Unconquered Magazine Spring/Summer 2020

SEMINOLE BOOSTERS MAGAZINE

SPRING 2020

FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

Mike Norvell Head Coach

John Thrasher President

Odell Haggins Associate HC/DT Coach

Adam Fuller Defensive Coordinator

David Coburn Athletic Director

David Johnson RB Coach/Recruiting Coord.

Jeff Kupper Player Development

Carlos Locklyn High School Relations

Chris Marve Linebackers Coach

John Papuchis ST Coordinator/DE Coach

Josh Storms Strength & Conditioning Coach

Chris Thomsen Deputy HC/TE Coach

Marcus Woodson Defensive Backs Coach

Kenny Dillingham Offensive Coordinator/QB Coach

Ron Dugans Wide Receivers Coach

Alex Atkins Offensive Line Coach

Bruce Warwick Football Chief of Staff

BOOSTER LIFE

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BOOSTER EVENTS Spring 2020

A) Jimmy, Lisa, Shelby, and Nick Graganella with Coach Mike Martin.

B) Susie Spearman, granddaughter of MICCO’s Guy and Delores Spearman, with Football Head Coach Mike Norvell at FSU Day at the Capitol.

C) Laura Rogers and Julie Lovelace at an annual fund

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membership recruiting event.

D) Kiah Gillespie, Taryn Knuth, Devan Hultquist, HL Hartford, Nylah Thompson, Sarah Myers, Sandra Salonen, and Emily Madril at the Champions Beyond the Game Award Ceremony.

E) Andy Miller, Coach Mike Norvell, President John Thrasher, and Chairman Bob Davis presenting MICCO’s DeVoe and Shirley McEwan Moore with a custom football helmet.

F) MICCO’s Mike and Joanne Mallardi at the Baseball Leadoff Dinner.

G) Andy Miller with Dr. Tom Haney and Past Chairman Dr. Raymond Cottrell.

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H) MICCO’s Paul and Mary Ann Broome with President John Thrasher at the Football National Signing Day Event.

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Coach Mike Norvell with Student Booster President Riley Rubio, Vice President Wes Bonhagen, and Vice President of Events Alexis Lucas.

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Coach Ron Dugans, with MICCO’s Mike & Jeri Damasiewicz, Coach Odell Haggins.

K) The Ghazvini Family at the Ghazvini Family Odyssey Building Dedication Ceremony.

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DIRECTORS AT LARGE

SEMINOLE BOOSTERS INC.

2019-20 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

BOB DAVIS Chairman

JIMMY GRAGANELLA Chairman Elect

CHARLIE DUDLEY Secretary

ALAN FLAUMENHAFT Treasurer

TOM JENNINGS Presidential Designee

ED BURR Chairman of the Board of Trustees

DAVID COBURN Director for Intercollegiate Athletics

DOUG RUSSELL Immediate Past Chairman

GARY THURSTON 2nd Immediate Past Chair

CLIF CURRY At-Large

Anne Hamilton Rich Heffley Dan Hendrix Nick Iarossi Moises Issa Mike Kosloske Pete Law Brett Lindquist Scott Madden John McCann Richard McMullen Teri Miller DeVoe Moore Brian Murphy

Diana Azor W.O. Bell Jim Boyd Kevin Carpenter Eleanor Connan Marilyn Cox Scott Darling Bill Dawkins Mary Demetree Craig Dewhurst Doug Dunlap Linda Dupree Eric Friall Bill Hagen

Andy Norman Warner Peacock Craig Ramsey Mark Shelnutt Jim Steiner Jeff Stoops Mike Summey Philip Troyer Barry Vaughn Richard Welch Jerry Williams

EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS Tom Jennings .................................................................... Presidential Designee Ed Burr .....................................................................Board of Trustees Chairman David Coburn .............................................. Director for Intercollegiate Athletics Nan Hillis .................................................................. Foundation Chair Designee Nada Usina.....................................................Women’s Athletics Representative Sam Ambrose .......................................................................... Alumni Chairman Pam Parrewe ................................................................. Athletic Board Designee Wade Wallace....................................................................Varsity Club Designee Riley Rubio .................................................................Student Booster Designee Bob Davis ......................................................................Seminole Boosters Chair Jimmy Graganella ..................................................Seminole Boosters Vice-Chair Doug Russell ....................................... Seminole Boosters Immediate Past Chair Gary Thurston .............................. Seminole Boosters 2nd Immediate Past Chair

PAST CHAIRS Kathy Atkins-Gunter W.G. Babe Starry* Bob Lee Bannerman* Tom Barron Hurley Booth Dennis Boyle* Steve Brown Spencer Burress* Bob Camp* Joe Camps Bill Carraway Jim Carter Ken Cashin Bob Caton Raymond Cottrell Dave Cowens Carl Domino Bill Dubey* Frank Fain* Mike Fields

Bob Fohl* Andy Haggard Kim Hammond* Bruce Harrell Mike Harrell Ed Haskell, Jr* Sherman Henderson Charlie Hill* Lou Hill* Ron Hobbs Jim Kirk* Chris Kraft George Langford* Lawton Langford W. S. Bill Lee* Douglas Mannheimer Payne Midyette, Sr* Russ Morcom John Olson Syde P. Deeb*

Bill Parker Doyle Pope* Frank Pope* Theo Proctor, Jr David Rancourt Gene Ready* Charles Rosenberg* Doug Russell Godfrey Smith* Lomax Smith* Brian Swain Nylah Thompson Gary Thurston Gary Walsingham Herschel Williams* Tommy Williams* Albert Yates* *Deceased

FLORIDA STATE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

PARRISH OWENS At-Large

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DELORES SPEARMAN At-Large

BILL STEPHENSON At-Large

UNCONQUERED MAGAZINE

JOHN THRASHER At-Large President

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Maximo “Max” Alvarez Kathryn Ballard Edward E. “Ed” Burr, Chair William “Billy” Buzzett Eric Chicken Emily Fleming “June” Duda Jorge Gonzalez Jim W. Henderson Craig Mateer Bob Sasser Brent W. Sembler Evan Steinberg John Thiel John Thrasher (President, Florida State University)

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EXECUTIVE STAFF

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

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 Kyle Kashuck ..........................Assistant Director of Development, South Florida Max Zahn ............................................................ Regional Annual Fund Director

TICKET SALES & BOOSTER MEMBERSHIPS

Mark Cameron .................................. Senior Director of Ticket Sales and Service Forrest Brewton ..................................................Account Executive – New Sales Andrew Pope ......................................................Account Executive – New Sales George Seliga ............................................................. New Ticket Sales Manager Ray Silva ...................................................... Account Executive – Premium Sales Brian Wagner.........................Account Executive – Premium Service & Retention Danielle Friedel ....................................Account Executive – Service & Retention Mikey Drinkard .....................................Account Executive – Service & Retention Ed Servil ...............................................Account Executive – Service & Retention Justin Schaefer ......................Account Executive – Premium Service & Retention Nicole Sullivan ..................................................... Manager – Service & Retention Chelsea Knight .....................................Account Executive – Service & Retention Elena Hooven .......................................Account Executive – Service & Retention Ryan Agcaoili-Mullins ...........................Account Executive – Service & Retention Jahangir “Jay” Khan .............................................Account Executive – New Sales

