Florida State University, perhaps the most valuable is his remarkable sense of vision. After a visit to The Harvard Club in New York, Camps returned and articulated a concept that became the magnificent University Center Club.

As National Chairman of the Boosters, his vision also guided a comprehensive master plan for athletic facilities. Under his leadership The Legacy Campaign was launched to expand the Moore Athletic Center, to renovate and improve Don Veller Golf Course and Dick Howser Stadium, and to construct the McIntosh Building for track & field.

“You take fight to everything you do every day,” Camps said. “It defines your character and who you are.”

PRESENTED TO

KEN CASHIN

A LIFETIME OF SERVICE Leadership that sparked major fundraising campaigns

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rom time to time significant opportunities reveal themselves.

Once recognized, they are there to be grasped and exploited by a willing and adventurous spirit. An extraordinary individual can thus achieve extraordinary things.

So it was in 1989 when Ken Cashin rose to become Chairman of the Seminole Boosters Board.

The vision existed for a massive edifice surrounding Doak Campbell Stadium, one that eventually would become the largest contiguous brick construction in America. Funding for the project would come from a number of sources, but the Boosters were responsible for building the skyboxes and athletic facilities.

The Board of Regents insisted the Boosters demonstrate ability to raise the money first.

The project was not only breathtaking in its beauty and scope, and unique in its concept, it was also a magnet for controversy. Forces both from within the university and from the outside lined up to oppose.

But Ken Cashin was masterful in guiding the political vessel to a safe harbor.

Bobby Bowden’s Dynasty was young, only in its third season, but the promise of continued success inspired Seminole Boosters under Chairman Cashin’s leadership to apply to the Legislature for funding, and at the same time to undertake

a dramatic, first-ever Capital Campaign with the goal to raise $10 million in only six months.

Cashin’s name and popularity were instrumental in assembling a group of a dozen elite visionaries dubbed “The A Team.” They would lead the effort to get approval for the project, build confidence, sell skyboxes and raise seed money.

By mid-November, after only six weeks, the Campaign had raised $3 million. By April 1, the drive to raise $10 million in six months had reached an astonishing $56 million.

Cashin’s lobbyist skills as well as his personal connections played a significant role in securing funding from the Legislature for what was to become The University Center.

In those days, Burt Reynolds was the biggest male box-office draw in the world. Counted among Burt’s running buddies were Ken Cashin and Andy Haggard, each of them having served as Chairman of the Boosters.

Several highly placed decision makers were escorted down to Jupiter for an entertaining weekend with Burt at the Reynolds Theater.

Legislative funding was secured, and Seminole Boosters secured bond financing for the balance of money required to build University Center.

Cashin’s term as Chairman coincided with a transformative reorganization of Seminole Boosters.

The organization shifted strongly

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toward major gift and endowment fundraising with emphasis on planned giving. Cashin’s position, which had been called President, was now changed to Chairman of the Board. The Seminole Boosters CEO became President, an alignment in keeping with corporate standards.

Ken Cashin, an executive in the mobile home industry for nearly 50 years, was appointed to the Florida State Athletic Board in 2012, and was awarded recognition by the University as a member of the Circle of Gold.

It is more than appropriate that the 2018 George Langford Award is presented to Ken Cashin.

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B O O S T E R

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BOOSTER EVENTS FROM THE FALL

Football Scholarship donor President John Thrasher, football scholarship donor and Golden Chief Harry Sargeant, MICCO and Legacy Chief donor and former Seminole Booster Board Chairman David Rancourt, MICCO and Golden Chief donor and current Board of Trustee Chairman and Golden Cheif donor Ed Burr and golf facility and Platinum Chief donor and current Chairman of the Seminole Booster Board Doug Russell.

Former football players gather in Orlando for the FSU vs Louisville game watch party.

MICCO and Golden Chief donor and former Seminole Booster Board Chairman Russ Morcom, Assoc. Athletic Dir. of Facilities and Events Bernie Waxman, Softball head coach Lonni Alameda and golf facility and Platinum Chief donor and current Chairman of the Seminole Booster Board Doug Russell.

MICCO and Golden Chief donors John and Betty Crowe with Interim Athletic Director David and Mary Coburn.

Avis Latham (Vaught), class of 1969, found her team photo at the 50th Anniversary of Women’s Athletics celebration event at Tully Gym on Sept. 2.

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Current and former female student-athletes gather at the 50th Anniversary of Women’s Athletics Celebration on September 2.

MICCO and Golden Chief donor DeVoe Moore with Seminole Boosters President and CEO Andy Miller.

MICCO and Golden Chief donor Yvonne Brown with senior football student-athlete John Moschella at the fall student-athlete development networking function on November 15.

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PAYING IT FORWARD All-American wide receiver Kez McCorvey uses the mentoring skills he learned as a player to support today’s student-athletes

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ez McCorvey was “blessed” to have tremendous mentors and role models when he was an All-American football player at Florida State in the 1990s. Now that he has returned “home” over two decades later, his mission is to pay that kindness forward to the coaches and athletes in the Tallahassee community.

McCorvey was a lightly regarded recruit coming out of high school in Pascagoula, Mississippi. He was so lightly regarded that he said, “If they would have had the stars rating system back then I probably would have been a no-star.”

The four-sport athlete (football, basketball, baseball and track) was an accomplished pitcher and outfielder on the Pascagoula High School baseball team, but he only played football because it was the first sport of the year. It was only after several players from Pascagoula attended the Florida State Football Camp in the summer following his junior year that McCorvey received a scholarship offer from FSU receivers coach John Eason.

“I was in shock when Coach Eason offered me a scholarship after camp,” McCorvey said. “I was working with the defensive backs and Coach (Mickey) Andrews, but Coach Eason saw something in me and called me over to work with the receivers.”

Growing up in Pascagoula with his mother and three siblings, McCorvey had no father figure and often struggled with staying focused in school and in life. His scholarship offer from Florida State provided him with the focus to successfully finish his high school education and laid the groundwork for a rewarding four years at Florida State.

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Photo courtesy Kez McCorvey

“You don’t realize the impact that you make when you give to Seminole Boosters. Your contribution can be worth over 10 times the value of what you put in to it. I have generations of family members who have benefitted from the opportunity that I received at Florida State. I would like to tell the Boosters, ‘Thank you for investing in the lives of people, investing in their alma mater and investing in me and my family as well.’”

— Kez McCorvey

BY JEFF ROMANCE

Once McCorvey got settled in at Florida State, it was the football coaching staff that had the greatest influence on his life and helped him make the successful transition to college athletically, academically and personally.

“When I got to Florida State I had a bunch of fathers there,” McCorvey said.

“Coach Bowden, Coach Eason, and Coach Andrews all really took great care of me.

Coach Andrews and his wife, Diane, were so great and encouraging to me. Coach Eason was an incredible role model for me. The structure and the care that Coach (Bobby) Bowden put into place and the way the football program was run all helped to mold me and give me a different viewpoint on life and encouraged to raise my expectations of myself.”

The strong foundation McCorvey had at Florida State allowed him to flourish as a person and as an athlete. McCorvey left Florida State in 1995 as a two-time All-ACC selection, a UPI All-American, a Biletnikoff Award semifinalist and the leading receiver on the 1993 national championship team. He was inducted into the FSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.

“That 1993 season was so memorable to us as a team because everyone expected to win the national championship,” McCorvey said. “We had the most intense practices and went against the best competition in practice all year. It was actually a feeling of relief when we finally beat Nebraska.”

After being selected by the Detroit Lions in the fifth round of the 1995 NFL Draft, McCorvey spent three years with the Lions (1995-97), followed by one season with the Rhein Fire in NFL Europe (1999) and two seasons with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (2000–01).

Following his playing career, McCorvey stayed in football working in player development and then coaching. His coaching stops included several high schools in Florida, Middle Tennessee State University, and three seasons in the CFL, including a Grey Cup Championship in 2015 as a member of the Edmonton Eskimos’ coaching staff.

“When I came back to coaching in Tallahassee a year ago, I was invited to a Fellowship of Christian Athletes meeting,” McCorvey said. “When I got to the FCA meeting I felt like God picked my heart and let me know that Tallahassee is where I need to be. I felt like God led me to go into full-time ministry for the community of Tallahassee and the coaches and the schools and Florida State.”

McCorvey’s return to Tallahassee as the Area Director of the FCA for Leon and Gadsden counties has allowed him to get

closer to the FSU football program and become the same type of mentor that his FSU coaches were to him.

“I love FSU,” McCorvey said. “Tallahassee is my home, and I try to get to campus as often as I can to stay close to the program and to talk to the players and try to encourage them and give them some words of wisdom. It’s important for the FSU football players to know that the community is behind them.

“Nowadays it’s tough because all you hear is the negative stuff, but I want to try to make sure we hear some of the positive stuff about the players being role models in the community. My goal is to have a positive impact on those guys because they have an impact on so many other people. Florida State University and the FSU football program has such an impact on our community and our state. Our players need to know that this is bigger than just them.”

McCorvey has also been impressed with how head coach Willie Taggart is a role model for his players and how he also sees the big picture about the history and the future of the Florida State football program.

“Coach Taggart has been awesome to me and has taken care of all of the old players and really makes it feel like home for all of us,” McCorvey said. “He understands and is trying to build that connection and the legacy and make sure the current players know where they came from. He cares about developing them as people and players.”

When McCorvey isn’t working with athletes in the Tallahassee area, he can be found running football camps throughout Florida and Georgia as a member of Nole Legends, a group of former Florida State football players dedicated to providing positive guidance to student-athletes through mentorship, confidence building and leadership development while utilizing sports as a platform.

“Over the past year, I spoke with E.G. Green, Andre Cooper and Peter Warrick about doing some camps for kids across the state. We wanted to take the things we learned throughout our careers and pass it down to kids that might not otherwise have access to that type of detail and knowledge about football and life,” McCorvey said. “We also have the opportunity to pass down the words of wisdom that we received and have the same great relationships that we had with the coaching staff while players at Florida State.”

When McCorvey looks back at his time at Florida State, he is thankful of the opportunity that he was provided with his football scholarship, which was funded by the annual contributions of Seminole Booster members.

Twenty-five years after helping FSU to

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“That scholarship offer from FSU was really the motivating factor in my life. If it wasn’t for Florida State, I probably would have ended up staying in Pascagoula and working in the shipyard. That scholarship opened my eyes to so many different possibilities. Through football at FSU, I was able to change my life for the better.”

— Kez McCorvey their first football national championship, McCorvey is more appreciative of the relationships he formed with his coaches, teammates and the Tallahassee community than the records and accolades he received on the field.

“The relationships that I had were the most important to me because they molded me into the person that I am today.

I love football with a passion, but Coach Bowden and all the other coaches had such a positive impact and influence on my life,” McCorvey said.

If McCorvey ever had any doubt about the influence his former coaches on had on his life, his family often provides some subtle reminders.

“My 14-year-old son got mad when he was playing video games the other day, and he said ‘Dagnabbit,’” McCorvey said.

“So the things that rubbed off on me over the years are now rubbing off on him.”

KEZ McCORVEY FUN FACTS FSU number: 88 (“I wanted 47, but that’s what Coach Eason gave me”) Favorite FSU opponent: Miami FSU nickname: Gumby Favorite FSU teammate: Omar Ellison Best FSU trash talker: Corey Fuller Best FSU game: 3 TDs vs. Duke in 1992 (“My grandmother came to watch”) Favorite role model: Coach Bobby Bowden Favorite FSU hangout: The “Burt” (Burt Reynolds Hall) FSU career receptions: 189 FSU career receiving Yards: 2,660 FSU career touchdowns: 16

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A LIFELONG FRIENDSHIP BUILT AT FLORIDA STATE

BY KERRY DUNNING

W

hat do a coach, a pro basketball player and a pole vaulter have in common? A lot it seems, if you are talking about bringing three very successful women to Florida State athletics.

Florida State basketball coach Sue Semrau coached assistant basketball coach Brooke Wyckoff and FSU Senior Associate Athletic Director Vanessa Fuchs. Fuchs and Wyckoff were roommates and teammates all four years at Florida State. And for the last eight years, all three are back on campus in gamechanging roles.

It’s better than a great sports story.

Semrau’s list of accolades fills pages in Florida State history, including multiple coach of the year and ACC coach of the year awards, but winningest coach in Seminole history exemplifies a coach who mentors and challenges women to reach their

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potential off the court as much as on the hardwood.

With no goal of leaving Wisconsin, where she was an assistant under Jane Albright there and at Northern Illinois, it was Bobby Bowden who aided in the recruiting process.

“At the time I wasn’t looking for a head job. I just was really happy with what we were doing at Wisconsin,” said Semrau.

The Badgers were ranked eighth in the country and third in attendance while the Seminoles’ program had a couple of coaching changes and a sub .500 prior season. “When it came to Florida State, it wasn’t something I thought I would be interested in because of the state of the program.”

But Semrau decided to take the next step and interview in Atlanta, followed by an on campus interview and meeting with the legendary football coach.

“After I sat down with Coach Bowden and heard his story, then it felt like something I was supposed to do. He was a mentor to me for the entire time he was here. There were so many things

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Photo by John Neiser / FSU sports information

50TH ANNIVERSARY

from taking a program that had different coaches (Semrau was the third coach in three years) to having a tough year to start, so honestly he was one of the biggest reasons I came.”

Fuchs wasn’t recruited by Semrau but, when Chris Gobrecht left after a single season to coach at her alma mater, Fuchs and Semrau met. But in reality, the recruitment may have started at birth.

“Growing up my Dad would have FSU games on whether it was football, baseball, whatever we could have on at that house,” said Fuchs about Don Fuchs, a pole vaulter who came to Tallahassee from Garfield, New Jersey. “It was just always a goal of mine that FSU would be where I wanted to go to school.”

