Rewind: FSU's Sons of the Sixties, the Seminole uprising that shook college football
Listen to Nole legends John Crowe and Dale McCullers reveal the dedication and grit it took to put FSU on the college football map, and the stark contrast of what players went through in the 1960s vs. today's world of NIL paydays.
28 Apr 2026
Meet The Other Half of FSU's Pass-Catching Combo of the 90s
Ron Dugans might've been overshadowed by Peter Warrick, but FSU wouldn't have won key games without him — starting with the '99 National Championship vs. VaTech when he caught two TDs. Whatever you think about Ron as a receivers coach, let's remember him as a five-year, dependable player on a roster full of blue chippers. In this episode, Ron opens up about being a part of FSU's great teams of the 90s.
3 Apr 2024
A conversation with the late Steve Tensi, FSU’s first great QB
From year one of the program til the early 60s, Florida State never had a pure passer. Even Lee Corso, best-known of the early signal-callers, ran for twice as many yards as he passed. Then Bill Peterson installed an NFL-style offense to compete against an increasingly tougher schedule of big time opponents. To pilot his aerial circus he chose Steve Tensi, a lanky kid from Ohio with a howitzer for an arm. Tensi connected—both on the field and off—with a sure- handed receiver named Fred Biletnikoff. Together, they led the upstart Seminoles to wins over the gators and Oklahoma, on the way to number 11 finish in 1964. After moderate success in pro football, Tensi retired to become a contractor in North Carolina. He passed away in mid-March at the age of 81. We’re proud to have known Steve and to have recorded this conversation recalling his football career and memories of his time at FSU.
26 Sept 2022
Lost and found interview with a forgotten coach: The late Darrell Mudra on his tough two years at FSU
It was late 1973 and FSU Football was 0 - 11. Fans were either unhappy or apathetic. The program was in shambles and Larry Jones resigned as coach. What's more, the deck was stacked against whoever replaced him.
Enter Darrell Mudra, fresh off rebuilding programs at Arizona and Western Illinois. Now if he could just work that same magic in Tallahassee...Sorry, he wasn't the savior FSU was looking for. But Mudra paved the way by leaving the program better than he found it. Taking baby steps in everything from a strength program to becoming competitive again. In 1975, his second and final year, FSU lost 5 games by a total of 15 points.
And how about a little respect for coming within 1:27 of beating Alabama on its home field?
Mudra passed away last week, though the news was lost in headlines about the Noles resurgence. So we thought it right to dust off this rare interview from a decade ago as Mudra talked about nearly upsetting Bama and the challenges he faced in resurrecting FSU's program almost 50 years ago. Back when he had far less to work with than every coach who came after him.
21 Feb 2022
FSU wrestles Alabama to a draw and the Bear is fit to be tied
Arguably the most impressive win of the pre-Bowden era was actually a tie. The year was 1967 and FSU had lost its opener to Houston. Next up: Alabama, riding a 21-game win streak.
Here's the story, told by FSU players who shocked the college football world that night at Birmingham's Legion Field. Including original radio play-by-play as the Noles scored more points than Bama gave up the entire previous season.
8 Jun 2021
Definitely Not Your Average Joe
Joe Avezzano was an undersized offensive lineman on FSU’s 1964 team that crashed the big time college football party. But you’ll know him better as the Energizer Bunny on the Dallas Cowboy’s coaching staff in the 90s when they won three Super Bowls. Along the way, he was a college assistant, a head coach, Big D. celebrity, entrepreneur and radio talk show host. Which is why this episode of Garnet & Great is more than an interview, it’s the story of a life in football, right up til the end.
27 Apr 2021
Geno Hayes in His Prime: 2014 interview back on campus
Listen to Geno Hayes talking Seminole memories while back at FSU for a Sod Cemetery event during the 2014 season. One of the program's most ferocious linebackers and a fan favorite, Geno passed away from liver disease on April 27 at age 33.
19 Apr 2021
Hoping for a rebuild, praying for a return to greatness
As one of Bowden’s first recruits, Kurt Unglaub saw first-hand what the legendary coach did to resurrect FSU Football from the bottom tier of college football. And lately, Kurt’s been inside the locker room and on the field to observe how Mike Norvell is turning things around. Here’s how he compares their efforts.