ACCOUNTING/HUMAN RESOURCES

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

ADMINISTRATIVE

Patti Barber ..................................................................................... Receptionist

ADVANCEMENT SERVICES

Patrick Harrity ............................................................Web Application Specialist Pheobe Metzger ................................................... Director of Advanced Services

COACHES CLUBS

Cristian Gonzalez Mendez ............................ Assistant Director of Annual Giving

FSU TRADEMARK LICENSING

Katie Watt Pugh ................................................ Director of Trademark Licensing Garrett O’Connor ...............................Assistant Director of Trademark Licensing

GIFT PROCESSING

Stephanie Kimbrough.................................................. Gift Processing Specialist Nancy Westfall ............................................................ Gift Processing Specialist David Newman............................................................ Gift Processing Specialist

MARKETING

Monica Perez ..................................................................Director of Graphic Arts Joanna White .......................................................... Assistant Director of Events

STEWARDSHIP

Blake Moore .................................................. Stewardship & Events Coordinator

VARSITY CLUB

Betsy Hosey ....................................................................Director of Varsity Club

COLLEGETOWN

Erin Owens.............................................................................. Director of Events

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 36, Issue 1.

Managing editor: Derril Beech Design, layout, production, pre-press: Monica Perez

All advertising revenues directly support programs of the Seminole Boosters,

Featured photographers: Ross Obley, Mike Olivella

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

Contributing photographers: Seminole Boosters, FSU Sports Information,

© 2019, Seminole Boosters, Inc. All rights reserved. Opinions expressed herein

Ryals Lee

do not necessarily reflect those of Florida State University faculty, staff or

Columnists: Charlie Barnes, Jerry Kutz

administration.

Contributing writers: Derril Beech, Jim Crosby, Jerry Kutz, Tim Linafelt, Jeff Romance, FSU Sports Information, Bob Thomas, Kerry Dunning, Jim Crosby,

OVERVIEW

Jim Henry

Unconquered magazine celebrates Seminole athletics and the indomitable spirit

Interns: Connor Wolfe, Dhruv Nair, Nicholas Carlisle

of its student-athletes who overcome adversity, the passion of its coaches and

Copy editor: Bob Ferrante

educators who help students reach beyond their limits and 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 AT ’ S I N S I D E

FACILITIES

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Booster Life ..........................................................................2 Masthead ............................................................................ 4 Q&A with Andy Miller ............................................................8 Q&A with David Coburn ......................................................10 Basketball Celebration ......................................................... 12 “Thanks, Coach; We’ll Take it From Here” ............................. 16 Unconquered Campaign Report .......................................... 18 Florida State is Asking About Your Game Day and Weekend Experience ...........................................................24 Meet Doug and Doris Dunlap and their “Why FSU” ..............26 Led by “The Twenty,” Renaissance Campaign Approaches $20 Million Raised in Two Months .....................28 Volunteers: Familiar & Friendly Faces ...................................30 Florida State: Through the Ages .......................................... 32 Meet the 2020 FSU Football Staff ....................................... 40 In Less Than Two Months Norvell Signs Top 20 Class ...........43 Spring Sports Season Gave Us Reasons To Smile ................ 48 Quarterly Sports Review...................................................... 51

CollegeTown .......................................................................60 Newest Noles .....................................................................63 Eternal Flame ......................................................................64 The More You Nole .............................................................67

ON THE COVER

With a goal of leading Seminole football back to elite national prominence, Florida State University President John Thrasher hired head coach Mike Norvell and staff to lead the Renaissance of Seminole football.

Top row, from left: Mike Norvell, president John Thrasher Second row, from left: Odell Haggins, Adam Fuller, athletics director David Coburn, David Johnson, Jeff Kupper Third row, from left: Carlos Locklyn, Chris Marve, John Papuchis, Josh Storms, Chris Thomsen Fourth row, from left: Marcus Woodson, Kenny Dillingham, Ron Dugans, Alex Atkins, chief of staff Bruce Warwick

Cover photo courtesy FSU Photo Lab and FSU Sports Information

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Q&A Boosters President

Andy Miller SEMINOLE BOOSTERS: How has the coronavirus (COVID-19) affected Florida State University, Athletics and Seminole Boosters?

ANDY MILLER: The entire athletic family – student-athletes, donors and administration -- have been impacted by the coronavirus outbreak. While it saddens all of us that our very-dedicated supporters aren’t able to gather to watch our hardworking student-athletes in competition, the health and wellbeing of our entire FSU community – student-athletes and fans -- must come first.”

SB: Upon the best advice of federal and state health experts, many conferences including the ACC cancelled all spring sports activities including competition, practices, recruiting and events, including the Seminole Boosters Spring Tour. Would you comment?

AM: The health concerns, along with the uncertain logistics of planning a tour where thousands of our supporters in multiple cities would attend, left us with no choice but to cancel.

SB: Does the virus affect the Boosters ability to raise money for athletics?

AM: We choose to be sensitive to best-practice health recommendations. In addition to suspending gatherings, we will limit fundraisers travel to protect our donors and staff. Our focus will be on outreach by phone and email and by providing members with regular updates and features on our website (unconqueredmagazine.com) and with other technologies.

SB: What is the focus of the current campaigns, Unconquered and Renaissance?

AM: Before we talk about those campaigns, I want to remind our readers Seminole Boosters raised $325 million during the University-wide, seven-year, Raise the Torch Campaign which ended June 30, 2018. On the heels of that massive effort, the Boosters launched the Unconquered Campaign in the Fall of 2018 with an emphasis on Capital Projects including Football Operations, Baseball and Softball Stadium enhancements, the new Seminole Legacy Golf Club and Basketball facility improvements at the Tucker Center. Additional priorities were included in the campaign to address support for women’s athletics

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and the scholarship endowment.

Already $90 million has been committed in pledges toward the $125 million campaign. The Legacy Golf Club will open formally in March with additional fundraising ongoing. The baseball lighting project and softball roof project are complete and the goals for women’s athletics are being achieved.

SB: How did the Renaissance start?

AM: Following the Miami game last year, it became apparent a change was needed in the direction of the football program. It was a tough call for leadership. The cost of making a change was significant. However, the cost of staying the course was uncertain and considered a much riskier proposition.

The coaching change was made and the priority was placed on finding the best possible head football coach for Florida State University.

Seminole Boosters launched the Renaissance Campaign, with a focus on providing the new head coach with the staff and operational support needed to return Florida State University’s Football program to it’s former glory.

The first phase of the campaign was to secure twenty leadership gifts. This elite group of donors are referred to as “The 20” and to date $15 million has been committed.

The second phase of the Renaissance Campaign focuses on the Seminole Boosters’ Annual Giving Program.

Existing donors, from our Iron Arrow members ($70) to our Legacy Chiefs ($25,000), are asked to go up to the next level of giving or to consider a 20 percent increase in how much they give. The results are not yet final but so far, they have been dramatic.

SB: Why do you think the campaigns have resonated with donors?

AM: There are a number of factors, including these: It’s due to loyalty! Our supporters want what is best for FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY!

SEMINOLE-BOOSTERS.COM

PHOTO BY ROSS OBLEY

Q & A

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

Andy Miller with Ben Gantt It’s because of leadership. Our supporters believe in the direction of the program and appreciate the efforts and commitment of President Thrasher, Chairman Burr, David Coburn and the Seminole Booster Board of Directors.