Fuchs tells the story of writing a letter her freshman year of high school, in which she wrote that she wanted to win a state championship, to be in the top 10 in her class and to win a scholarship at FSU. When she opened the letter in her senior year Fuchs had already signed with FSU. Then she finds out Semrau will be her coach, leading to another goal. Fuchs was a thrower (discus and shot put) and wanted to go out for track. Semrau agreed, and prior to an ankle injury she made the ACC championships as a freshman.

“Sue is one of my lifelong mentors,” said Fuchs. It was tested early when she went to Semrau as a freshman and said she wanted to transfer. “It was typical freshman adjustment from being the one who was playing to suddenly realizing you might be more of a role player.”

Fuchs says Semrau stopped her immediately, telling her she was much more than a basketball player. She planted the message that Fuchs needed to find ways to make herself an asset.

“From that point on, I totally changed my mindset to really focus on being the best practice player I could be, the best on the team academically and really making sure my teammates were staying on track academically, serving the community, getting involved in the athletic department organizations for students,” Fuchs said. “Best advice I’d ever received.”

She graduated Magna Cum Laude and the administrator was born. Fuchs was promoted to Senior Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator in 2012. In 2013 former FSU president Dr. Eric Barron named her the school’s interim athletics director (the first woman to hold that position). In 2015 Women Leaders in College Sports named her the DI Administrator of the year.

Wyckoff says her recruiting process was very random and, in her words, basically a mess. A Cincinnati area resident, she says, “I only knew Florida State because I knew who Charlie Ward was.

At the end of everything, it was a feeling, a gut feeling, that this was the place for me and this was the right situation.”

Thank you, Charlie Ward.

Wyckoff was one of the greatest players ever, an All-American, and four-time All-ACC academic selection. Her jersey number was retired in 2006.

Her timing also worked out as she also started with Semrau as the head coach, and she says, “the rest is history. It is scary to think how precarious the whole thing was and how well it worked out.”

Wyckoff’s 1,350 career points is the 14th most in school history.

She ranks second in career blocks with 209 and her 804 rebounds puts her seventh on the list. Wyckoff, along with Fuchs and Semrau, was part of the first winning season in nine years (2001) and part of the team that made a trip to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 10 years. All of this led her to a pro basketball career, something shared with Ward.

“I was very fortunate that the first year of the WNBA was my freshman year of college,” says Wyckoff. “It was cool to be in college and have a tangible goal.”

In its infancy the WNBA was fragile, but Wyckoff adds, “We knew this was something special and unique, and nothing can be taken for granted. It was a great experience; that and going overseas (played for Estudiantes in Spain). Not only did I have the privilege of playing pro and making money, but the life experience you get. Living overseas is life changing.”

Fate shows up again in the lives of this trio. Wyckoff retires from pro sports because of an injury. Fuchs, who has been working at the NCAA, takes the administrative job at FSU. Semrau is still the head coach.

“One day I get a call from Sue and she says, ‘Guess who I’m considering for my open coaching position?‘” Fuchs smiles at the memory. “And I knew. Brooke Wyckoff.”

Semrau under the mentorship of Bowden; Fuchs and Wyckoff under Semrau’s mentorship. And that led to mentorship of so many women athletes now impacted by this trio. But their reach and understanding of the complete athlete goes beyond the FSU campus.

Semrau read an article about a non-profit organization distributing shoes around the world, and she took the next step by calling Emmanuel Ohonme, the founder of Samaritan’s Feet.

She was moved by his story of a missionary coming from the US, teaching them basketball and giving away a pair of shoes.

Ohonme came to the US on a scholarship, but when he returned home, he passed that same park, and kids were still barefoot.

“He was a successful businessman and thought he could play a small part in giving people hope that they can do something that was never in the realm of their own possibilities,” said Semrau, and she became the first woman ambassador for the program, and traveled to Nigeria to volunteer time.

And now the program has a “world shoe,” one that contains an anti-microbial that is preventing the spread of diseases. “So it is really about life and death as much as it is about giving a kid a pair of shoes,” she reflects.

Wyckoff is a founding member of Moms in Coaching. The birth of her daughter, Avery, who is also Semrau’s godchild, gave her pause or panic, depending on what part of the story she is telling, in realizing how hard it would be to continue coaching and raise a child.

“The idea came from realizing there were so many of us and we didn’t even know who each other were. This is something we needed to know for support because it gets very lonely,” said Wyckoff. They started meeting at the Final Four, and have a newsletter and social media. “But we are all doing it and making it work. The biggest goal is to keep women in coaching.”

Fuchs is the Title IX Deputy Coordinator for athletics, for

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Photo by FSU sports information

both men’s and women’s sports. She serves on the ACC Women’s Basketball, Women’s Volleyball, Autonomy and SACC committees. In 2015, Fuchs was also appointed to the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Committee.

It was under her purview this 50th year anniversary of women’s intercollegiate sports got underway. After two years of planning came alive with the Garnet and Golden celebration in September and will end with a gala in the spring. In between team reunions and other events will highlight and honor women athletes at FSU. Fuchs and a committee of who’s who have done the planning. Patches will be worn on all team uniforms (a sticker has been added to the football helmets), and the effort is supported by websites for the general public and one specific to FSU athletes. There is also a website for apparel.

GABBY REECE A RENAISSANCE WOMAN

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done for Florida State is nowhere near what Florida State has done for me.”

Reece didn’t start playing the sport until her junior year of high school.

Credit coach Cecile Reynaud for discovering Reece before she was noticed on the recruiting trail.

“I wasn’t really looking for anybody except for the next year, but I walked into this gym in Tampa and I went up to talk with her,” said Reynaud, who said it wasn’t hard to notice the 6-foot-3 Reece. “Then after she signed, she started getting recruited because people saw her playing.”

It came that close to not having Reece on campus. “I met Cecile and I realized that she might tell me the truth and that was important. It was also just right for everything I wanted. It was still in Florida but far enough away. And it was a great athletic program.“

SEMINOLE-BOOSTERS.COM

Photos by Ryals Lee / FSU sports information

BY KERRY DUNNING Gabrielle Reece is an athlete and feminine. She is a business woman and kind. She is a former professional volleyball player, a beach volleyball champion, a model, an actress, an author, a sports announcer, a wife and a mother.

And Reece is the latest Florida State athlete to have a jersey number retired.

“If you can hold the line, keep trying to do the work, grow and learn, you show up for your job, and you are trying to take pride in what you do, I think it is the last man standing,” said Reece, a message she passed on to both the volleyball and beach volleyball squads on the day her No. 6 was displayed in the rafters at Tully Gym. “I’m honored certainly but what I’ve

“That opening weekend, a lot of women who came back — some who hadn’t been back since they played here — were thrilled that we were honoring them and bringing recognition and awareness,” said Fuchs.

The celebration is also garnering more involvement and interest in women’s sports going forward. Soccer and softball have won national championships. Beach Volleyball was runner-up in the NCAAs. Other sports are now routinely winning ACC titles.

“I’m so proud of women’s sports here,” said Wyckoff. “At Florida State never once, as an athlete, did I feel I wasn’t valued. Now as a coach I see things differently, but FSU brings in coaches that care – like Sue. Their No. 1 goal is to get these young women the experience they’ve earned through hard work and make it top of the line.”

Fuchs adds, “It’s amazing of how the

success, doesn’t matter which sport is winning, they are all winning.”

But the story isn’t ending with 50 years.

Fuchs continues to be involved with funding all the programs for excellence.

“If you look at the comparables and where we stand in each individual sport, in the ACC in terms of operating budgets we are at the top in almost every one of our sports (thanks to our donors).”

Wyckoff says she was recently reminded, through a podcast, that men broke barriers too. Specifically, the podcast talked about breaking the 4-minute mile.

“Sports is just a microcosm of our larger society, so on one hand I want to be patient. But we are behind. There are good moments where there is a lot to be proud of and a lot to be thankful for.”

Semrau points to the basketball court to say it is the exact same court both men

and women play on. The basket is the exact same height as the men’s.

“But our average height is 5’7” while theirs is 6’1”. So now you are looking at a six-inch difference in us,” she says. “To me that speaks to us as women. It seems that we must reach higher with less than the men. So celebrate where we’ve come but celebrating on creeping up on equality is important.”

Semrau teaches that you don’t just celebrate the big things, but you have to have a vision, and a plan, because it is a long journey. She passed that message on to Fuchs and Wyckoff during their playing days.

“You celebrate the past that led to the layup,” she summarizes. “You keep it in perspective and definitely celebrate (50 years) but then say, ‘we’ve not done nothing yet.’”

Reece adds, “When you realize the legacy here and that the locals have always come to support us in Tully, I think the gods had a hand in it, quite frankly.”

Reece holds two school records in solo blocks (240) and total blocks (747), which have stood since 1989. But it wasn’t just her athleticism that caught attention. Name any other college athlete that went to New York City every spring for a modeling career?

“She was so heavily pursued in the modeling business that we couldn’t keep her on campus,” says Reynaud. “So she would take off, go around the world and then come back to take summer classes to keep her eligibility.”

Reynaud tells the story of her agents coming to Tallahassee to watch a volleyball match, and Reece was hit in the face and bloodied. She looked over at the shocked women at the same time Gabby was asking to go back on the court.

“She had a good time, but then she really developed her own career,” said Reynaud.

“Being a model was nice, but it wasn’t going to keep her engaged.”

So after a couple of years on the pro volleyball tour, Reece’s four-person team captured first place in the Beach Volleyball World Championships.

“When I look back on things, I realize that life is about timing and, you know, I didn’t really want to pursue indoor in Europe so really the only other option was beach (volleyball),” she said. “It was still a relatively small community

and it also prolonged my ability to play.”

What frustrates Reece is exactly where she has made an indelible mark on a multi-level career path.

“You still have to find a way to make athletics a real business. Even though it is sports stuff, you can’t do it the same way as men,” Reece said.

“Where men are about statistics, I think people are interested in the different dimensions of the female athlete. So it is something I have always worked on and been a part of how do you promote women’s athletics in the way that actually brings the right attention rather than doing it exactly like the men do it.”

Reece smiles when she says her husband, Laird Hamilton, always jokes about “the clothing and how many options you have.” While she no longer models as a primary business line, she added, “I’ve always thought it was a benefit to be a female, and a female athlete, because you could go and play and be rough, and then you could come out and enjoy things about being female.”

Reece’s jersey retirement is part of the year-long celebration of 50 years of women’s intercollegiate sports at FSU. She has seen a lot of change in being a female athlete.

“For me, the novelty is not there anymore.

Meaning when we were playing it was ‘Oh, you play sports.’ Where young women now it is special to play sports but the novelty of women’s sports vs. men’s sports has obviously changed,” Reece said. “What was interesting for me, it was

19 years after Title IX when I went to college on a full scholarship. That group changed it. To see Florida State, now watching beach volleyball, their programs getting stronger, and all the championships, it is watching every program pick up steam. They have great coaches and great athletes.”

She thinks about her three daughters as she says, “Women are a lot of people. We are teaching young women that if you want to get sweaty and kick butt or if you want to be a scholar or anything else matters, you have the freedom to do anything for all the people within ourselves.”

Reece concludes, “The fight is to embrace it.

It’s empowering. When you see loving and kind and strong, that is empowering women to be three-dimensional.”

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Photos by Ross Obley / FSU sports information; WL Pearce / FSU sports information

SEMINOLE BASKETBALL PREVIEW 2018-19

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2018-19 SEMINOLE BASKETBALL SEASON PREVIEW

(Photos by Ross Obley and FSU Sports information)

UNPROVEN BUT TALENTED – AND MAINTAINING HIGH EXPECTATIONS SEMINOLE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

BY STEPHEN STONE roven as a program, but unproven going into the upcoming season. That will be the mantra for the 2018-19 Florida State Women’s Basketball team.

Florida State Women’s Basketball has risen to the top tier of college programs over the past decade, with three NCAA Elite Eight trips in that span and a tendency to be second-week mainstays in March. However, coach Sue Semrau has the unique task of replacing all five of her senior starters from a season ago, thus creating the unproven label with a group that is high on talent and character but low on experience.

“I love the energy, the coachability and the talent,” Semrau said as she enters her 22nd season with the Seminoles. “We’re unproven. We know that. At the same time, we have high expectations.”

Those expectations are catapulted by a top-notch freshmen class that is ranked sixth in the country according to ESPNW’s Hoopgurlz rankings. The class includes four guards in Izabela Nicoletti (No. 16 overall; Brazil), Kourtney Weber (No. 51; New Orleans), Morgan Jones (No. 66; Jonesboro, Ga.) and Amaya Brown (No. 99; Albuquerque, N.M.) as well as power forward Valencia Myers (No. 63; Solon, Ohio). Nicoletti will sit out the season after sustaining a knee injury in July.

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The combination of a dynamite freshmen class and the return of experienced back-court mates Nicki Ekhomu and Nausia Woolfolk, both junior guards, gives FSU something to build around. Depth is everywhere at the guard positions, which also includes redshirt freshman Sayawni Lassiter and sophomore sharp-shooter Savannah Wilkinson. FSU could use its athleticism to its advantage and force the tempo with its bevy of guards in the backcourt.

“It’s been really special to watch. Those two are very different but have complemented one another,” Semrau said of Ekhomu and Woolfolk growing into leadership roles. “Nicki leads by example, Nausia leads with her personality. And then you throw in (redshirt junior forward) Kiah Gillespie, who was a McDonald’s All-American, and has been chomping at the bit to get out on the floor again, she has added an extra element as well.”

Ekhomu is among the ACC’s top returnees in freethrow percentage (81.6) in 2017-18. Woolfolk, who has experience at both point guard and shooting guard, has shown flashes of brilliance in her FSU career.

Wilkinson had a very productive summer playing in the FIBA U20 Championships and is already a proven shooter – she made 43.3 percent of shots from 3-point range last season in limited time.

SEMINOLE-BOOSTERS.COM

FSU’s front-court attack includes a pair of McDonald’s All-Americans: 6-foot-2 Gillespie and Myers along with redshirt sophomore Iho Lopez. Gillespie will have a role adjustment right away, being FSU’s oldest player despite not playing a game with the Seminoles. She sat out last year as a transfer, and has waited for her chance to shine with the Garnet and Gold.