3 Mar 2021
The1976 tipping point when top recruits “saw the momentum of Florida State all of a sudden switch”
Kurt Unglaub reveals how a core group of FSU freshmen ignited a 180-turnaround for the program and laid the foundation for a dynasty under Bobby Bowden.
14 Jan 2021
How FSU overcame coaching changes and divisive cliques to build a college football dynasty
How did Florida State's program rise from a winless 1973 season to earn 14 Top Five finishes? Mike Schumann knows first-hand. He was a Nole wide receiver during that nightmare season, and later on Bobby Bowden's 1977 team that turned it all around, going 10 and 2 including a Tangerine Bowl victory. In this episode, Mike talks about the similarities between then and now, including coaching changes and division among players — and what it took to make the transformation.
1 Nov 2020
What could today’s Seminole defense learn from FSU’s Sons of the Sixties?
The way Florida State’s teams practiced in the 1960s was enough to impress a Marine Drill Sergeant. Take it from John Crowe and Dale McCullers, who lined up at linebacker and safety respectively back then. They and their teammates set the standard for how Florida State defenses should play. And their book, “FSU’s Sons of the Sixties: A Case for the Defense,” is a tribute to those guys who played their guts out, and how it formed a lifetime brotherhood. We invited John and Dale to talk about what it took to shut down opponents while building a tradition of stingy defense at Florida State. Though it’s been over 50 years, you may be surprised by how much of it is still relevant.
31 Aug 2020
Danny McManus led FSU to an 11-1 season, but he was just getting warmed up
FSU’s rise to college football prominence in the 80s wouldn’t have been possible without quarterbacks whose names still resonate with Nole fans over 40: Rick Stockstill, Kelly Lowrey, Chip Ferguson, Casey Weldon, Peter Tom Willis and Danny McManus — an unbroken line of brothers in arms, one after the other through the decade. The outlier of the group, though, is McManus, who continued lighting up scoreboards for another 19 years. Call him the Dan Marino of the Canadian Football League after passing for 53,255 yards. Today, his football career is in overtime as Assistant General Manager and Director of U.S. Scouting for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. But the years haven’t dimmed Danny’s memories about his time at FSU and playing for Coach Bowden. As you’ll hear in this episode, he’s also a humble guy who’s grateful for every one of those seasons playing the game he loves.
17 Jul 2020
If you don't know Bill Peterson, you don't know FSU Football
In 1960, a time when Florida State was barely known outside the South, a change agent arrived on campus. And FSU football was about to get a lot more intense for the players, and a lot more fun for fans.
Bill Peterson had been an assistant at LSU under coaching legend Paul Dietzel. He was a coach on the way up, much like the Seminoles’ fledgling football program. Peterson and FSU were a great fit for each other—right time, right place. And together, they were destined for great things. So were many of Peterson’s coaching assistants — a long list of born winners that includes names like Bobby Bowden, Joe Gibbs and Bill Parcells. Here’s the story, as told by his son, Bill Peterson, Jr. in an interview from our archives.
20 May 2020
A Fearless Dexter Carter With the Craziest FSU-Miami Moment
If not the craziest moment it was definitely unique. There was Smurf-size Dexter Carter draping a penalty flag over the dome of Miami’s Bernard Clark (watch YouTube game highlights beginning at the 4:38 mark). Carter’s spontaneous move was payback for being clipped and nearly crushed by a guy that outweighed him by at least 100 lbs. In this episode of Garnet & Great, Carter talks about that night in 1989 when he got the best of an opponent while FSU got revenge for four straight years of losing to its down-state rival. He also opens up about the ill-advised Seminole Rap video that backfired on FSU the year before—proving that swagger can do as much to fire up an opponent as one’s own team.
14 Apr 2020
Rick Stockstill: The QB who kicked off a dynasty
He calls himself an average player, but Rick Stockstill QB'd FSU to road wins over Nebraska, Ohio State and Notre Dame—victories that shocked the college football world and started a Seminole dynasty. Rick tells what motivated a good team to play great, and the things that Bobby Bowden did to turn Florida State into a Top 10 power.
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