It was the messenger! Our donors appreciate President Thrasher reaching out to them personally asking for their support.

It was the message! They like the vision and commitment to excellence.

They like the hire! Coach Norvell demonstrated he has the right stuff.

has

clearly

SB: The campaign is named “Renaissance,” which is exactly what our football program needs in most of our member’s mind. How do you feel about the state of the football program?

AM: Because of our recent downturn in football, I was concerned we were losing our relevancy as a national player. We were not being discussed in the media and while recruiting was still holding up, clearly we were losing ground. When Coach Norvell spoke to a group of our supporters at the Sun Bowl, he told us his entire life has been dedicated to achieving the goal of becoming the head football coach at a school like Florida State University, which he said is widely recognized by his peers as one of the iconic brands in College Athletics.

He believes with all his being that we will once again win championships and once again be showcased on the national stage. That conversation and everything he has shown me since has clearly validated my belief in him and the program. The rebirth of the football program is underway. I have every confidence it will be successful. The next few months and years of being a Seminole is going to be exciting and I’m thankful for all of our members who will be a part of it.

John and Betty Crowe Dr. Blanche W. Evans FSU Football Equipment Managers Club Alfred Cope Garrett Jimmy and Lisa Graganella Jim and Carole Henderson Lucy M. Ho William T. Hold Lawton and Beth Langford Legacy Toyota Craig Mateer Greg and Michelle Michaud Danny Miller DeVoe and Shirley McEwan Moore Brian and Renee Murphy Charles and Amy Newell Roger Overby Tom and Betty Petway Dr. Jim & Betty Ann Rodgers Richard Rodick Jason and Lauren Sato Gerri and Bill Shephard Guy and Delores Spearman Lloyd and Nancy Sweet Mark Taul Dr. David L. Tedrick Gary and Cumi Walsingham Jerry Weil Brian and Cortney Williams

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Q&A Athletic Director

David Coburn SEMINOLE BOOSTERS: In the last Unconquered, you used the words “intelligent, articulate and passionate” when describing Mike Norvell during the search process. Now that he’s put his staff and recruiting class together, what qualities have you seen?

DAVID COBURN: The two qualities that really stand out are the level of organization and the attention to detail. I mean, he came in here with a plan in terms of structure, in terms of personnel. He has proceeded very quickly to implement that plan. Everything reflects that level of organization and the attention to detail. I am very impressed.

SB: He met with each of the players. Do you know what his message has been?

DC: His message overall has been, ‘You are going to be pushed to be the best you can be. This is going to be demanding and you need to expect you will see the results but you need to expect it’s going to be demanding.’

SB: What does demanding mean?

DC: I think it means strength and conditioning. Practice.

The attention to detail. The expectation that perfection is the goal. It’s like those TV commercials, ‘Just okay is not going to be okay.’

SB: Norvell has hired 10 assistants, the strength and conditioning coach, a number of graduate assistants and analysts. How does his staff compare in terms of numbers and in terms of salary to Willie Taggart’s staff?

DC: In terms of numbers, he’s probably going to end up with a few more positions. But in terms of dollars, it’ll be the same; just allocating things differently.

SB: How does it compare to Jimbo Fisher’s staff?

DC: The budget increased some from year to year, as people received pay raises, but it is essentially the same.

SB: Does the strength and conditioning staff change in numbers or budget?

DC: There may be more positions but the budgets are not expanding. We talked about these numbers when we interviewed. He knew what he was going to have. That’s why he came in with such a great detailed plan. He un-

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derstands he has a budget. He’ll push but he understands.

SB: Have you talked about football facilities?

DC: What I’ve told him is I want him to go through the semester. You know, go through spring practice. Spend some time in the facilities, using everything, and then we’ll sit down and talk. But he’s never been anywhere where everything (offices, stadium, practice fields, training room, locker room) literally is within 100 yards.

I think they’re not particularly happy with the way this building is laid out internally. Other than that, I think, he wants to use it for a while and see how it goes.

SB: Both your men’s and women’s basketball teams jumped out to fast starts and have been highly ranked.

DC: Well, they’re both off to great starts and both have really good things going. Leonard has really got it going right now. He has a very good team. He’s had very good teams.

He has a very good recruiting class coming in and he’s working on another really good recruiting class for next fall. Leonard’s obviously rolling and Sue has been up to number eight in the country. She has three great seniors and some great freshmen. I can’t say enough about the job she’s done. So very happy with where we are with both teams right now.

SB: Leonard has been very consistent over the years instilling culture and winning but it seems his program has risen to a higher level nationally in terms of respect, and the number of wins he’s putting together in the ACC. What do you attribute his success?

DC: A few years back, he made some changes in his assistant coaches and they began getting him in front of better players, in my view. Leonard can flat get you if he can get in front of you. And once they started getting Leonard in front of better players, he was signing better players.

He’s also got assistants who can flat out coach as well as recruit. Stan and CY an those guys can put a game plan together. I saw them practice before Louisville and I knew we were going to win that game. CY knew exactly what he wanted them to do. And they worked and worked and

SEMINOLE-BOOSTERS.COM

Q & A

worked in practice till they were doing what he wanted them to do offensively and defensively to beat Louisville.

They went up there and controlled that game and they did it with his gameplan.

DC: It has gone extremely well. Some of our big boosters have stepped up when we needed them, and I’m very thankful. A number of those people have given before, so it is very gratifying.

SB: Sound like Leonard does a good job of delegating.

DC: Yes, he does a lot. I mean, he gives them each games they’re responsible for (game plan). But I tell you what’s interesting in practice, he knows those game plans. When he sees they’re not doing something the assistant wants them to do, he jumps right in there. So he may be delegating, but he’s not hands off. I mean, that guy can coach, especially on the defensive end. And to me, that’s what’s gotten him here; the details.

SB: Mike Martin Jr.’s career begins as FSU’s new head baseball coach. What are your impressions?

DC: “I have been very impressed. I think he has recruited extremely well. I like the level of discipline. His approach is going to be a lot more aggressive and I think it’s going to be exciting. Ticket sales have been really, really, good for baseball. I’m very happy with him right now.”

Leonard is in a realm now where Hugh Durham was in his heyday. We were recruiting at a level nobody in the south had ever recruited and he was making his living on the defensive end. The same thing applies to Leonard.

Leonard is recruiting at an elite level and that consistent defense is sustaining his program.

SB: His contract is up for renewal. Would you comment?

DC: It’s been made very clear to him he’s here for as long as he wants to be here. He has 100% support from the president and from me. We’ll get that done. That’s just a matter of working out details. He’s busy coaching right now.

SB: Your fall sports teams are currently ranked 11th in the country after the fall sports seasons. Your thoughts.

DC: You know to finish the fall 11th, in spite of football’s record, is pretty impressive. We have a chance now to make up some ground in the final rankings because both basketball teams are good, softball is going to be good, baseball is going to be good, indoor and outdoor track are great. Golf and tennis are too… so we’ve got a chance to finish pretty well.

SB: The ACC placed five programs in the top 11. The SEC had no programs in the top 10. The ACC had nine in the top 25 compared to two SEC teams. What are your thoughts?