Despite the limited experience, it will be up to the new group to maintain the program’s standard of excellence. Over the last four seasons (since 2014-15), FSU has won 25 or more games in each year.

FSU joins only Notre Dame and Louisville as ACC programs who have won 75 percent or more of their conference games in each season and has finished in the top 15 of the AP Poll in each year.

“We don’t have any experience,” Semrau added. “Nicki and Nausia are the only two who have played significant minutes. Those experiences are very valuable. But at the same time, I know we’re unproven but we’re trying to prepare them for such a way that come ACC play, they’re ready to step up and compete the same way they’ve been able to.”

For the first time in quite some time, Florida State women’s basketball has

brought in multiple new coaches who help form a very knowledgeable and experienced coaching staff. During the offseason, former FSU studentathlete and assistant coach Brooke Wyckoff was elevated to associate head coach as she begins her eighth season with her alma mater. Also, Semrau added Joy McCorvey from Michigan as well as JC Carter from Utah State as assistant coaches.

The new makeup of this year’s team, one of the largest turnovers in Semrau’s tenure, offers plenty of hope and promise. With several new faces, the Seminoles jelled quite well during the offseason and are developing an early reputation as a hungry bunch waiting to prove themselves.

“This team has been incredible.

They’re like sponges,” Semrau said.

“There isn’t one group that doesn’t take every detail seriously. Again, we haven’t had any adversity. The key will be to continue to grow when adversity hits.”

If the Seminoles can navigate a challenging non-conference schedule along with the murky waters of the ACC, they will have fulfilled their high expectations while paving a new road for the next wave of quality players in the program.

2018-19 SCHEDULE DATE Nov. 6 Nov. 9 Nov. 11 Nov. 15 Nov. 18 Nov. 23

OPPONENT TIME Troy 11 a.m.

North Florida 7 p.m.

Florida 3 p.m.

Jacksonville 7 p.m.

LSU 2 p.m.

Eastern Kentucky 3 p.m. at Bahamas

Nov. 24 West Virginia/Iowa

TBA

at Bahamas

Nov. 29 Dec. 5 Dec. 9 Dec. 16 Dec. 20 Dec. 29 Jan. 3

Penn State at Mercer at St. John’s Creighton at Milwaukee Georgia State at Virginia

7 p.m.

7 p.m.

2 p.m.

2 p.m.

8 p.m.

2 p.m.

7 p.m.

(ACC Network Extra)

Jan. 6

at North Carolina

1 p.m.

(RSN)

Jan. 13 Clemson

2 p.m.

(ACC Network Extra)

Jan. 17 at Boston College

7 p.m.

(ACC Network Extra)

Jan. 20 Duke

2 p.m.

(ACC Network Extra)

Jan. 24 Louisville

7 p.m.

(RSN)

Jan. 27 at Virginia Tech

2 p.m.

(ACC Network Extra)

Jan. 31 Miami

7 p.m.

(ACC Network Extra)

Feb. 3

Wake Forest

2 p.m.

(ACC Network Extra)

Feb. 7

N.C. State

7 p.m.

(ACC Network Extra)

Feb. 10 at Notre Dame

Noon

(ESPN)

Feb. 14 at Clemson

7 p.m.

(ACC Network Extra)

Feb. 17 Pittsburgh

2 p.m.

(ACC Network Extra)

“This team has been incredible. They’re like sponges. There isn’t one group that doesn’t take every detail seriously. Again, we haven’t had any adversity. The key will be to continue to grow when adversity hits.”

— Head Coach Sue Semrau SEMINOLE-BOOSTERS.COM

Feb. 24 at Miami

Noon

(ESPN2/ESPNU)

Feb. 28 Syracuse

7 p.m.

(ACC Network Extra)

March 3 at Georgia Tech

1 p.m.

(ACC Network Extra)

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2018-19 SEMINOLE BASKETBALL SEASON PREVIEW

NICKI EKHOMU READY TO LEAD FSU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL IN 2018-19

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in my family.”

Beyond Semrau, who begins her 22nd year at Florida State in 2018, Ekhomu said she was attracted to FSU because of the “family atmosphere” and how the city of Tallahassee has a “great interest in the program.”

Nicki had a little inside info on the city because her uncle went to Florida A&M. “He talked to me about coming here,” Ekhomu said.

Semrau and her staff had already scoped out this standout player on the AAU circuit.

“Somebody that has an electric game,” Semrau said. “Somebody who is extremely athletic and wants to develop into an extremely skilled player.”

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Photo FSU Sports information

BY JIM CROSBY t’s about 975 miles from Bolingbrook, Illinois, to Tallahassee. There are plenty of colleges with quality women’s basketball teams along the way.

Why would a five-star guard like Nicki Ekhomu, who averaged 22 points. 6.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 3.1 steals as a high school senior, bypass all those other schools to come to Florida State? The easy answer is Coach Sue Semrau.

“Coach Sue always puts the other person first. She lives by that. That’s what I really appreciate about her,” said Ekhomu. “She definitely won my mom over. She won everybody over

Wherever there is talent that’s where the Seminole coaching staff will appear. A look at the current roster bears that out. The 11-player roster shows athletes from a wide variety of locales including: London, Spain, Brazil, New Mexico, Ohio, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Orleans, Connecticut and Georgia.

When Ekhomu arrived in 2016 she discovered a team loaded with talent.

She would be joining a Florida State team that had been to the NCAA tournament 11 times since 2000.

The Seminoles would add tournament appearances in both of Ekhomu’s first two seasons. Now starting the 2018-19 season the challenge is somewhat different and Ekhomu’s role is more important as a player and a leader. Five key players off of last year’s squad are gone.

There are only four returning players who have game experience.

Ekhomu’s contributions may have slipped by under the radar because of star players like Shakayla Thomas, Imani Wright, Chatrice White, A.J. Alix and Ama Degbeon, whose roles were established. Those five accounted for 1,984 points and 867 rebounds. Big shoes to fill.

Meanwhile, Ekhomu appeared in 65 of 68 games and was a key player coming off the bench. She doubled her minutes in her sophomore season, playing in 888 minutes (up from 440 minutes as a freshman).

Ekhomu is FSU’s returning leader in scoring (10.1 points) and rebounding (5.6). Even though she is soft-spoken the coaches feel like she is a perfect fit to take over a leadership role.

“She is not the biggest rah-rah person but everyone in the gym is going to know when Nicki is saying something,” said Associate Head Coach Brooke Wyckoff, who is starting her eighth season on the staff. “She is making sure we are sprinting to the next call. Making sure she is encouraging the right people. Not trying to play outside herself.”

With the departure of the five seniors since Ekhomu came to FSU she will be called on in various ways that Coach Semrau thinks she is wellprepared to fulfill.

“Her responsibility will change a lot, but that is what she came here for,” Semrau said. “She came to be a role player. She came to be a leader.

She came here to be somebody that we can count on.”

One of Ekhomu’s memorable performances came in Gainesville on Nov. 17, 2017. Much to the delight of Seminole fans the team “swamped”

the Gators on their home court 84-54. The 30-point victory margin represented the largest road win ever by the women’s basketball team over the Gators at Florida. And it was the Seminoles’ seventh win over the Gators in the last nine meetings.

That game is one she has already committed to the memory banks.

“The Florida game I remember we were excited about it and were focused. We knew we have to go in and play like it was any other game even though it was a rivalry game,” she said. “I knew before it was a rivalry, but when I got here and played them it finally kicked in.”

The night also served notice that Ekhomu could play this game at an elite level. In 30 minutes, Ekhomu put up a doubledouble with 14 points and 11 rebounds. It was her second straight 14-point performance. It was also her third game in a row in which she led or tied for the lead in rebounding. That part of her game did not escape the notice of her head coach.

“I love guards that can defend, and I love guards that can get to the rim,” Semrau said. “Nicki can do that.”

The coach also talked about the importance of that kind of a game in Ekhomu’s development.

“It showed that early on she was stepping out of her freshman shell and stepping into a bigger role,” Semrau said. “I think those are the kinds of games that give you confidence because you are rewarded for your hard work. Those games are ones to remember and will give her momentum going into this year.”

In two years Ekhomu has adjusted well to the college game. She learned about the difference between it and high school early on.

“Speed enters more into the game and there are a lot more decisions to make,” she said. “Everybody else is a good player, too.

Everybody is trying to excel. You’ve got to know the game, know when to go and when to slow down.”

Another lesson learned by Ekhomu is that there are games and then there are ACC games. “In the ACC games everybody is fast and athletic. You have to bring your ‘A-game’ every night because any team in the ACC can beat you. Can’t take a possession off.

Fatigue enters into it,’ she said.

Entering her 22nd season, Semrau realizes the landscape is a little different this year.

“There is a real new energy with the graduation of five seniors and the incoming five freshmen,” Semrau said. “I so enjoyed the coaching experience the last couple of years. But now it has shifted to excitement of coaching real young, fresh, great talent.”

Although she is only 20 years old Nicki Ekhomu has already packed a lifetime of basketball experience into her young life.

“I started playing basketball when I was four years old. My Mom asked me if I wanted to play. She was signing me and my sister up.

She was looking for activities to get her daughters involved in,” she recalls. They were already familiar with basketball because her uncle played, and they went to the games.

So with only four players having game experience, and five new freshmen, the Florida State Seminoles march confidently into the 2018-19 season undeterred. They have youth but they also have the leadership.

“Nicki will have some help,” Semrau said. “Nausia Woolfolk and she have been roommates. They are in the same class. They will play off of each other and should take a lot of the burden. Really, they are ready to step up.”

Ekhomu is not worried. She welcomes the challenge.

“I’m looking to be a starter and a leader of the group,” Ekhomu said. “I’ve got to prove myself in practice. Doesn’t matter if I’m a junior or a senior I’ve still got to prove myself and play as if I am still competing for a spot.”

Ekhomu’s past history shows that she is ready for the role and the responsibility. She is confident that it’s going to be a good year for the Florida State team that will be looking for a trip to the NCAA tournament for the 18th time in school history.

Take it from Nicki Ekhomu: This is a no-fear team despite its youth.

“I think we are going to be good,” Ekhomu said. “Not a lot of people are thinking that because we are young. But I think we will be good.”

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2018-19 SEMINOLE BASKETBALL SEASON PREVIEW

Forward Mfiondu Kabengele

’NOLES LOADED WITH TALENT, EXPERIENCE AS THEY LOOK TO BUILD OFF ELITE 8 RUN SEMINOLE MEN’S BASKETBALL

BY CHUCK WALSH alented and experienced with depth at all five positions is a great description of the 2018-19 Florida State Men’s Basketball team.

Fresh from an Elite Eight run in the 2018 NCAA Tournament, the Seminoles return:

T

• Four players who have played starters’ minutes throughout their careers.

• Seven players who played in double figure minutes during last year’s magical season.

• Seven of their top nine scorers.

• Their top two rebounders.

• Their leader in steals and assists.

• Ten players who earned playing time during the NCAA Tournament.

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Photo by FSU sports information

Add to that outstanding list of returning players a senior transfer student (David Nichols) who not only graduated in three years but averaged more than 14.0 points per game in his first three collegiate seasons, and two game-ready redshirt freshmen (RaiQuan Gray and Anthony Polite) who will add to the Seminoles’ depth at both the guard and forward positions.

“We are an older team with most of our guys having played major minutes throughout their careers,”

coach Leonard Hamilton said. “Our seniors and juniors have played in two NCAA Tournaments and our sophomores were part of our Elite Eight team last season. Also in the mix are two players who redshirted and practiced with us all season, so they know our system very well. Our newcomers — one is a graduate transfer who has played in 81 career games in college — and another (Devin Vassell) was the Player of the Year in the state of Georgia.”

Any discussion of this year’s Florida State basketball team begins with the dynamic duo of seniors Phil Cofer and Terance Mann. Both players were named to the 2018 NCAA Tournament All-West Regional team as the Seminoles advanced to within one game of the second Final Four in school history. Cofer (12.8 points and 5.1 rebounds) and Mann (12.6 points and 5.4 rebounds) are both on the cusp of scoring 1,000 career points and have helped the Seminoles to 69 wins in the last three seasons.

A trio of seniors – guards PJ Savoy and Nichols as well as center Chris Koumadje – with extensive playing and strong credentials make the Seminoles one of the most mature teams in all of college basketball.

Savoy, one of the top 3-point shooters in school history, made 50 3-point field goals and averaged 6.7 points per game as a junior. He is 11th in school history

in career 3-point field-goal percentage and made one of the biggest shots in school history (a 3-pointer) to boost the Seminoles past No. 1 seed Xavier and into the Sweet 16 of the 2018 NCAA Tournament.

Nichols, a graduate transfer from the University of Albany, was an All-Conference First-Team pick in 2017 and averages 14.1 points scored during his collegiate career. As a junior, Nichols scored 15 points at Louisville and 14 at Memphis. He led Albany to the Collegeinsider.com Tournament as a sophomore.

Koumadje is poised to become one of the top 10 shot blockers in school history. He averaged a career-high 16.0 minutes played and 6.5 points scored per game as a junior in helping the Seminoles reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 1993.

“Our seniors have played a lot of games and some very important minutes for us so we are expecting that group to lead our team,” said Hamilton. “The addition of David Nichols is a bonus for our team and gives us added depth at the point guard position. He has really done a nice job of picking up our system since he arrived on campus.”

Junior Trent Forrest, one of the best on-ball defenders in the ACC, returns as Florida State’s starting point guard. He averaged 25.6 minutes as a sophomore and was one of the big reasons – offensively and defensively – the Seminoles won three NCAA Tournament games a year ago. Forrest averaged nearly 10 points in four NCAA games and totaled 14 points in the Seminoles’ win over Xavier. Forrest led the Seminoles in both assists (4.1) and steals (1.6) while averaging nearly 8.0 points scored per game as a sophomore.