DC: I would tell you that’s probably not going to continue to happen. We are now seeing the SEC schools making investments in facilities and coaches in sports other than football. For example, LSU just built a really nice beach volleyball facility and went out and hired a really good coach. Suddenly, they were in the tournament last year.

And that’s going to happen in all the sports now. With the discrepancy in SEC and Big 10 network revenue (more than $40 million per year per school according to media reports), it’s going to happen more and more.

SB: Can you give us an update on the Renaissance Campaign for facilities?

SB: Baseball is installing new LED Lighting. Where does the money for that project come from?

DC: The bulk of the money is coming out of the Seminole Boosters’ general facilities fund. Some of it is coming out of the Bullpen Coaches Club fund.

SB: Golf is a project nearing completion.

David Coburn: Yes but we’re still short of our cash goal for the project. We need to keep fundraising. The grand opening is set for March 7th and by then that course ought to be absolutely gorgeous.

SB: Season football tickets and annual fund contributions account for about 40% of the revenue in your athletics budget. How are they tracking thus far this year?

DC: Well, tickets are tracking a little bit better than last year since we hired Coach Norvell. As for the annual fund, I think it’s too early to tell.

SB: How have the student athletes performed this year in terms of academics and community service?

DC: Our hours are up in community service. Our student athletes put in 3800 hours just in the fall. We did 6200 hours over the course of last year, so we are doing very well there.

Academically, we’re tracking along in most of the sports very well, right where we’ve been. I think football is improved, and will improve even more, although coaching transition always hurts in the short term.

I am happy with the academic staff we have working. We went through some changes when Greg Beaumont retired. I mean a lot of experience and influence on campus went away with him. Greg was very well respected but Kacy King is doing very well.

Kacy has been here for a while, working with Greg, so she’s very well connected on campus. She’s also very well connected nationally, as she’s been active in the national organization, which has helped her recruit. She’s done a good job of hiring.

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BASKETBALL

BASKETBALL CELEBRATION

PHOTOS BY MIKE OLIVELLA

By JERRY KUTZ, RETIRED SR. VICE PRESIDENT SEMINOLE BOOSTERS & CURRENT OWNER, PUBLISHER OF THEOSCEOLA.COM Thank goodness, Florida State had the foresight.

At the time, it seemed a bit over the top. Leonard Hamilton climbing the ladder to cut down the net.

It looked odd not because a 71-year-old man should never be on a ladder but because Hamilton is the last guy you would ever expect to engage in a net-cutting ceremony with games still to play.

FSU’s win over Boston College clinched the program’s first-ever, regular season Atlantic Coast Conference Championship and prompted the celebration.

The banner and ladder were ready.

“We’ve coined our own phrase: we’re new bloods,” said Hamilton, who is in his 18th season as Florida State’s coach.

“We’re not going to catch up with the 80 years that were before us. We’re fighting for our spot and our position, the hierarchy of the most respected programs in the history of college basketball.

“It’s important for us because we get a notch on our belt.

And we have to enjoy this. But we think we’re just getting started.”

And it felt so good. The party that is March Madness was just getting started. Little did we know at the time, the netcutting win would in fact be the Seminoles’ last game of the season.

Nor could we ever imagine it would clinch an ACC Tournament Championship five days later.

It had to be surreal.

The Seminoles were in the locker room, in Greensboro, N.C., preparing to play Clemson in front of 20,000 empty seats. Unbeknownst to them, ACC officials were in meetings deciding to cancel the remainder of the prestigious tournament.

When the Seminoles made their way to the court it was not to play a game in the empty arena but, stranger yet, to accept the ACC Tournament Championship trophy.

ACC Commissioner John Swofford, obviously beleaguered after days of meetings, looked for a Florida State player, or coach, anybody, to present the coveted trophy.

The players looked bewildered. For a moment, I wondered if anyone would take the trophy, which is only the second ACC Tournament the Seminoles have “won” since they joined in 1992.

It was awkward.

I certainly didn’t see anyone drink champagne from the trophy, or lock lips with it, and no tears of joy.

The tears would come later when the players were told the

NCAA tournament had been cancelled.

“The most important thing is the safety of our studentathletes, and the families,” Hamilton said. “This is obviously a very challenging position for all of us to be in. But in light of the uncertainty and the moving parts of this scenario, the best thing is for us to take a step back.”

There would be no home-court advantage in Tampa, a likely destination for the Seminoles in first-and secondround NCAA Tournament. There wouldn’t even be a game.

Devin Vassell’s four-word tweet said it all: “The season is over.”

Which brings me back to the net-cutting ceremony in Tallahassee five days earlier, which turned out to be the final game of the season.

Thank goodness, Florida State had the foresight to give this team their “one shining moment.”

We hate it for the student-athletes. We hate it for the fans.

But we get it.

And so do a lot of others.

Walt Disney World. Broadway. The NBA, PGA Tour, NHL, MLB, MLS are all adopting similar “best practice” policies. They are doing it, at a great loss of revenue, in an effort to abate the transmission of COVID-19, a strain of the Coronavirus.

We are seeing the nation coming together individually in an effort to minimize the spread of the virus.

The NCAA and its members are shuttering operations too. The NCAA suspended all NCAA tournaments in the remaining winter and spring sports.

NCAA President Mark Emmert explained the reason for cancelling the tournaments. “This decision is based on the evolving COVID-19 public health threat, our ability to ensure the events do not contribute to spread of the pandemic, and the impracticality of hosting such events at any time during this academic year given ongoing decisions by other entities.”

The last sentence of his statement is something the average person doesn’t think about. How do do you host a tournament anywhere when individual states are suspending gatherings.

Like many other states, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis suspended gatherings of 250 people or more.

This was a difficult, abrupt ending to FSU’s season. The Seminoles went 26-5 and were remarkable in so many ways.

There was a 16-0 record at home. There were the five straight sellouts at home to end the regular season, which included a heart-pounding comeback win over top-10 Louisville.

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BASKETBALL

SENIORS PROPEL FSU WOMEN TO EIGHTH STRAIGHT 20-WIN SEASON

PHOTO BY MIKE OLIVELLA

PHOTO BY JEFF ROMANCE

By ARIYA MASSOUDI Florida State’s women’s basketball season came to a sudden end with the announcement of all NCAA championships being canceled in the wake of the Coronavirus.

For FSU, which finished at No. 19 in the AP poll, it was a hard pill to swallow after a successful week in Greensboro, N.C., at the ACC Tournament. A run to the title game saw the recipe re-emerge for the Seminoles, who had wins over No. 6 Louisville and a rout of Wake Forest, before falling to No. 8 NC State in the championship game.

Kiah Gillespie, Nausia Woolfoolk and Nicki Ekhomu were excellent throughout the tournament, with the three seniors being named to the All-Tournament team.

An up and down season created many question marks of what the Seminoles could accomplish in the NCAA Tournament. Wins over No. 18 Texas A&M and Michigan on the way to an undefeated non-conference season, gave way to an inconsistent ACC slate that saw a win at Louisville, yet losses to Boston College and Notre Dame at home. Despite the inconsistency, FSU surpassed the 20-win mark for an eighth straight season.

In Greensboro, a semifinal re-match win over the Cardinals provided a season sweep and reaffirmed that FSU could beat anyone in the country when clicking on all cylinders.

“After going up there and pulling out a win I knew they would come out with a lot of fire,” Coach Sue Semrau said after the game. “They did, but we matched it. I’m proud of my seniors. They are something else.”

In that game, the seniors combined for 45 points, including 16 from Woolfolk – who came to life in the tournament in all three games.

“Today it was lay your heart on the line and that’s what we did,” Woolfolk said of getting to the title game. “It wasn’t about scouting, (it was) leave it on the floor, forget everything, and just play and that’s what we did.”

Against NC State in a packed Greensboro Coliseum, with a heavy Wolfpack contingent, the three seniors were incredible once again in combining for 59 points, with 25 coming from Gillespie. The Seminoles held a five-point lead with just under four minutes to play in the game, but fell 7166. It once again proved that FSU could make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament and hang with anyone at that.

Unfortunately, it will never be known what this team could do. The Seminoles were unlikely to host the first two

rounds in the NCAA Tournament in Tallahassee at 24-8 (117 ACC), but had all the confidence at the right time heading into the season’s pinnacle event.

They say goodbye to their three seniors, all reaching the 1,000-point scoring milestone for their careers. Their leadership and talents will be missed, but the Seminoles will return some key pieces next season.

Sophomores Kourtney Weber, Morgan Jones and Valencia Myers will be asked to step into larger roles in 2020-21.

Weber and Jones each showed flashes of what they could be this season, with Webber a gifted offensive talent and Jones a rare breed of athleticism, length and quickness. Myers, a McDonald’s All-American in high school, has the talent level to be a dominant force as she enters her junior year.

Sammie Puisis and River Baldwin, both also former McDonald’s All-Americans, each also provided a glimpse of their abilities during their freshmen campaigns. Puisis shot 40 percent from beyond the 3-point arc on 123 attempts and is poised to be one of the best shooters in school history.

Baldwin’s size and strength in the post will be more difficult to deal with as the game slows down for her during her career. Fellow freshman London Clarkson has the frame, tenacity and toughness to also be an asset next season.

However, it may be what wasn’t on the court this year for FSU that could provide the biggest boost. Former McDonald’s All-American point guard Izabella Nicoletti has yet to play a game in Tallahassee in two seasons due to multiple ACL injuries, while Savannah Wilkinson (stress reaction), Amaya Brown (ACL) and Sayawni Lassiter (ACL) each either didn’t play at all or much of the year with their own injuries. Guard Bianca Jackson will also be eligible next season after sitting out the year due to NCAA transfer rules. At South Carolina, she was an essential piece to one of the best programs in the country and will be an immediate-impact player.

As the page turns for a group that was with each other for two seasons, the future of FSU basketball is bright for Semrau.

While this campaign ends with disappointing abruptness, it was still a critical year for the program as it continues its march towards the school’s first ever Final Four.

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Columnist

CHARLIE BARNES

Charlie Barnes is the retired Senior Vice President and Executive Director of Seminole Boosters; he is also President of the Seminole Greek Alumni Foundation.

Contact him at cbarnes161@comcast.net

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“THANKS, COACH; WE’LL TAKE IT FROM HERE” Some years ago, FSU Vice President for Alumni Affairs Jim Melton was squiring around a group of visitors, most of whom, he chuckled, “represented rival institutions.”

When the van topped the hill going down toward Doak Campbell stadium, the visitors gasped. “I wanted to be gracious,” Melton said, “but one of them actually cried when they saw our stadium for the first time.”

“Isn’t it amazing,” he confided later, “the effect that five million bricks can have on some people.”

Melton plucked the five million number out of the air because none of us knows how many bricks there are. But here’s what is known: each one of the bricks in those massive walls represents a single, separate act of tribute, of support, of ambition, of vision on the part of hundreds of thousands of Seminole fans across seven decades. Every brick carries within it the hopes, dreams and commitment of fans who began building this magnificent structure exactly 70 years ago when it was just a small ‘erector set’ with wood plank seats.

You know about the time value of money. Blend that principle with the time value of loyalty, and the result is the most beautiful college football stadium in the country; the largest contiguous brick construction in the United Sates.

Those individual bricks represent volunteers who sold Seminole Booster license tags door-to-door for $5 each in 1951 to support the new stadium.

How many more bricks account for the thousands of Seminole Boosters who gave $10 and $25 each to be members in the years when we weren’t winning many games, but the promise of better days sustained their pledges of loyalty?

Many of those bricks symbolize the first appearance of Golden Chiefs in 1976. They reflect the intense and abiding

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loyalty of thousands of Seminole Booster volunteers who made personal calls and visits to encourage their friends and other Seminoles to join the cause throughout the 1980s and 1990s. The bricks soared higher with the reality of our first $1 million donor in 1989; then those monumental walls drew even greater strength from more than 100 $1 million donors over the course of the next 30 years.

Doak Campbell Stadium stands on the same formidable ground where it first appeared in the fall of 1950. All the while, the campus, the city, the people and all the accommodating environment surrounding it have evolved.

You may have read recently that the Seminole Boosters sold Burt Reynolds Hall.

President Thrasher assigned David Coburn to focus on cleaning up the Athletic Department’s recent shortfalls, and solving that plight includes selling off some income-producing Seminole Booster assets to raise ready cash.

The new Florida State University Athletic Association (FSUAA) brings Seminole Boosters and the Athletic Director to the same table. Certain Athletic Department contracts and expenditures will be subject to more timely oversight. In addition, any new Athletic Director will bear enhanced responsibility for fundraising.

Athletic Director David Coburn is performing his task with the impressive intellect and no-nonsense stoicism that has long been his signature.

Be assured that our Florida State Athletic program is making the right moves going forward.

Going forward is the key phrase here.

Going forward has always been the vision of our fans, donors and supporters. Not every institution has the capacity or the will to do so. The right decisions, the hard ones, usually in the wake of misfortune, are always daunting. But the goal, always, is

CHARLIE BARNES

restoration of good order and prosperity.

If we allow ourselves to become complacent, we may easily lose our sense of place in the stream of time. One unsettling thing about the speed of time is that names and events familiar to one generation are often lost to the next.

The Bowden Dynasty in which we take such justifiable pride ended 20 years ago; most of our current players were not yet born. In the last two decades our Seminoles have triumphed, and we have also tumbled. Last year, President Thrasher made the difficult decision, the right decision, and FSU will pay the freight.

We are hardly the only illustrious program to have gone through a rough passage and re-emerged as champions.

There will never be another Bear Bryant, but the fellow at Alabama now is doing pretty well. There will never be another Danny Ford, but the fellow at Clemson now is doing pretty well.

Look forward. There will never be another Bobby Bowden, but there is no reason why Florida State cannot conjure up yet another Dynasty, given the right mix of coaching and talent, priorities and continuing leadership from our loyal fans and supporters.

Burt Reynolds Hall was dedicated on a balmy Friday 33 years ago in September, 1987. It was the first weekend of the first game of the Bowden Dynasty. Thousands of Seminoles packed into the Civic center to delight in this celebration bright with energy, light and hope. Burt dressed as The Bandit; University President Bernie Sliger dressed as Sheriff Buford T. Justice. Burt’s wife and actor pals entertained everyone. Burt threw the spear at mid-field to start the game against Texas Tech.