Guard M.J. Walker, who was one of the top freshmen in the ACC in 2018, returns as one of Florida State’s most talented players. He averaged almost 20 minutes played per game, 7.0 points

and made 41 3-point shots – the third highest total among the Seminoles’ returning players.

Florida State will rely heavily on a trio of redshirt freshman to become important pieces of its rotation this season. RaiQuan Gray, a point forward that displays the ability to handle the ball, and play inside and out on the offensive end, along with Anthony Polite, a lefthanded guard with tremendous touch from the outside, are both players who learned Hamilton’s system last year.

Wyatt Wilkes, a sharpshooting forward who was limited because of injuries as a freshman, is fully healthy and is expected to boost Florida State’s depth.

“We are really excited about RaiQuan, Anthony and Wyatt this season,” said Hamilton. “All three players have worked hard to get healthy and each of them are going to be major contributors for our team.”

Vassell, a talented freshman who fits perfectly into Hamilton’s mold of lengthy and athletic players, joins the rotation and increases Florida State’s depth at both the guard and forward positions. His ability to handle the basketball on the offensive end of the court, coupled with his incredible length on the defensive end, will make him a very valuable player for the Seminoles this season and throughout his career.

Florida State will play its most challenging schedule in Hamilton’s 17 years in Tallahassee. The Seminoles will play 16 homes games (seven non-conference and nine ACC games) at the Donald L. Tucker Center, including seven teams that played in the 2018 NCAA Tournament. Florida State will open against Florida and face Purdue in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, enjoy a trip to Disney World for the loaded AdvoCare Invitational and travel to games against UConn in the Never Forget Tribute Classic in New Jersey and against Saint Louis in the Orange Bowl Classic at Sunrise, Florida

“Our seniors have played a lot of games and some very important minutes for us so we are expecting that group to lead our team.”

— Head Coach Leonard Hamilton

2018-19 SCHEDULE DATE OPPONENT Oct. 26 West Florida Nov. 1 Nov. 6 Nov. 11 Nov. 19 Nov. 22

TIME W, 96-56

(Exhibition)

Valdosta State

W, 91-77

(Exhibition)

Florida at Tulane Canisius vs. UAB

9 p.m.

7 p.m.

(at Lake Buena Vista)

Nov. 23 vs. LSU/ Co. of Charleston (at Lake Buena Vista)

Nov. 25 vs. TBA

(at Lake Buena Vista)

Nov. 28 Purdue Dec. 3 Dec. 8

(ESPN2)

Troy UConn

TBA TBA 9 p.m.

8 p.m.

(ESPN2; at Newark, N.J.)

Dec. 17 SE Missouri State 7 p.m.

Dec. 19 North Florida 7 p.m.

Dec. 22 Saint Louis 2:30 p.m.

Jan. 1 Jan. 5 Jan. 9

(at Sunrise, Fla.)

Winthrop at Virginia

(ESPN2)

Miami

9 p.m.

(RSN)

Jan. 12 Duke (ESPN) Jan. 14 at Pittsburgh (ESPN/ESPNU)

Jan. 20 at Boston College (ESPNU)

Jan. 22 Clemson Jan. 27 at Miami Feb. 2 Feb. 5

2 p.m.

3 p.m.

2 p.m.

7 p.m.

Noon 7 p.m.

6 p.m.

(ESPNU)

Georgia Tech

(RSN)

at Syracuse

Noon 8 p.m.

(Raycom)

Feb. 9 Louisville Feb. 13 Wake Forest

4 p.m.

7 p.m.

(RSN)

Feb. 16 at Georgia Tech

Noon

(Raycom)

Feb. 19 at Clemson 7 p.m.

Feb. 23 at North Carolina 3:45 p.m.

(CBS)

Feb. 25 Notre Dame

7 p.m.

(ESPN)

March 2 NC State

Noon

(ESPN/ESPN2)

March 5 Virginia Tech

7 p.m.

(ESPN2/ESPNU)

March 9 at Wake Forest

Noon

(ESPN2/ESPNU)

March 12-16 ACC Tournament (at Charlotte, N.C.)

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2018-19 SEMINOLE BASKETBALL SEASON PREVIEW

PHIL COFER’S RETURN BOLSTERS SEMINOLES

BY JIM CROSBY hil Cofer admits that he didn’t like basketball when he first started playing in the sixth grade.

“My mom would drive me to practice but I didn’t feel like doing all that running and stuff like that,” Florida State’s fifth-year senior forward recalled.

Even though Reba Cofer played basketball at Tennessee under legendary coach Pat Summit, Phil said that “Mom didn’t force me to play.”

His dad, Mike Cofer, didn’t force him to play football either, but he certainly had the credentials. Mike was an All-SEC linebacker at the University of Tennessee where he also played under a coaching legend Johnny Majors.

Cofer was a third-round NFL draft pick of the Detroit Lions, where he played for 10 seasons.

When the younger Cofer grew taller than all the other players in high school his viewpoint changed. “I could outshine the older guys because I was so tall. Then I got into it and really start loving it because I could play it so well.”

Cofer loves the game and plays it well. And he received one of the greatest gifts any player could earn in May when the NCAA granted his medical hardship and awarded him an extra season in 2018-19. After Cofer played in just 11 games in 2015-16 due to injury, he and FSU administrators appealed for the right to earn the extra season.

“The NCAA has worked hard in the last couple of years to try and be more concerned about the welfare of the student-athletes,” FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. “I’m happy for him and happy for his teammates.”

Cofer is the returning scoring leader (12.8 points) and second-leading rebounder (5.1) from last season, adding to an already deep roster as the Seminoles look to build upon their Elite Eight run from March. (he suffered a foot injury in the preseason and is expected back in mid-December) But Cofer nearly wasn’t a ’Nole from the start before a series of events led him to land in Tallahassee.

With lots of schools vying for his attention he committed to his parents’ alma mater. But when coach Cuonzo Martin left Tennessee, Cofer de-committed and FSU won the battle for his services.

If Cofer’s career had advanced in a normal manner he wouldn’t be around for the 2018-19 season. But nothing about the college career of this 6-foot-8 forward from Fayetteville, Georgia, has unfolded in the way it was expected to.

After a promising freshman season (2014-15) in which he started 24 of the 33 games and averaged 6.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, misfortune struck in his sophomore season. Playing in severe pain from an ankle injury, Cofer tried to gut it out through the first 11 games of the season.

He met with the coaches after a Seminole victory over Charleston Southern on Dec. 21, 2015, and a joint decision

Photos by FSU sports information; WL Pearce / FSU sports information

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was reached for Cofer to have surgery on his ankle. Two weeks later he would have the operation.

Even more concerning was that the surgeon discovered a bone tumor was causing the pain and had to be removed.

Some anxious days followed as the tumor was tested to see if it was cancerous.

Much to his relief the tumor was found to be benign, and a determined Cofer began his rehab process in earnest. He would not be fully cleared to play again for six months.

“A lot of guys with less character would have packed it in at some point,” FSU associate head coach Stan Jones said. “But he was like ‘I’m going to get this thing figured out.’ ” Instead of bemoaning his bad luck, Cofer decided that he was going to come back a stronger and better player. He became a student of the game. Every game he could be found sitting right next to Coach Jones on the bench.

“Coach Jones helped me keep my head on straight. It definitely helped me. Helped a lot more than people think,” said Cofer.

Jones recognized that Cofer remained involved with the team despite the injury. He had an appetite to learn.

“He would ask questions, so he could stay mentally involved instead of letting it (the injury) cause him to check out,” said Coach Jones, who is in his 17th season at FSU. “He was still good in the locker room, still good traveling and being positive and involved.”

Even in an injured status Cofer continued to be a leader. “Phil has great leadership qualities that are really what we need on our team,” coach Leonard Hamilton said. “He is a Seminole through and through.”

Cofer has a way of talking to his teammates and encouraging them especially when he senses a player is getting down on himself. Because of what he has been through they listen to what he has to say. “I just tell them that I have learned it doesn’t help to be down. Move on to the next thing. It even happens in the pros.”

Is he serious all the time? No way! “I joke around,” Cofer said before adding, “when it is game time, I get serious.”

While he was rehabbing Cofer was somewhat restricted, but he could still practice his shot. So Cofer practiced, and practiced and practiced. Many of those practiced shots swished through the nets from 3-point range. Those shots would become more and more valuable for Cofer and the team in the future.

Cofer returned for his junior season in 2017. He played in 32 games but only two as a starter. Still his role as a member of the “Boom Squad,” those five players who entered games fresh legs, was valuable.

The 2016-17 team had a great run early on when they played six straight ranked teams and defeated five of them to move to No. 6 in the top 25 with a 20-2 record. From there they would go on to finish with a 26-9 record and a trip to the NCAA’s March Madness.

At the 2017 Florida State honors banquet, Cofer received the Sixth Man Award for his work with the Boom Squad.

Cofer and his teammates were looking forward to the 2017-18 season to build on their NCAA tournament appearance. Cofer would relish a season in which he was completely healthy.

Coach Hamilton remarked: “Even when Cofer was playing as a sophomore and junior he was not 100 percent healthy.” But now that he was injury-free Cofer was getting ready for a new role. He would be called on to play a stretch-4 role, which allowed him to

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find scoring chances away from the basket. Cofer had previously spent most of his game time as a forward hanging around under the basket using his height and jumping ability to battle for rebounds and posting up his jump shots.

Now, as a stretch 4, he would spend more time on the perimeter where he would have opportunities to shoot 3-pointers. He would also dribble more and set up his teammates for good shots. All of that practicing to sharpen his shooting while he was injured was about to pay off.

“It was a big-time adjustment and not everybody can do it,” said teammate Terence Mann. “I think Phil always kind of had that guard mentality in him so going outside wasn’t too much of a struggle for him. He always liked to shoot the ball even though the year before he was always inside. He developed his shot over two summers. Showed what he could do last year.”

Cofer surprised a lot of folks — but not his teammates – with his 3-point shooting. He certainly caught the Duke Blue Devils by surprise when he connected on six 3s on Dec. 30, 2017, which tied him for 16th best single game effort in school history.

Having only tried 32 threes in three years, now in his senior year he attempted four times as many. He was 48 of 128 from beyond the 3-point arc and his 37.5 percent shooting is among the best in program history.

When all was said and done, the Seminoles ended up with a stellar season. They entered March Madness as a ninth seed. Then after knocking off Missouri, 67-54, and getting revenge on Xavier for the previous season’s elimination from the tournament with a 75-70 win in Nashville, they moved to the Sweet 16 in Los Angeles.

There they crushed No. 4 seed Gonzaga, 75-60, to move to the Elite 8 for the third time in school history. That’s where it ended with a 58-54 loss to Michigan as Cofer scored 16 points in what he thought could be his last game as a Seminole.

There was talk of a medical redshirt, giving Cofer another season in 2018-19, but that was iffy. To qualify a player would have to play in no more than 30 percent of a team’s games in the season in which he was injured. In the 2015-16 season when Cofer had his surgery he played in 11 games or 32.4 percent of FSU’s games.

They decided to try for the medical redshirt anyway. Cofer was sweating it out.

“Definitely,” Cofer said. “Right after the season. In the locker room and on the way to the bus it was on my mind because I wanted to come back and help the team do better. I put a lot of faith in Coach Ham. He kept telling me, ‘We’ll get it. Don’t worry.’”

While the basketball administration went after the medical redshirt Cofer went back to the gym to work on his game. On May 25, Hamilton sought Cofer out. Phil remembers seeing the coach coming: “Coach Ham just walked up and said congratulations and started laughing.”

Florida State, an Elite Eight team, now has a seasoned veteran returning who led the team in scoring, had 178 rebounds, 26 assists and 19 steals. And has four years of experience.

“It was great news when we found out Cofer was returning,” Mann said. “We really love to have him back. He was a big part of our team last year and he will be this year, too.”

Think there is a lot of excitement about Seminole Basketball for 2018-19? You bet there is. And a major part of the reason is the return of Phil Cofer.

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WOMEN’S SWIMMING, DIVING TEAMS ON THE RISE SEASON OUTLOOK

BY CHRISTA SALERNO

F

lorida State landed one of the top women’s recruiting classes in the country and will have several key competitors to lead the Seminoles this season. After finishing 41st at the 2018 NCAA Championships and eighth at the ACC Championships, FSU will be a team on the rise in 2018-19.

Freshmen Ida Hulkko (top of page) and Grace Cable.

KEY NOTES FOR 2018-19 • Head Coach Neal Studd will call upon Ida Hulkko and Nina Kucheran to take over in all three breaststroke races. Hulkko established herself as one of the top sprint breaststrokers in Europe after finishing fifth in the 50 meters at the European Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, in August. Kucheran brought home a silver medal at the 2018 Junior Pan Pacific Championship in the 100-meter breaststroke for Team Canada. Kuchearn represented her country at the 2018 Youth Olympics in October.

• Stephanie Holmes was a key addition to the distance group, where she will provide a huge boost in the 500 free and 1650 free. She will lead the group along with senior Daniella Van den Berg, who saw a huge time drop in the 1650 free at the ACC Championships, where she placed 13th with a time of 16:24.21 and was recognized as the team’s most improved swimmer for the 2017-18 season.

(Photos by Ross Obley and FSU Sports information) SEMINOLE-BOOSTERS.COM

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• Laura Jensen is the top 200-meter freestyle swimmer from Denmark. She helped her country place seventh in the 800-meter free relay at the European Championships, where she split a career best of 2:00.27. Kertu Alnek was also busy at the meet for Estonia, competing in seven events (including the 50-meter fly, 100-meter and 200-meter free).

• Boglárka Boncez and Texas A&M transfer Dorothy Halmy will also be factors in the fly events, while Lauren Hew and Madeleine McDonald will be top newcomers in both backstroke events.

• The Seminoles return juniors Molly Carlson and Ayla Bonniwell to lead the team in diving the season.