Burt is gone now, but his demonstrated, lifelong Seminole spirit is the standard by which every Seminole might take inspiration, and reaffirm their own faith in Florida State’s potential. There is a measure of immortality in those five million or so bricks, however many there really are, which symbolizes the loving endeavors of all the fans for all the many years.

There is a photograph on social media now of 90-year-old Bobby Bowden, seated while reaching his hand upward to shake the hand of Coach Mike Norvell. Norvell’s expression shows his admiration and respect for Bowden.

Someone has written a caption, suggesting that Norvell is saying, “Thank you, Coach Bowden, for everything. I’ll take it from here.”

Three national championships, thirteen ACC conference titles and three Heisman winners. The seeds of all this originated more than seven decades ago within the determination of committed volunteers & donors.

Three decades ago, eleven major donors plus President Bernie Sliger comprised the legendary ‘A-Team’ in 1989. To secure Legislative support for the construction of University Center, the Advance Team’s task was to create Seminole Boosters’ first-ever capital campaign from scratch, and to raise $10 million before the end of the Legislative Session.

New FSU head coach Mike Norvel meets legend Bobby Bowden

These Seminole heroes raised $56 million in six months!

Through the genius and leadership of the A-Team and our allies in the Legislature, Florida State’s football facilities were elevated to among the most magnificent in the nation.

New generations of Seminoles rise as others pass. Now, in 2020, a new elite cadre called ‘The Twenty’, has embraced their role in the latest challenge. Twenty individuals or couples have each pledged a minimum of $1 million to create the anticipated ‘Renaissance’.

These Twenty visionary donors are inspiring new generations of leaders. Students and fans who sat in the stadium decades ago, are now at a place in life where they are able and willing to reinforce the program’s financial foundations. Thousands have accepted the challenge to double their Seminole Booster gift in 2020, or to increase their membership up to the next giving level.

Our fans have come to like Coach Norvell, and Norvell likes us. Fans also like what they’re hearing about him from older voices, from the men who coached with Bowden, or who played during the glory years.

It is as if ‘The Twenty’ and all of the Seminole Booster faithful have reached out their hands and said, “Thank you FSU, for all you mean to me, and for the opportunity to give back. Mike Norvell, you’ll have whatever you need. We’ll take it from here…”

The poet Yeats spoke of time as an endless song.

Our “Hymn to the Garnet & Gold” was first played at Homecoming, that first year in the new stadium in 1950.

Perhaps more than any other music, that song is the endless echo of our Seminole story, and the people whose love and loyalty made it glorious.

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The Campaign for Athletics Excellence 2019 End of Year Report Photos By MIKE OLIVELLA, ROSS OBLEY AND RYALS LEE

INTRODUCTION It has been an exciting second year for the five-year Unconquered Campaign as it continues toward its goal of $100 million in support of Florida State athletics. We are pleased to report over $89 million has been committed with gifts totaling $14 million+ to the campaign as of December 31. This has been an unbelievable testament to the vision and support of the entire Seminole family.

FUNDING OVERVIEW Total Pledged

Received

$89,000,000

$14,000,000

In 2020, thanks to generosity of our donors, the Seminole Legacy Golf Club, significant improvements to Dick Howser Stadium and the construction of a new sunshade at the softball stadium will be completed. These show the impact the Unconquered Campaign is already having on the FSU campus.

As a donor to Seminole Boosters, we want to share this exciting update with you. The next 12 months is going to be a great year for our student-athletes; we hope to see you on campus soon and supporting our ‘Noles!

Go Noles!

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FOOTBALL OPERATIONS INVESTING IN THE FUTURE OF SEMINOLE FOOTBALL It is a time for excitement about the future as new Head Football Coach Mike Norvell was introduced in December. Fresh off an AAC Championship, he brings energy and excitement to our football program. This extends to our continued progress toward the $60 million investment in football operations. To date, over $37 million has been committed to this initiative with $6 million given.

The next step for the project will be to receive the input of Coach Norvell regarding the existing proposed plans and his vision for Seminole football. With the football staff going through recruiting and spring practice in the current space, they will have the perspective to determine where the greatest needs exist in our physical infrastructure. It is our goal to make a strategic investment that will serve all aspects of our football program for the next 20+ years. This will include enhancements to strength & conditioning, recovery, rehabilitation and dining.

Leading the way for this effort has been Al & Judy Dunlap of Ocala, Florida. The Dunlaps made the lead commitment to the Unconquered Campaign with a $20 million pledge in 2018. Sadly, Al Dunlap passed in 2019. With this new project, the legacy of Al and Judy supporting Florida State Football will have an exciting new chapter that will benefit generations of future Seminoles.

Total Pledged

Received

$37,300,000

$6,000,000

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SEMINOLE FOOTBALL RENAISSANCE

Added to the campaign in late 2019, the Renaissance Campaign is a focused effort by the entire university to raise commitments to support the transition to Coach Mike Norvell’s football staff. Letters were mailed to select donors by President John Thrasher to ask for their consideration in being one of 20 donors to commit a leadership gift.

To date, over $15 million is pledged in support of this effort. This will play a key role in funding the hiring of Coach Norvell’s staff while not negatively impacting the pursuit of comprehensive excellence for our other 19 sports.

A second phase of the Renaissance Campaign was launched also in 2019 with a focus on increased annual giving. It is serving as an important part of Seminole Boosters’ ability to meet its financial obligations during the 2019-20 fiscal year. To date, annual fund donors from 2019 have increased by their commitment for 2020 by over $670,000.

The response of our donors to the Renaissance Campaign has been incredible. Our university enjoys many loyal and generous friends, and they certainly have stepped us to help put football back on the right path with Coach Norvell and his staff.

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Pledged

Received

$15,000,000

$3,700,000

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SOFTBALL Construction is completed at the FSU softball stadium with the new sunshade structure that debuted on February 7th at the Joanne Graf Classic. The $1.6 million project provides comfort to attendees via its roof covering and enhances the look of the stadium. Funding for the project came entirely from donor commitments to the Unconquered Campaign and the Softball Coaches Club.

“This is a clear demonstration of the commitment of our fans and administration for the continued championship level success for our program,” said Head Coach Lonni Alameda. “I am excited about its completion and look forward to developing the long-term plan for our softball facility. My entire staff is committed to bringing more titles home to Tallahassee.”

Total Pledged

Received

$1,560,000

$832,000

BASEBALL

The first phase of the master plan for Dick Howser Stadium has been completed with the addition of new lighting. The lighting, which cost approximately $1.3 million, is providing safer playing conditions for the team and greater flexibility for game scheduling. Funding for the project came solely from donor gifts to the master plan and the baseball coaches club.

These improvements are part of an overall planned investment of $16+ million to renovate the 37 year-old stadium. Future enhancements will be determined by additional donor funding and the highest needs as identified by Coach Martin and his staff.

“I am very excited about the ability to address the lighting for this season,” said Head Coach Mike Martin Jr. “These are important for the safety and performance of our team, and I am appreciative of the donors that have provided the support.”

Total Pledged

Received

$1,600,000

$558,000

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GOLF COURSE The Seminole Legacy Golf Club will open to the FSU community with its grand opening on Saturday, March 7th. As the nation’s first Nicklaus Legacy Course, it is another connection between the Jack Nicklaus family and Florida State University. The club will serve as a day-to-day home for the men’s and women’s golf teams and an asset for the university that will a destination for all golfers.

Total Pledged

Received

$5,200,000

$1,800,000

TUCKER CENTER The final phase of planned improvements for the Tucker Center is the new team lounges to be located above the locker rooms. These lounges will provide a place for our student-athletes to hang out before and after games and serve an important role in hosting recruits and their families on game days. The anticipated cost of the project is $4 million and design and construction can begin upon the identification of donor funding.

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Total Pledged

Received

$1,400,000

$374,000

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UNRESTRICTED COMMITMENTS Unrestricted commitments play a key role in helping to fund the priorities of the Unconquered Campaign while provide the flexibility to allow FSUAA leadership the ability to identify where they can have the greatest impact.

Total Pledged

Received

$2,000,000

$252,000

STUDENT-ATHLETE SCHOLARSHIPS

For the Unconquered Campaign, a goal of $9 million in new scholarship funding was set. This will allow Seminole Boosters to continue to provide educational opportunities for FSU student-athletes while also providing long-term sustainability for FSU Athletics.

The funding for this goal comes from two sources. First, donors who make an active pledge to create a scholarship endowment. This is typically fulfilled over a five-year period. The other is those who include Seminole Boosters in their estate plans with a designation to create a scholarship endowment.

Total Pledged

Received

$25,200,000

$1,200,000

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FLORIDA STATE IS ASKING ABOUT YOUR GAME DAY AND WEEKEND EXPERIENCE

By JERRY KUTZ, RETIRED SR. VICE PRESIDENT SEMINOLE BOOSTERS & CURRENT OWNER, PUBLISHER OF THEOSCEOLA.COM

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fans that says, “If those specific experiences were better, then I’d be willing to buy tickets and give to the Booster organization.”

Readers should be advised: the survey is NOT the first step in a $300 million stadium rebuild.

“No, I don’t think a total replacement but I think a potential redesign,” Coburn said. “Potentially, a reduction in seats and total re-seating configuration. Anything up to replacement. I think all options are on the table at this point but again we’d have to figure out (revenue sources) to pay for it.”

The data may say there’s not enough incremental revenue sources available to justify a $300 million stadium rebuild but point to more specific opportunities, maybe some low hanging fruit.

“The data could tell us we have exactly the right product mix we need and there’s no more demand,” Miller said. “And the data may tell us there are no revenue streams out there that are sufficient to underwrite a stadium redevelopment.

“The data will tell us what we are able to do. It could tell us, for example, we have maybe too many club seats and should have more ledge seating, more loge seating. Or rather than 100 skyboxes, it might tell us we need 50 skyboxes and should turn some skyboxes into assembly spaces or mini suites or some other kind of product.

“So it is really set up to help us determine what our demand might be and what other potential revenues are out there.”

While the current engagement with Legends is limited to a feasibility study, Legends is built to provide a comprehensive suite of services should the analytics give reason for FSU to move forward. In addition to consulting, stadium design and construction, Miller said Legends has expertise in stadium and concession operations, private club management and premium seat sales.

“These are folks who not only build stadiums and design stadiums but know how to operate stadiums and how to operate concessions, so this is a very expert corporate group we are using,” Coburn said.

“Legends can help us maximize a variety of game day experiences and revenue streams and can even help us with underwriting, so there’s a lot of things they can do to help us,” Miller said, “but at this point we hired them just to do the feasibility study.”

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PHOTOS BY ROSS OBLEY

You may have received an email from Athletic Director David Coburn and Seminole Booster President and CEO Andy Miller asking you to complete a survey regarding your gameday experience at Doak Campbell Stadium. Your responses will provide FSU with information they can use to verify fan wants and needs and estimate the demand for specific experiences that would make game day attendance more compelling.

Florida State engaged Legends, a joint venture of Yankee Global Enterprises and Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys, to consult on the survey which is one part of a feasibility study. Formed in 2008, Legends has completed studies for numerous college and pro stadiums.

“They are going to survey fans, former fans and alumni and ask them about their game experiences, their experiences and what they like and what they don’t like and what they would like to see,” said Athletic Director David Coburn. “They are also going to examine potential streams of revenue that we either are using but could do better with, or are not using and could begin to use, if we need revenue in order to make some of the improvements we feel are missing.

Miller and Coburn go into the process objectively, curious to see what the analytics produce in terms of highest and best use for existing experiences and revenue streams. They want to let the data, gathered from customers, speak to them.

Miller gives an example using a season ticket holder who says the reason they don’t buy tickets is because, “It is too hot.”

“Their answers to questions about likelihood to buy seats if a shade structure were built become important data on which to base decisions,” Miller said.

Additional questions, probing price points for those shaded seats, provide further insight into the potential incremental revenue, which might be generate do pay for that structure.

The survey also probes other experiences designed to make gameday more enjoyable such as wider seats, chair back seats, extended leg room, enhanced concessions on concourses with assembly space, etc.

While Coburn and Miller have a good idea of what the customers want, the survey will at very least validate their notions and allow them to really zero in on the sweet spots.

“We want to really identify what it is about going to the game that is enjoyable or unenjoyable for our fans,” Miller said. “Is it wifi? Is it traffic or lack of tailgating? What is it?”

The survey is designed to elicit response from Seminole

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MEET DOUG AND DORIS DUNLAP & THEIR “WHY FSU”

By JERRY KUTZ, RETIRED SR. VICE PRESIDENT SEMINOLE BOOSTERS & CURRENT OWNER, PUBLISHER OF THEOSCEOLA.COM Unconquered visited Doug and Doris Dunlap to share their family’s Seminole journey and find out why they are so involved with Florida State University.

The questions were the easiest they have ever been asked.

“We get a lot of pleasure out of it,” Doris said. “It’s just such a part of us.

“It’s fun because everyone, including grandchildren, enjoy sports and other university related activities, so it gives us a chance to get together as a family” The evidence is on display in Doug’s Syntech office, a company he has owned since 1989.

“Florida State is just a part of me,” Doug said. “I grew up in a neighborhood right

by Doak. I walked to every game from the time I was five or six.”

The Dunlaps have a skybox with 24 seats and buy 20 more in the stadium for employees. They own baseball and basketball tickets. They are members of the University Center Club where they host their annual Holiday company party for 300.

They fund multiple Golden and Silver Chief memberships and recently made a six-figure gift to baseball facilities and operations.

“We were on the Booster Cruise

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with Mike Martin, Sr. and Carol and realized we had never given anything to baseball,” Doug recounts. “We’ve given money to engineering, to hospitality, the business school, plus the Boosters.

So I thought giving to Mike Jr’s program would be a good thing.”

Doug history dates back to the Danny Litwheiler era (1955-63) when he and friends served as batboys and loaded scores on the old board, taunting opponents, including Georgia and NFL Legend Fran Tarkenton.

“One year we dressed for opening day as bat boys,” Dunlap recalls. “Cliff and Bobby Hinkle. I wore Litwhiler’s St. Louis Cardinal’s uniform, so I got a lot of history there.”

Litwhiler’s 1958 squad, led by Dick Howser, was FSU’s first team to appear in the College World Series. That Litwhiler jersey might have been worn in the Cardinal’s 1944 World Championship season, in which Litwhiler played a pivotal role.