Carlson sat most of 2017-18 out due to injury after winning the ACC Diver of the Year award in 2016, but she quickly recovered to score bronze on the 3-meter at ACCs before securing an All-America honorable mention in the event at the NCAA Championships.

• Diving coach John Proctor added Grace Cable to the group, who is a well-rounded diver with international experience under USA Diving. Cable specializes on the platform.

• FSU returns its top backstroker from the 2017-18 season as Madeline Cohen will look to earn her second-straight NCAA bid. Cohen broke the oldest swimming record in the book after she dropped a near eight seconds in the 200 back to claim the mark at 1:53.51. Cohen was also the backstroker in the 400-medley relay that set a new school record in 2018 at 3:32.32.

2019 SCHEDULE Jan. 10 Incarnate Word 2 p.m.

Jan. 12 at Alabama 10 a.m.

Jan. 26 Florida Atlantic 10 a.m.

Feb. 8-10 Auburn TBA Feb. 20-March 2 ACC Championships at Greensboro, N.C. TBA March 11 NCAA Zone B Diving TBA March 20-30 NCAA Championships at Austin, Texas TBA *FSU’s fall season ended Nov. 17

• Sophomores Ana Zortea and Emma Terebo will also be key contributors in medley and free relays and in the 100 back. Terebo was a member of the schoolrecord-setting 200 free relay at 1:28.49 in 2017 and competed at the NCAA Championships.

• Seniors Shelly Drozda and Meg Brown will continue to be a factor for the Seminoles in the IM events along with freshman Hannah Womer. Kucheran is expected to be another key addition in both races.

Drozda is also one of the top Seminoles in the 500 free and 200 back.

• Seniors Leila Johnston and Natalie Purnell will be the team captains for the season. Johnston will look to earn a second swim in the 100 fly for the fourth season in a row at the ACC Championship and Purnell is the top returning 200 breaststroker after she swam a time of 2:12.94 at ACCs.

Senior Natalie Purnell (Photos by Ross Obley and FSU Sports information) 58

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VETERANS, FRESHMEN LEAD DEEP MEN’S SWIM, DIVE PROGRAM SEASON OUTLOOK

BY CHRISTA SALERNO

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Sophomore Joshua Davidson (top of page) and Head Coach Neal Studd.

(Photos by Ross Obley and FSU Sports information)

he Florida State men’s swimming and diving team is looking to keep building on their success under third-year head coach Neal Studd after finishing 21st at the 2018 NCAA Championship. With the addition of a recruiting class with top-notch talent and a powerful senior class, the Seminoles are poised to climb the ranks in 2018-19.

The Seminoles will be led by senior captain William Pisani, who is coming off of one of his best summers as he represented Canada at the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships in Tokyo. He turned in his personalbest time in the 100-meter fly, finishing 13th at 52.94 and also earned a second swim in the 50-meter free where he touched in 14th place at 22.51.

Pisani was a part of school history last season, becoming Studd’s first to set a men’s individual record as he claimed the 100 free at 42.41. Pisani was a part of the All-American 200 free relay that finished seventh at the NCAA Championships and the 400 free relay that won the consolation heat, becoming the first team to break the 3:50 barrier.

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KEY NOTES FOR 2018-19 • The Seminoles will return three of the four legs from the 400 free relay, including Pisani, Emir Muratovic and Kanoa Kaleoaloha, who are all seniors.

• Muratovic competed at the 2018 European Championships this summer for Bosnia and Herzegovina after setting the national record in 50m free (22.84) and 100m free (50.33).

• Pisani, Muratovic and Kaleoaloha were three of seven swimmers that were under the 20-second barrier in the 50 free in 2017-18 for FSU. The Seminoles Griffin Alaniz is from that group.

• Juniors Rudo Loock and Vladimir Stefanik helped the ’Noles set a new 800-free relay school record last season, breaking a mark that was set in 2009.

Both versatile athletes, Loock and Stefanik will be called upon to contribute individually and in relays throughout the season.

• All three divers returning are major assets on the boards, all of which have competed in finals at the 2018 ACC Championships. FSU will be led by NCAA qualifier and ACC silver medalist Joshua Davidson for his sophomore season. Junior Aidan Faminoff will look to improve on his ACC bronze medal on platform while his classmate Cameron Thatcher will look to get back to the NCAA Championships during his junior campaign.

• Other key additions for the Seminoles are Cooper DeRyk, Izaak Bastain, Jakub Ksiazek and Max McCukser. Bastain will be one of the top breaststrokers

2019 SCHEDULE Jan. 10 Incarnate Word 2 p.m.

Jan. 12 at Alabama 10 a.m.

Jan. 26 Florida Atlantic 10 a.m.

Feb. 8-10 Auburn TBA Feb. 20-March 2 ACC Championships at Greensboro, N.C. TBA March 11 NCAA Zone B Diving TBA March 20-30 NCAA Championships at Austin, Texas TBA *FSU’s fall season ended Nov. 17

on the team after swimming in the finals of the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games of both the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke for the Bahamas. Ksiazek, DeRyk and McCusker will all be factors in the free races.

• Junior Max Polianski will look to build on his successful sophomore season where he qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 200 fly at 1:42.44.

He earned second swim in all three of his individual events at the ACC Championships, including a seventh-place finish in the 200 individual medley at 1:45.59. He also placed 16th in the 400 individual medley at 3:51.08. Junior Griffin Alaniz will also join Polianksi in the 400 individual medley and is also the top returning 200 backstroke swimmer at 1:43.29.

• In addition to Pisani, senior John Vann will serve the season as a team captain.

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Photos by Colin Abbey / FSU sports information

2018 FALL SPORTS

On Monday, September 3, FLORIDA STATE SOFTBALL was presented with their National Championship rings.

The Seminoles went 6-1 in the Women’s College World Series to claim the programs first national championship.

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2018 FALL SPORTS

VOLLEYBALL The FSU volleyball team won nine of its first 10 matches inside Tully Gym, helping the Seminoles open the season 14-8. They had a memorable October, compiling a 7-1 record.

Sophomore middle blocker Taryn Knuth has also been FSU’s most consistent offensive player, and her hitting percentage is among the top 20 nationally.

SOCCER FSU finished 12-4-2 in the regular season, taking seventh in the ACC standings. The Seminoles defeated Duke, Virginia and North Carolina to claim their fifth ACC title in the last six seasons.

Junior forward Deyna Castellanos led the Seminoles with seven goals and five assists in the regular season. Midfielder Yujie Zhao (above right) was named the ACC’s freshman of the year and was also picked to the All-ACC first team. She joins Castellanos, senior defender Natalia Kuikka and freshman midfielder Jaelin Howell as All-ACC selections.

CROSS COUNTRY The FSU women’s team placed fourth in the ACC Championships in Boston in late October. Senior Militsa Mircheva finished fourth in 20 minutes, 31 seconds and freshman Elizabeth Funderburk took 15th in 20:53.3. It was the best finish for the ‘Noles since their runner-up performance in 2014.

Redshirt freshman Caleb Pottorff validated took 11th place in 23:58.5, Pottorff became the first FSU freshman to earn All-ACC honors since Jakub Zivec in 2010. The Seminole men placed seventh in the 15-team field.

SWIMMING The FSU women’s team defeated No. 13 Minnesota earlier this season in the Twin Cities. The win was the first ranked win since the fall of 2012 and it was the first under third-year head coach Neal Studd. The 4-0 record is the first time since the 2012-13 season the Seminoles carry a perfect record into November. Freshmen Ida Hulkko and Nina Kucheran rank within the top 10 in the country in the breaststroke events. Hulkko owns the fifth fastest time in school history in the 100 (1:00.77), and Kucheran is ranked fourth in the 200 (2:12). FSU women’s divers won five of their first six events.

The men’s team opened with a win over Pittsburgh. Junior Kanoa Kaleoaloha ranks sixth in the country in the 50 free (19.94) and the 100 fly (47.38). The Seminoles are strong on the boards behind three studentathletes — juniors Cameron Thatcher & Aidan Faminoff and sophomore Joshua Davidson. Faminoff won his first career ACC Diver of the Week honor following his performance against Pitt/Georgia Tech. Team Captain Will Pisani competed in the Pan Pacific Games for Team Canada over the summer.

FSU grad NATASHA HOWARD picked up her second straight WNBA title, leading the Seattle Storm over the Washington Mystics. Howard led all players with 29 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the third and deciding game. Howard is the highest WNBA draft pick (5th) in school history.

(Photo Courtesy USA Today Sports Images)

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Photos by Shane Lardinois (soccer); Ryals Lee / FSU sports information (Golden Torch)

FOOTBALL Defensive end Janarius Robinson and his mother, Cherine Duncan, lost their Panama City home when Hurricane Michael hit in October.

The NCAA approved a waiver that allowed FSU fans to donate to help them rebuild the home, and more than 2,300 people have pledged over $140,000.

Defensive end Brian Burns, who is one of the nation’s leaders in sacks, is a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award. Burns, among FSU’s top 10 on the all-time sacks list, is a contender for the award that is presented to the nation’s top defensive player. Burns was also named a midseason All-American by the Associated Press.

The Florida State Men’s Cross Country Team as well as the Women’s Golf Team took home top academic honors as each group was celebrated for having the highest grade point average among all athletic teams at the Golden Torch Gala held at The Dunlap Champions Club.

With several members of all 20 of Florida State’s athletics teams decked out in fancy attire, the collaborative event hosted by Student-Athlete Academic Services and the Seminole Boosters commemorated the best and brightest academic student-athletes in the athletic department from the 2017-18 season.

Interim Athletics Director David Coburn, Seminole Boosters President and CEO Andy Miller and Senior Associate AD for Student-Athlete Academic Services Dr. Greg Beaumont were among the many athletic department representatives in attendance.

Women’s Golf, led by coach Amy Bond, certainly had a celebratory campaign in the 2017-18 year that included a top-15 finish at the NCAA Championship Finals where it tied for 12th overall. Sisters Morgane Metraux and Kim Metraux earned the team’s Golden Torch Award and were recognized for their outstanding achievements on and off the course.

“To win the Golden Torch Award in consecutive years is special,” said Bond. “We appreciate how hard each team on this campus works not only on their athletic fields of competition but in the classroom. Our success academically coupled with our second-best national finish in the history of our program continues to make us very proud of our student-athletes. The academic success of the women on our team is the cornerstone of our success.”

Coach Bob Braman’s men’s cross country team included three All-ACC Academic selections. David Barney, who is completing his Master’s Degree in Exercise Physiology while serving as a student assistant with the team, was singled out as the team’s Golden Torch Award winner for the men on Wednesday night.

Barney posted three top-10 finishes and earned All-ACC and All-NCAA South Region Honors.

“We used to win it a lot, but it’s been a while. I’m really pleased,” Braman said. “It’s always an honor to be the Golden Torch winner. A 3.3 GPA is pretty stout. You can’t have any

2018 GOLDEN TORCH AWARD WINNERS Baseball: Cal Raleigh (Commercial Entrepreneurship) Football: Landon Dickerson (Sport Management) Men’s Basketball: Anthony Polite (Entrepreneurship) Men’s Cross Country: David Barney (Exercise Physiology – Master’s) Men’s Golf: Harry Ellis (Sport Management) Men’s Swimming & Diving: Gavin Jones (Political Science) Men’s Swimming & Diving: Chad McGuire (Computer Science) Men’s Tennis: Lucas Poullain (Sport Management – Master’s) Men’s Track & Field: Conor McClain (Environmental and Society) Beach Volleyball: Ashley Robert (Nursing) Soccer: Gabrielle Carle (Exercise Physiology) Softball: Meghan King (Family and Child Sciences) Volleyball: Taryn Knuth (Sport Management) Women’s Basketball: Savannah Wilkinson (Marketing) Women’s Cross Country: Elizabeth Coen (Communication Disorders) Women’s Cross Country: Addison Coggins (Exploratory) Women’s Golf: Morgane Metraux (Management) Women’s Golf: Kim Metraux (Management) Women’s Swimming & Diving: Nicole Blank Women’s Tennis: Carla Touly (Communication Media Studies) Women’s Track & Field: Safia Morgan (Economics) Women’s Track & Field: Hannah Welsh (Criminology – Master’s)

hiccups when you have a small team and your GPA is calculated on a small number. Everybody has been committed, and I think that’s a cultural thing where the guys on the team are dedicated to their academics. I’m really pleased to be, for the first time in a long time, back with the top GPA.” The Golden Torch Gala has been celebrating the academic achievement of Florida State University student-athletes since 1991. Each of Florida State University’s 20 athletic teams had a Golden Torch Award winner recognized for their tremendous GPA and commitment to the classroom.

Once again, the unwavering support of Florida State Athletics Student-Athlete Academic Services was on display as well. Per the tradition of the event, each Golden Torch Award winner had his/her picture taken with a coach and the team’s academic advisor along with Miller and Coburn.

Among the 22 Golden Torch Award winners (men’s swimming and diving, women’s golf and women’s cross country each had two), there were 16 different majors pursued. Some of the winners were not in attendance due to graduation and/or pursuing professional careers.

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Choose

Soweto Gospel Choir, Photo by Giovanni Daniotti

TALLAHASSEE EXPERIENCE THE JOY OF TALLAHASSEE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

T

his time of year, many will begin to reflect on the gifts of life they are thankful for: family, friends and a place to call home. The city of Tallahassee is proud to foster a strong spirit of family and community, particularly during the holidays. Activities such as the FSU Seasonal Celebration Choral concerts, the Victorian Christmas Festival and our annual Tallahassee Turkey Trot were established as new ways to bring community members together and promote a feeling of togetherness. It is not uncommon to find a neighbor, friend or fellow Florida State football fan devoting part of their holiday season to volunteering and giving back.

With a wide variety of unique nonprofits and service-based organizations, there is always an available opportunity wherever your passions may lie.

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Choose Tallahassee, a nonprofit, volunteer-led organization, encourages people to retire to the Tallahassee area because of the positive attributes it offers for community involvement. Studies have shown the more we give back, the more fulfilled we feel. We can absolutely verify that that spirit is alive and well in the Capital City, where options for new and exciting opportunities are truly endless.

Imagine spending your time playing with cuddly, furry friends at the Tallahassee Animal Shelter, or bringing joy to people’s days as an Animal Therapy Volunteer at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. If you’re into gardening, you’re in luck!

The Tallahassee Garden Club has a rich tradition of being involved in the community, with programs to strengthen the community and beautify the city.

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C H O O S E TA L L A H A S S E E

ABOUT CHOOSE TALLAHASSEE Choose Tallahassee is a grassroots nonprofit founded by local Tallahasseeans, who felt that our wonderful community had much to offer to relocating retirees – mild climate, high quality of health care, affordable cost of living, countless learning opportunities and abundant recreational offerings. Choose Tallahassee is made up of a group of more than 60 local volunteers from both public and private entities with the same goal of promoting Tallahassee as one of the country’s best retirement destinations. Visit www. choosetallahassee.com for more information.

UPCOMING EVENTS November 18 The Tallahassee Community Chorus presents Exultation November 23 Ongoing | LeMoyne Arts 55th Annual Holiday Show and Sale December 1 The Winter Festival December 1-2 Market Days December 13-14 Victorian Christmas January 27 Bach Parley Winter Concert For more information about Tallahassee, go to www.choosetallahassee.com For a complete list of events, festivals and activities in Tallahassee, visit www.visittallahassee.com/events

Parsons Dance Company, Photo by Lois Greenfield

Mandy Harvey, Photo by Noam Galai

Are you into books and rare finds? As a volunteer at one of our local library branches, or nonprofit bookstores, you’ll be able to sift through endless options of literary treasures, and help guide others to find a gem of their own. And, if you’re more of a history buff, consider a role at the Mission San Luis Living History Museum as a costumed guide, transporting visitors back to the 16th and 17th centuries. On your next visit, we hope you’ll check out some of these local favorites and explore the varying opportunities we have to offer.

While enjoying a fun-filled time with loved ones, consider giving the gift of service and creating new memories through endless volunteer opportunities with your family and friends.

Tallahassee has always had a generous heart and caring spirit, and we look forward to having you return for a visit

to remember what makes our captivating city a place to call home.

There are plenty of exciting events and festivities both on and off-campus to attend in Tallahassee this holiday season.

The Florida State men’s basketball team will play 14 home games from Nov. 29 through March 5. And the Florida State women’s basketball team will play 11 home games from Nov. 28 through the end of February. Complete schedules are in the FSU basketball fan guide inside this magazine. For ticket information call 888-FSU-NOLE. The Opening Nights 2018-19 schedule has also begun. A wide range of musical artists and performers from around the nation and world will take the stage in Tallahassee this season. For the complete schedule of events, go to openingnights.fsu.edu.

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COLLEGETOWN WELCOMES SUNSTOP URBAN MARKET CollegeTown welcomed our newest merchant, SunStop Urban Market, in July. SunStop is a pilot concept from the well-known convenience store brand, Inland Stores. This design is the first of its kind, and we are excited they saw CollegeTown as the perfect location to launch.

SunStop is operational 24 hours a day, 7 days a week allowing you to grab-and-go at any time. In addition to the typical convenience store items, you can expect so much more from this store with a hot food bar serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.

SunStop Urban Market didn’t just open with what they thought would work, they reached out to the community to find their needs. In the early days of the concept, SunStop developed a menu and selected a panel of 30 FSU students to participate in round tables. What would the students be looking for? What would set their store apart? This group gave tremendous feedback helping SunStop launch their concept, Fresh on the Go! Fresh on the Go is designed to bring the freshest ingredients while still receiving quick, convenient service. In addition to freshness, they also implemented their first touch-screen ordering system. This kiosk system cuts the line and wait time, streamlining the process.

Another differentiator is customization. While SunStop carries the usual premade grab-and-go options, the possibilities in the deli, pizza and panini combinations are endless! There really isn’t anything they didn’t touch on in the design of this amazing concept.

Be sure to visit SunStop the next time you are on Madison Street!

And be sure to grab one of Christie’s Cookies while you’re there.

SunStop Urban Market | 619 S. Woodward Ave., Suite C-117 | Tallahassee, FL 32304 “Our SunStop Urban Market opening has surpassed our expectations! The energy of the CollegeTown development is contagious and we are thrilled to be a part of a neighborhood that will only get better and better! Come see us at SunStop,” said Mike McCurdy, Regional Supervisor.

COLLEGETOWN WINS PROPERTY OF THE YEAR CollegeTown receives Greystar Student Living’s Property of the Year award in 2018!

This past year has been one of tremendous growth for CollegeTown, including the opening of our newest residential building, the Ghazvini Odyssey.

The design and purpose of CollegeTown was to create a vibrant lifestyle not only for the residents of the district, but for locals and visitors alike. With year-round events, food and beverage, beauty and retail, Madison Street has become a destination.

This past year alone, the district welcomed five new merchants, enhancing the experience whether for an athletic event, a show with Opening Nights, or a place to unwind. The diversity of venues creates a place for people to go — even those who aren’t sure what they are looking for — and find the very thing they need.

CollegeTown is managed by Greystar, a global company with currently over 437,000 multi-family units and student beds. Greystar provides a wealth of experience in managing all product types and service a diverse group. However, CollegeTown is the first property of their kind. The mixed-use space is unique to Tallahassee and to the Company’s portfolio.

Greystar Student Living chose CollegeTown as the Property of the Year from thousands of other properties because of outstanding customer service and overall residential experience.

Be sure to visit FSUCollegeTown.net to learn more about our property!

“The place to be is the place I live. The past three years have been so amazing I almost regret having to graduate,” said Joe O’Hara, Current CollegeTown Resident.

Photo by Brittany B. Yazdanpanah

COMPLIMENTARY LUNCH PARKING ALL YEAR! Visit us in CollegeTown and take advantage of the free lunch parking every Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Lorene St. parking garage.

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WITH DUNLAP CHAMPIONS CLUB SEATS CLUB SEATS INCLUDE MANY BENEFITS AND AMENITIES: Reserved, cushioned, chair back seat for each game

Full club space access including terrace and indoor areas and seating

All-inclusive food and soft drinks

Club seat holder only entrance

Access to full bars to purchase beer, wine and mixed drinks

Hundreds of TVs throughout to enjoy the FSU game and games from around the country

Food by the University Center Club and 4Rivers Smokehouse

So much more!

A VARIETY OF TICKET OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE INCLUDING: FULL SEASON

3-GAME PACK

SINGLE GAME

SINGLE GAME DAY PLUS

GROUP OUTINGS

AND A RESERVED TABLE

BUILD THE TICKET PLAN

FOR 2019

THAT FITS YOUR SCHEDULE! (850) 644-1830, OPTION 1 OR FSUCHAMPIONSCLUB.COM

NEWEST ’NOLES

“WE PROUDLY WELCOME THE NEWEST MEMBERS OF OUR SEMINOLE BOOSTER FAMILY” 1

2

5

3

6

4

1). Matthew and Hailey Mangan, a son, Robert Mitchell Mangan, born October 30, 2017, and great grandson of Robert Mangan — Varsity Letterman 1966. 2).

Bryan and Ashley Dees, a son, Bennett Dees, born March 13, 2018. 3). Tripp Drummond and Lillian Loys, a son, Robert Agustin “Auggie” Drummond, born August 7, 2018. 4). Zach Cotreau and Ali Kelley, a son, Christopher Andrew Kelley, born April 15, 2018. 5). Ryan and Lauren Shirley, a daughter, Hayden Evelyn Shirley, born January 9, 2018. 6). Ed and Kelly Denton, a daughter, Olivia Faith Denton, born June 27, 2018.

If you know a Seminole Booster member who has welcomed a New ‘Nole into the world, please send their name and photo so we can welcome them to their Seminole family. Send to Kari Terezakis (kterezakis@fsu.edu).

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M A S O N

S T U R M S

FOUR-YEAR-OLD SEMINOLE SUPERHERO GIVES LIFE TO OTHERS “It was very special for my wife and I to meet Willie Taggart because we had the chance to tell him how much he meant to Mason. Mason and I sat together and watched his press conference after being announced as head coach. He was very excited to have him on board because he knew that Coach Taggart loves the ‘Noles as much as he did.” Ralph Sturms

BY JERRY KUTZ Sr. Vice President Communications

I

n the hours just prior to Florida State’s homecoming game against Wake Forest, Florida State football coach Willie Taggart met with Ralph and Erin Sturms to offer his condolences and words of comfort.

One month earlier, the FSU graduates had lost their 4-year old son, Mason, to what doctors believe to be meningitis, a bacterium that claims 500 lives a year nationally.

Mason was a Florida State fan who Ralph said could do the Tomahawk chop at nine months of age and could spell Florida State before he could spell his own name.

Mason was also a big-time Willie Taggart fan, so the invitation to meet FSU’s new head coach was especially meaningful.

“It was very special for my wife and I to meet Willie Taggart because we had the chance to tell him how much he meant to Mason,” Ralph said. “Mason and I sat together and watched his press conference after being announced as head coach. He was very excited to have him on board because he knew

that Coach Taggart loves the Noles as much as he did.”

Mason’s story was compelling to Coach Taggart and to all who have heard it. To learn more about the life of this inspirational child requires a box of tissues.

“He was just a selfless person,” said Ralph. “One day we noticed a lot of coins in the cup holders of his car seat he had been accumulating. I asked him if he’d like to deposit them in the bank and he said, ‘No. I want to use them to buy superhero toys for kids that don’t have them.’

“When he went somewhere that his 22-month-old brother, Jaxson, couldn’t go, he was sad about it. He had the mindset of an adult. He cared about helping others.”

In the Sturms’ darkest hours of grief, these memories of their son would inspire Mason’s ultimate gift to others.

Ralph and Erin met as FSU students while working at the Outback Steakhouse in Tallahassee. Ralph graduated with a degree in Economics in 2004. Erin completed her degree in Exercise Science in 2007 and her Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree in 2011.

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Mason and Jaxon

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Erin, Willie Taggart and Ralph Strums prior to the Wake Forest game.

The Seminole family was looking forward to making the drive from Jacksonville to Tallahassee with Mason and Jaxson when their lives changed suddenly in a manner impossible to comprehend.

Mason was going to wear his favorite jersey number 12 and laid out of his other favorite jersey number 4, worn by his superhero Dalvin Cook, for Jaxson to wear.

“It’s Deondre’s first game back, so I have to wear his number,” he explained to his parents.

Mason, who had recovered from a case of strep throat the week before, had been released by the family pediatrician to return to preschool. But on Friday, August 31, the school called Erin to report Mason wasn’t feeling well and had a low-grade fever. Ralph took him to the walk-in clinic on Saturday, where they found no fever and the clinician recommended rest, observation and continued antibiotics.

Everything seemed normal until 5 a.m. Sunday, when Ralph and Erin knew something was terribly wrong. “He was breathing laboriously and his heart was beating rapidly,” Ralph said.

They rushed Mason to Wolfson

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Children’s Hospital.

“We went to the emergency room on Labor Day weekend thinking everything was going to be ok,” Ralph said. “We thought he was going to be there for a short while and then he’d come home, until we got the results from the spinal tap.”

Mason was admitted to the pediatric ward and eventually to ICU, where he had seizures and lost consciousness.

On Monday, while the FSU vs Virginia Tech game was on the television in Mason’s room, the boy opened his eyes, looked at his parents, squeezed their hands and lifted himself up.

“We had high hopes,” Ralph said.

Those hopes were dashed on Tuesday morning. Mason stopped breathing and doctors told the family there was significant brain damage.

“On Wednesday morning, we learned he had no brain activity and they started to do the work up for him to be considered deceased,” Ralph said.

At their darkest moment, Ralph and Erin Sturms were inspired by their selfless little boy – the one with the “heart of gold” – and knew exactly what he would want them to do. The little superhero’s donated organs preserved

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life that day for an 11-month-old child and two others.

But it wouldn’t be Mason’s final gift.

Ralph and Erin also set up a foundation in his honor, Superheroes 4 Mason (www.jaxcf.org/give/mason), to fulfill his wish of providing superhero toys to less fortunate children.

The family, who is finding comfort in distributing the superhero toys for Mason, has been overwhelmed by the generous nature of friends, family and total strangers, drawn to Mason’s life and memory.

“So many people have been moved by Mason’s selflessness and compassion it blows me away,” Ralph said. “Our neighbor’s daughter had a lemonade sale to contribute to Mason’s charity. People I have never met, from Tennessee, have sent toys. I have superheroes in my back seat that came from Spain.”

Florida State football, win, lose or draw, has also been a comfort, Ralph said, as it has helped friends feel more comfortable around them.

“We don’t know the right words to help you but we can come watch football with you this weekend,” Ralph reports of early phone calls. “It’s meant the world to us to get the support we have from our Florida State family and friends. It’s been a blessing for our little family.”

On Sunday, after meeting Willie Taggart and enjoying the Seminoles’ win over Wake Forest, the Sturms met with friends who were headed west to Hurricane Michael-ravaged Panama City to continue Mason’s mission.

They delivered superhero clothes, costumes and toys to those who had lost everything, compliments of their little superhero, Mason.

“Our son had a passion for football and told everyone he was gonna play for Florida State when he grew up,” Ralph said. “He would have loved every moment of the Homecoming game from meeting coach to watching the team warm up. We truly felt like he was with us in spirit and even showed us his presence with a full rainbow over the stadium at the end of the game.”

It was a perfect, tearful weekend.

I N

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The

ETERNAL FLAME

REMEMBERING OUR

FELLOW SEMINOLES

Alumni and friends have contributed so much in so many ways to demonstrate their love for Florida State Athletics. Their contributions and dedication have helped create an elite athletic program that shines among the brightest in the nation. We are thankful for their generosity, dedication and Seminole spirit.

FAYE SALIS Born in Dothan, Alabama, Faye lived in Tallahassee most of her life and embodied the spirit of Florida State University. She was a member of Florida States graduating class of 1955 with a bachelors in business. Once she graduated, she became an auditor for the State of Florida, worked for FSU School of Theatre and last worked for Tall Timbers Research Station. Faye enjoyed bridge, sewing, reading, Sudoku, and above all else, Florida State. She was a member of Seminole Boosters and the University Center Club, and passionately attended most FSU men’s and women’s sporting events. Everyone who knew her was well aware that she bled Garnet & Gold, and that she believed Bobby Bowden hung the moon and stars. Faye will be fondly remembered and missed by her FSU family.

NANCY SHERIDAN The daughter of the first Athletic Business Manager at FSU, Nancy Sheridan was born in Morgantown, West Virginia, and attended Charleston High School where she won two national TV talent shows in singing musical comedy. After spending her first year of college at University of West Virginia, she transferred to Florida State University to persue a degree in Theatre. Once graduating, she married her college sweetheart, Mike Sheridan, and spent the next 32 years as a Marine Corps wife. Nancy began substitute teaching in Southern California and shortly after returned to Tallahassee in 1966 to receive her Master’s degree in Education from FSU. Nancy spent 44 years as a primary school teacher in 9 states and was selected for Outstanding Young Women of America in 1970. While raising two great sons that were eventual FSU graduates, Nancy was also awarded a Valley Forge Freedom Foundation Medal for her teaching in Fairfax, Virginia. When Mike retired from the Marine Corps in 1988, they moved to Barrington, Illinois, and lived there for the next 14 years. Nancy fell in love with Chicago and quickly became a Chicago Cubs fan and an active member of the Windy City Seminoles. Nancy was a member of the Patrons Board of the FSU School of Theatre and served three years as President of the Patrons.

She also received the Alumni Association’s Emeritus Society Commitment to Excellence Award in 2014. She seldom missed an FSU football, basketball, or baseball game, always shared her smile and never met anyone who did not instantly become a friend.

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M E M O R I A M

ROBERT W. ALBERTSON Tallahassee, Fla.

ROBIN T. FLOYD Tallahassee, Fla.

THOMAS E. PHILIPP Carson City, Nev.

JOHN R. ALEXANDER Frostproof, Fla.

HARLAN B. FRANKLIN JR. Sebastian, Fla.

JOHN REICHLING Palmetto Bay, Fla.

WILLIAM P. ANTHONY Tallahassee, Fla.

C. TIMOTHY GRAY Tallahassee, Fla.

BURT REYNOLDS Jupiter, Fla.

JOHN A. ARRINGTON Monticello, Fla.

HARVEY HATTON West Palm Beach, Fla.

CHRISTINE G. ROMIG Tallahassee, Fla.

DR BYRON BEARD Melbourne Beach, Fla.

RICHARD A. HOLLAHAN Tallahassee, Fla.

KENNETH “PAT” ROSS Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

TENNEY BROWN Catonsville, Md.

JOHN N. HOGENMULLER Tallahassee, Fla.

FAYE SALIS Tallahassee, Fla.

EDWIN F. BLANTON Tallahassee, Fla.

WILLIAM C. HOWELL Niceville, Fla.

BOB SCHMIDT Tallahassee, Fla.

LEONARD J. BUSH West Palm Beach, Fla.

JEREMY L. JEWELL Sharon, Pa.

NANCY C. SHERIDAN Tallahassee, Fla.

JOSEPH M. CAMPOPIANO JR. Trunbull, Conn.

BOB KILLIAN Jupiter, Fla.

WILLIAM T. SMITH Tallahassee, Fla.

STEVEN CLAYTON Clover, S.C.

JAMES L. LONG Tallahassee, Fla.

LEE TRYON Tallahassee, Fla.

ARTHUR CLEVELAND Tallahassee, Fla.

WAYNE MCCABE Fort Walton Beach, Fla.

LAURA N. TURNAGE Jacksonville, Fla.

EDWARD S. DELZER New Port Richey, Fla.

ALLAN J. MCCORKLE Jacksonville, Fla.

DON WILSON Tallahassee, Fla.

FLORINE G. DOWDLE Clinton, S.C.

HENRY MILLER Marianna, Fla.

GLENN WRIGHT Tallahassee, FL

MIKE DYER Land O Lakes, Fla.

PAMELA S. MILLER Tallahassee, Fla.

JERRY R. FARRIS Tallahassee, Fla.

J. EARL PERRY Hoover, Ala.

BURT REYNOLDS Please see feature on page 24.

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N E W

M E M B E R S

2019 GOLDEN CHIEF

Jim and Nancy Montano Lynn V Miller Alyn Ayn Airaghi Randy Winkel

Michael Olm

SILVER CHIEF Mike Landy

BRAVE

TOMAHAWK Naomi S. Coughlin John Hunter Christopher J. Williams Mr. Dale S. Shelton Jamal Payne

WARRIOR Ed & Meridith Fishback Jack & Laurel Howanitz

RENEGADE Andrew & Dorothy Urbanic Tad E. Yoder Bill & Carol Wagner Christopher McLeod

Ernest L. Reddick David G. Karins Anne L. Hendry Isadore F. Rommes Jr. Linda M. Rapp Diana S. Cason James M. Blue Brian J. Bullock Zelda P. Lott Russell Schropp Glen King Raleigh W. Brown Jeffrey & Julie Gillespie

IRON ARROW Gerri Kavouklis Price

Susan M. Maguire David T. Polhill, CPA, PA Susie Grosvenor Willard H. Scott Michael Kierszman Pearle M. Wood Cullen M. Landis Tom Sorval Helen B. Lipscomb Dawn DeLucia Karen and Brett Murphy O’Brien Matthew E. Sanabria Brian M. Richards Debbie Leonard K. Scott Holcomb Edward J. Issacs E. Tracy Harrison Alana Faulkner-Kozsuch Carrie K. Hansen Richard Back David D. Gracy Jay Peeper

As of October 31, 2018

Edward D. Titus, Jr. Layon F. Robinson, II Lesley & William Mauldin Lynn S. Pagans Alexander W. Van Den Berg, Sr. Sue Slone Steve & Judy Manning Orlando Sportscards South, Inc. Justin Aikin

SPIRIT Dan Corrigan John C. Crossley Gene E. Mitchell John W. Brick Kathleen M. Parsons Dianne Lisa Tice Ron J. Tricquet Gerald T. Lee Robert & Annette Freeman Steve Cutright Allen Stucks, Sr.

2018 LEGACY CHIEF Barry R. Barco

PLATINUM CHIEF

Elizabeth and Lucas Waring iHeart Media Steve & Krista Nicklaus

GOLDEN CHIEF

Alex Hammerschmidt Chris & Alison Ginn Clay Discher Dwight Cooper Adams Radio Group Joshua Webb Melode and Albert Smelko Preston Scott Steve Hubrich and Christina Catani V. G. Pelham Wesley Runkle

SILVER CHIEF Adrian Nathan Andrew Wills Chris Tracy

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Christine Peters Craig J. Fizer D.J. and Lindsey Kennedy Freddy Varela Loyd R. Childree M K. Thompson Marc Dunbar Maury & Diana Kolchakian Melanie P. Lee Shawn R. M. Ramsey, D.O. Todd Coon

TOMAHAWK

Ben Kaempfer Bret Kelly Charles and Cecily Starnes Connor Bellew Cyndi and Bud Ritchey Eric Diamond Eric G. Wahlbeck Gail and Charles Perego Gary Summitt Jason and Tara Johnson Jeffrey B. Chester Jerry & Lisa Morrow John & Angela Crossman

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John Garrett Joseph Bellissimo Julie Perry Kristine A Joplin Lee Heaton Marnie B. McDowell Michael Rosciam Michael W. Halloran Pascal Kolb Phillip Golightly Premier Surface Solutions Inc. Richard Bazinet Ryan McBee Steve Gelmine Willis Milner

WARRIOR

Alan G. Marshall Alliance Granite Amanda M. Leighty Amelyn S. Richardson Antoine Mickle Benjamin Seymour Berita Pope Beth Poppell Brandi Metz

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Brandon Chong Britteny Earles C. Walter Crum, Jr. Charles R. Ranson Charlie Davis Christopher M. Bosler Crista Green Deborah Torres Derek M. Dzwonkowski Donald Mastroianni Frank Orochena Gerald Sanford Grendly L. Castro Jake L. Jerrett Jason Bigelow John Bucy John M. Reinking Karen and Jeremy Fischer Karen N. Bradley Leon Wilson Lorence Jon Bielby Mason Harris Michael Campbell Michael Langston Mike S. Campbell Paul Wood

Rebecca Thomas Redman Family Richard B. Sharpe Robert Mesaros Ronny Legare Stephanie Williams Thomas Joiner Timothy James

RENEGADE

Abram B. Vereen Advanced Filing Systems Alan Mitchell Andrea Railey Andreas Ward Annah Murphy Barry Sproles Brendan Kelley Brenden R. Martin Buster Johnson Charles Gaines Christopher R. Lowery Clyde W. Hamilton David Agger David M. Drawdy Jr. David Mathis Dexter Baker Diego A. Zorio Don & Karyn Wilczynski Donnie Hicks Donnie Tanner Dr. Michael P. Paparesta Dustin M. Tremellen Elizabeth Norris Francis Colosimo J. Robert Duggan Jacquelyn Gramza James Fernandez James M. Curry James M. Hancock, Jr. James M. Hunt James Watson Jane Dueease Janet S. Kull Jerry Thomas Jessica Moore John & Ginny Dailey John & Pam Tebbetts John Verdesca Katherine J. Ramsberger Katrena White Kris Zuments Kuhn Raslavich Louis Campenni Lowana and Joseph Goyer Lynda Steimer Mac Cox Marshall Laborn Mary Bowen Megan and Matthew Bell Melissa Kinsey Michael & Martha Gainer Michael German Mr. Kevin Compare Ms. Sandra Smith Rachael Howard Reginald and Harriet Dotson Richard Holt

Ricky Irving Robert & Angela Lantrip Robert and Dana Lane Robert Clifton Robert M. Larrinaga Robert Pfordresher Robert Spurlock Roger Strickland Ryan Butler Schala I. Duckett Synergy Seafood Trading Tara Levitt Teresa Pattison Teresa W. Coates Thomas Carlton Tom R. Watson Tony Brown Tony Horton Vince ONeal Wayne Jones William K. Knight, III William Sartor

BRAVE

Adam Heys Alex T. Baier Amy O’Brien Arnold Edgar Ashley Kelley Benjamin Emmett Pippin Brad Zieminick C. A. Olive Cade Walden Carlin A. McCrory Cassie L. Odahowski Charley Barley Chuck Weddle, III Clark Wood Craig M. Mancini Cynthia L. Roberts Dennis White Dewaine Jefferson Emma R. Colquitt Erin Reynolds Ernest Quinoa Gerald & Kathleen Newton Gina Shea Helen and Darrell Gallagher James C. Washburn James Lee James Vines Jason H. Laing Jerry & Angie Greeson Jill and Thomas Carnall Kramer Jim & Emily West Joe Levy John A. Griffin John B. Halley John Blackwell John H. Hurst Jonathon S. Stinger Joseph and Amanda Furce Joseph Strong Joshua Goodman Katrice Kimble Kristine Clark

Kyle G. Partridge Leslie M. Kiely Lisa Benedict-Cunningham Maria Reynoso Marilyn and Tom Denney Mark and Georgia Perrotta Marshall Race Michael Hazelwood Michele Rozek Mrs. Teresa D. Price Ms Jesse McGregor Nancy M. Swigert Nathan Gainous, Jr. Pietro Rocchetti Rebecca Burns Robert & Patricia Walter Robert A. Moren Robert E. Decomo Robert Rapp Ron and Kelly Saba Sandra and Lamar Johnston Sandra Lang Sue & Richard DeLuca Susan Fristoe Tamma & Ryan Wright Taronda Card Tom Moxley Tommy Vickery Troy Arrington Walter Grace Warren Thornal William R. Cool Wyatt R. Eddy

IRON ARROW

Aaron Bass Aaron Bates Aaron Price Adam DeBoer Adam Storm Adam Zoiss Aileen Song Alan T. George Alessandra Mazzocchi Alex Redding Alex Totusek Alexander J. Holzbach Alexis James Alfred Nelson, Sr. Allyssa M. Smith Alonzo and Tomeka Thompson Amrita Beharry Amy Goodwin Amy Spilling Andrew Bartek Andrew M. Hollington Angela Aldazabal Angela Helmlinger Angelique Hutchins Anthony and Heather Speights Anthony Reaves Anthony Salabarria Aquila Eastman Armando Pigman Ashley Bishop Austin Haarmann

SEMINOLE-BOOSTERS.COM

Florida State University and Seminole Boosters, Inc. recognize the following donors for their selfless generosity by contributing $50,000 or more to the athletic scholarships and facilities. It is because of these gifts that Florida State University Remains UNCONQUERED.

MAJOR GIFTS AS OF NOVEMBER 1, 2018 Robin Barber Chip and Lisa Brady Brevard Seminole Club Murray and Kathryn Brooks Busy Bee Raymond and Stella Cottrell John and Betty Crowe Al and Judy Dunlap Jorge and Nichol Gutierrez Jim and Carole Henderson Mike Hipps James L. Lee Richard and Gwen McMullen Russ and Genie Morcom Parrish and Cat Owens John and Kathleen Pirtle Patricia A. Sargeant Seminole Club of Naples Michael G. Stephens Lewis V. Swezy Philip and Deirdre Troyer The Urban Family Russ Vorhis Scott D. Wilson Belva N. Free Benjamin and Jennifer Wright Benjamin Douglass Bethany D. Wheeler Boyce Gire Brandon F. Grubbs Brandon Godwin Brandon Strausser Brandon Wells Brett Ellis Brian Ecker Brian Kaehler Brianna Sasser Britt P. Mason Brittany Wiggins

Brooke Kinsey Bruce Montgomery Bud Miller Burt Austin Bush Harry Caleb Wilson Candice L. Anderson Candice Seay Cara B. Sznyter Carlos Lindo Carol Trombino Caroline Skipper Caroline Thead Casey A. Donovan Cathy Bell Charles E. Pichard

UNCONQUERED M AG A ZI NE

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N E W

M E M B E R S

Charles Jackman Chavonne O’Rear Cherly Perry Chip Thomas Chris A. Provenzano Chris Koelsch Chris Lee Chris Nebel Christina Osborne Christopher Barnes Christopher Hutchison Christopher Travis Claudia Stappert Compass Marketing and Consulting Connie Serra Conor A. McKenna Corbin and David Murphy Corrinne R. Ertl Courtney Marks Craig Molett Craig Respol Dallas Boley Dan Conneally Dana Hagood Daniel and Molly Levy Daniel E. Morales Daniel J. Broder Daniel Llamas Danielle LeBlanc Darinka Milojevic David Angeles David De Vito David Dikman David Hadzima David Maxon David Potter David Spalding Deborah Prins Deborah Reeves Derek MacKenzie Diane Cerbone Don Stockwell Don Walton Donald Bowling, Jr. Donald Woods Donna Cortes Donna M. Fernandez Donny Green Dorohn A. Frazier Dwight T. Ragans Eduardo J. Arazoza Edward L. Xanders Jr. Elaine M. Cappellino Elizabeth Marie Elizabeth Tate Eric & Tami Ellison Eric Verh Eric W. Naisbitt Ericka Ely Erin and Shawn West Errol L. Greene Evelyn I. Valentin Fanchon Felice Funk Frances C. Lowe Francis Barthes Frank Allen Gabe Pearson Galen Miller Garrett Lee

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Gary and Susan Kreps Gary Lawrence Gavin Harris George Schmidt Gerald Horton Gigi Soto Gina E. Resavage Glenn Taylor Grant Baker Grant Crawford Greg Cash Greg Matovina Gregg H. Brown Gregory & Jill Chesney Gregory Dudek Gregory Tony Gustavo Marturet Hailey Graham Hamil R. Harris Harold Branom Harold Colinger Hayley Flores Heather Alfonso Heather Frazier Heather Glass Henry and Kristine Ryber, Jr. Henry J. Post Herbert Kreppel Hershel Lyons Holly Jackson Holly L. Noah Hunter Smith Iain G. Harnden Ilene Diaz Irma I. Cruz-White Irma Mazzotti Ivan Torres, Jr. J O’Brien Jacob D. Buckley Jacqueline E. Saha James and Susan Fisher James Fry James P. Tyler James S. Davis, II James Sherrill James Todd James Wilcox Jamien Durrence Janie Kassebaum Jasen Somwaru Jawad Stephens Jayce Wilson Jeffrey Clemons Jeffrey Kyle Jeffrey S. Roselip Jennifer Eason Jenny Ashburn Jennye Austin Jermaine Corley Jerry Lee Jessica A. Banke Jessica Bivens Jessica Duggan Jessica Hamby Jessica Simpson Joanna C. White Joe Terrell Joel Lasner Joel Smith John Davis

U N C O N Q U ER ED MAGA ZIN E

John Hurtz John J. McDermott John K. Qassis John Larkin John Lee John Lopez John Palmer John Rogers John T. Black Jon Isabelo Jonathan Breaker Jonathan Browning Jonathan Bunag Joseph Miller Joseph Thornton Josh Gordon Joshua P. Evans Jr Skenes Juan Duran Judy Smith Judy Vanessa Windes Julie Puntney Julie Samaritin Justin Sikes Kaleigh Young Karen and Michael Weiss Karen Feldhaus Kasey W. Capece Katara Littlejohn Kathryn Sims Kathy Brannon Katie Patchett Kelli Rhodes Kelly Maples Ken and Leann Cowen Kendra Trice Keva L. Mitchell Kevin Alt Kevin Swartz Kim Thomas Kimberly R. Burgess Kimberly Trotman Kimberly Wheeler Kristen Carr Kristin Allen Kristin Berg Kwame Clark Kyla Davis Kyra Hughes Lamarr Glenn Landen Yasuda Lanny Larson LaShawndrea Jackson Lauren Williams Lawanda E. Kiner Lawrence Duncan Layton Moody Len Lindahl Leron Inge Linda and Thomas Weekley Lisa and Blair McKee Lisa Saunders Lonnie Dempsey Lora Melton Lori Hupp Luanne Smith Madison Conway Mallory Kanterman Mandy R. Peebles

SEMINOLE-BOOSTERS.COM

Margaret Kennedy-Durand Maria C. Kidd Marianna R. Seiler Marilyn L. Barnes Mark Ahlbom Mark Bugalski Mark Butler Mark Drummond Mark E. Stein Mark Vaughan Mark Walaszczyk Marla W. Honaker Marshall Walker Mary and Robert Alley Mary Lou Smith Mathew G. Cope Matt Braegelmann Matthew Whittaker Meghan V. Hauptli Melissa C. F. Sykes Meredith A. Csobadi Merle Johnson Michael and Christina Rushton Michael and Courtney Abboud Michael Binaco Michael E. Kirkpatrick Michael J. Lucas Michael Spinks Michelle Jerome Michelle Lee Phillips Mickaela Whiddon Mickey English Mike Milbourn Mildred Bryant Mitchell Wendorf Mr. Alexander Novoa Mr. Cameron S. Frahn, I Mr. Carmen Spina Mr. Craig Bollman Mr. Greg Martin Mr. James A. Smith, IV Mr. Matthew Donkin Mr. Richard L. Moore Mr. Rick H. Lurding Mr. Steven C. Rosen Mrs. Julia Inzana Mrs. Kamala L. Martinez Ms. Alexandra B. Foote Ms. Florence A. Sanders Ms. Lacey M. Langston Ms. Laura A. Rizzo Ms. Marlene R. Makowski Ms. Migdalia Carrero Muir J. Edney Nancy L. McClintock Natalie and Thomas Kirstein Natalie Yezbick Nathan C. Skupny Nelson Muniz Nicholas A. Baumgartner Nick Le Nicole E. Gibson Nolan Rudolph Patrick & Diane Ahern Patrick Gagnon Patrick J Rentz

Patti Burch Patti Merdian Paul & Sandra Fletcher Paul McNally Paula F. Carroll Penny English Pete and Dawn Hartman Philip Coney Rachel and David Pienta Rackeish Boota Rance Thompson Raymond Knox Reese M. Wilson Ricardo Salabarria, Sr. Richard B. Wagner Robert Caldwell Robert Kassebaum Robert L. McLaughlin Robert M. Peck Roby Scott Rollins Donaldson Ronald & Vickie Rotzko Ronald and Dorothy Sanders Ronald Carver Ronald Coffin Rori Chambers Rosetta and Karl Hylton Ross A. Belcher Ryan Colon Ryan Martin Ryan Rohloff Sameer David Sandra Biggs Sara Pankaskie Saul E. Toro, Jr. Scott A. Baker Scott Jones Sean C. Gilman Seddrick C. Holloway Semico Paul Shaneetra J. Graham Shannon Kehoe Sharon Gessner Shaun Keith Shawn J. Meade Shawn M. Regan Shawna Krause Sherri Swilley Sherry Walker Sheryl Breadman Shirley Fieber Shirley Sirkis Siba M. Housey-Noble Simmie Raiford Stacey Ikawa Stacy O’Dette Stanley Shuba Stefany Rhoades Stephanie Neal Stephen and Gigi Thomas Stephen Cox Stephen Kassebaum Stephen R. Evans Sterling L. Tyler Stetson Hudgens Steve Jensen Steve Meyer Steve Renner

Steven and Deborah Spade Steven E Hebert Steven Swearingen Steven W. Hyatt, II Steven W. Savor Suzanne and Michael Satterfield Suzanne F. Cricks Suzanne M. Miller Tara and Patrick Courson Taylor Lewis Temika R. Williams Tenny Locke Teresa Oliver Terracon Jacksonville Terri Von Plinsky Terry Watkins Theresa L. A. Trick Thomas Ossi Thomas Smitherman Thomas W Beck Tim Gladkowski Timothy Paul Timothy Salzsieder Timothy Skammer Timothy Whitesell, Sr. Tina Loscialo Todd Cushard Todd Taintor Tracy Hill Tracy Maish Tracy P. Torres

Trent Loboda Trevino Henderson Troy and Terry Kaser Tyrone Thomas Vanessa Mcfarlane Vernon Howard Victor and Michelle Bakkar Victoria A. Gough Victoria Barrios Victoria Ledbetter Vivian Leffler Wayne M. Hodges Wendy and Tom Thompson Wendy S. Sanford Weston Wood William M. Kunkle William P Galloway William R. Scannell Woodrow Parker

SPIRIT

Alice Caroline Hudson Andrew Alderman ANDREW B. ARNDT Andrew P. Byers Angela Zercher Ashley L. Roberts Blaine Thomas Brian Terry Brittany Dybiec Brooke McCormick

Brooke O’Hair Bryen Anderson Cameron Pennell Caroline M. Petty Charles Coffman Chelsea E. Newberg Christopher Wade Clarese Moller Clarissa Guerrero Dale Eastmond Dante A. Salvaggio Dariana Rodriguez Darren Hartzell Deborah Hanratty Diego A. Cardenas Emily G. Conner Erik D. O’conner Erin O. White Evan Degidio Filmore J. Mcmillan Garrett M. Rosenthal Geralyn Wilkinson Hannah C. Delph Harrison Turner Hilary N. Armstrong Ian A. Tucker Jack Bailey Jacob G. Evrett Jade A. Mocase James F. Dilmore James Walls Jeremy T. Chupp Jerica Stys

SEMINOLE-BOOSTERS.COM

Jordan M. Ladd Jordan T. Chupp Jordyn D. Garcia Jorge M. Rendon Vasquez Jose M. Hernandez Justin R. Oldifeld Karen Corbin Katelyn M. Bamundo Katylin Tucker Kelly and Henry Vinson Kelsey C. Deese Kulishanna Powell-jones Lauren A. Crook Lauren K. Thompson Lauren M. Miller Lindsey A. Gregory Madeline C. McCanna Marelle M. Rukes Matthew A. Long Megan Platt Melisa Chui Merideth K. Thompson Meritt M. Simmons Michael Andrews Michael Brabson Michael E. Adames Michael L. Congrove Michele A. Milkey Mr. Andrew D. Filiault Mr. Cody L. Farrill Mr. Connor D. Mccarty Mr. Dustin Moore Mr. Jack C. Maddox

Mr. Mark B. Johnson Mr. Nick G. Hopkins Ms. Alyssa N. Forbes Ms. Francesca D. Pullara Nicholas Walker Nicolette A. Murdaugh Noah S. Mindel Olivia Linton Patrick Ballinger Paul Bazylak Preston C. Taylor Rachel E. DeVore Rebecca Black Ryan S. Hughes Sean T. P. Rady Shawn Lake Shelby Cecil Steven A. Morrow Steven E. Carter, Jr. Taryn N. Talley Travis J. Stewart Trey Wright and Valerie Little Valerie A. Little and Trey W. Wright Victor P. Klunk Warren B. Shine William Gerdes Zachary Hays

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C O M P L I A N C E

1. A store owned by a Seminole Booster offers all FSU students a 20% discount. A studentathlete enters the store to make a purchase.

The Booster recognizes the student-athlete and rings up the merchandise, applying a 20% discount.

Permissible Not Permissible 2. After notifying the Compliance Office and completing the appropriate paperwork, a Seminole Booster hires two FSU studentathletes to work for their company during the summer. The Booster soon realizes that one of the student-athletes does not have a car and allows that student-athlete to borrow one of their own personal vehicles.

Permissible Not Permissible

TEST YOUR NCAA KNOWLEDGE

3. One Sunday evening, a student-athlete is dining with family in a restaurant owned by a Seminole Booster. The Booster recognizes the student-athlete as the Booster visits each table and greets patrons. After confirming the student-athlete’s identity, the Booster asks the student-athlete to take a photo. Later, the Booster posts the photo of the student-athlete on social media with a caption that suggests that their restaurant is the student-athlete’s favorite restaurant.

Permissible Not Permissible

Answers 1. Permissible – Since the discount would be available to all FSU students, it would be permissible to provide the discount to the FSU student-athlete.

U N C O N Q U ER ED MAGA ZIN E

2. Not Permissible – Although it is permissible to hire student-athletes after notifying the Compliance Office and completing the appropriate paperwork, it is not permissible to provide transportation or the use of one’s vehicle to a student-athlete, recruit, or their friends(s)/family.

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3. Not Permissible – Commercial businesses cannot use the name, image or likeness of student-athletes to promote their business or product.

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4. Not Permissible - With prior approval, it is permissible for a booster to provide student-athletes with an occasional meal in his or her home. In addition, the meal may be catered; however, the booster may only provide the student-athletes with reasonable local transportation to their home for the meal. Top-of-the-line stretch limos would not be considered “reasonable” transportation.

5. A friend of a Seminole Booster’s oldest child is now being recruited to play at FSU. For the past decade, the friend has stayed the night with the Booster’s child, ate meals at the Booster’s house, and has even traveled on vacation with the Booster’s family. Despite the friend being recruited by FSU, the Booster still allows the teammate to travel with the Booster’s family on vacation.

Permissible Not Permissible

5. Permissible - It is permissible for a booster to continue to provide like benefits to a prospect with whom they have a pre-existing relationship.

Please contact the Compliance Office if you feel you may have such a relationship with a prospect being recruited by FSU before providing them with any benefits and/or arrangements.

4. A Seminole Booster that lives near campus wishes to host a team of FSU student-athletes for dinner. After talking with Coach and the Compliance Office, the Booster invites the team over for dinner. On the day of the dinner, the Booster sends three top-of-the-line stretch limos to the Booster’s home for a nice, catered meal from a local restaurant. The Booster does not require the team to pay for their meals or transportation.

Permissible Not Permissible

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