The Power Couple Dunlap joined the United States Marine Corps to fund his education with the GI Bill. After serving in Vietnam, he asked his father for advice.

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“Maybe I should go to Georgia Tech because he went to Georgia Tech,” Doug recalls. “He said, ‘If you want to work for somebody all your life, go be an engineer. But if you want to own the company, go to business school.’

“So that’s what I did and it turned out to be okay.”

Doug chose Accounting at FSU and now owns Syntech, employing 70 engineers and 200 total employees.

Prior to buying the company, which began as the Wayne Colony Company, Doug served as comptroller. Doris worked in human resources. Despite the fact they attended Leon High, they had yet to meet.

Their dates were frequently to FSU games. As the relationship advanced, they were living their jobs 24 hours a day, so Doris accepted an offer with the Tallahassee Democrat where her career flourished.

“I was hired as personnel director and then HR director and then took over administration and then accounting, delving into finance,” Doris said.

Within five years, she touched all the bases running marketing, production and circulation. “Eventually, I was over all of the business side,” said Doris, who

PHOTOS COURTESY DOUG AND DORIS DUNLAP

was being promoted to fast to finish a degree.

People noticed. In 1996, she was selected the first female Chairman of the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce.

Meanwhile, Doug was pouring money into the development of FuelMaster, an automated fuels accounting system for the commercial market. Developed for the Air Force, FuelMaster would enjoy rapid growth in non-military segments.

In addition to secure fuel delivery for vehicles, FuelMaster maximizes fleet performance for over 8,000 customers.

The cloud-based system serves many users, including the US Government, Fortune 500 companies, local municipalities and schools, delivering fuel and fleet data real time.

In 2019, Syntech received the World’s Greatest Fuel Management Company award by World’s Greatest Television.

Knight Ridder, the parent company of the Democrat, sent Doris to an executive training program at Northwestern University’s Business School and tasked her with overseeing a project effecting 25 newspapers across the country.

“Yeah, (working away from home) was tough because I had a first grader and a seventh grader and my dad living with us and Shane (her oldest) entering college,” Doris said.

Doug became Mr. Mom for a hectic year.

“I owned the company and my partners were wondering if I still worked here,” Doug said with a laugh.

“But it was good because it gave me a great appreciation for how many roles women assume. It made me appreciate what my employees handle.”

The company continued to have great success, which allowed Doris to consider early retirement to spend more time with the family, and she completed this in 2000.

Where Did They Find Time For FSU Sports?

Listening to their journey, I ask, “How did this power couple find time to attend so many FSU games while raising three children?”

Another easy answer.

“I can’t imagine living in Tallahassee and not being involved with the University,” Doris said. “It’s a part of our lives we do together, whether at the game or watching away games on television, our family is always together.”

Each picture speaks a thousand words about family memories.

Doug’s prize possession is a composition of ticket stubs Doris crafted. From the first FSU-UF game played in Doak in 1964, Doug tossed his ticket stubs into a keepsake box, where they remained until framed.

Like a museum docent, Doug points to a picture of Doak he nearly tossed.

“If you look closely, the score is Florida 7, Florida State 3 and I thought what do I want with this?” Doug said. “Then I realized the picture was taken in the first half of the ‘Choke at Doak’.”

FSU trailed 28-3 at half but rallied to “win” 31-31.

“We’ve seen a bunch of wins down there too,” Doug said, noting two of his favorites occurred in Gainesville.

“1977 was one of the greatest because (Bobby Bowden’s team) really turned that thing around and went down there and beat Florida,” he said. “When they had the NFL Draft, I believe Florida had more players drafted than any college and here we went down there and man handled them.

“It was mostly want to… and Ron Simmons didn’t hurt.”

The 1993 win is a bigtime memory too. “My youngest son was there when Warrick Dunn caught that pass and went for a touchdown. It put a stake in the Gators’ heart,” Doug said, “and he’s been to every game since.”

Passing Down Fatherly Advice All three Dunlap children are FSU graduates. Oldest son Shane majored in Criminology. Daughter Sara played soccer at Florida State, and majored in Fashion Merchandising. Youngest, Scott, majored in Accounting and is now a CPA. Each entered the family business and with fatherly advice, will have accounting degrees.

“I made them go back and get their

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accounting degree,” Doug said. “The youngest has his CPA but the other two have gone back. Sara graduated with honors in accounting and is now studying for the CPA. Shane is two courses short and will sit for the CPA. If you really want to run the business, the biggest thing is to understand the financial implications of what you are doing. And when you send out a letter and can sign it as a CPA, it gives you a lot of credibility.”

The “Why” Examined Closer It is easy now to see why the Dunlaps give back.

“When you’ve been around it as long as I have, it doesn’t matter what the sport is, I want to see them play and I want to see them do well,” said Doug, who knows investment in development is essential to success.

“We have the financial resources to really make an impact and so we do,” he said.

Doris began to attend FSU games with her father so long ago “you could bring your umbrella in with you” but she didn’t understand the ins and outs of funding athletics until she married Doug.

“It’s like this basketball team,” she said. “We have met many of them over the years who are just good people. It is nice to give them the opportunities this program does. It is incredible. It really is.”

The Dunlaps have a final answer to their “why.”

“Giving to FSU is a way to touch so many people,” Doug said. “Whatever we did, whether it’s a little bit or a lot, it’s an institution that goes in a million different directions so (giving to FSU) is just a great avenue to absolutely touch a lot of people.”

“Yes, Doug Dunlap grew up a Seminole in the shadow of Doak Campbell Stadium,” Miller said. “But he, Doris, their family and the employees of their company are avid supporters of Florida State University and the people it serves.

“We are most appreciative of their support and their enduring legacy.”

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LED BY “THE TWENTY,” RENAISSANCE CAMPAIGN APPROACHES $20 MILLION RAISED IN TWO MONTHS

By JERRY KUTZ Florida State University has always had Guardian Angels, alumni and friends who provide leadership in the university’s hours of need. Meet “The Twenty”, FSU’s latest generation of leaders who have stepped forward to answer the herald’s call to retstore Florida State Football to its glory.

In early October, darkness fell over iconic Doak Campbell Stadium after a prolonged period of performance by Seminole standards. Punctuated by a loss to bitter rival Miami, FSU President John Thrasher faced a decision no university president wants to make.

With the support of the Board of Trustees and Athletic Director David Coburn, Thrasher fired his head football coach nine games into his second season. It was a bold decision and a brave one. Thrasher knew the decision would require a laborious national search for a replacement and raised serious questions about funding the budget necessary to attract a high demand coach and to provide the resources to bring FSU back to its glory.

Thrasher also knew not to decide, would be to decide.

FSU football fans wanted a change in the direction of the program; their vote reflected in 20,000 gleaming empty seats. Not to decide would acerbate the loss of revenue in season tickets

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and Seminole Boosters memberships, which approach $15 million per year and is critical to funding 20 men’s and women’s sports.

What Thrasher – and the FSU community – needed was a Renaissance of FSU Football and they needed to find the money to fund it.

In other words, FSU needed a new generation of Guardian Angels.

Meet “The Twenty” who responded to FSU’s call.

The herald was President Thrasher, who penned a letter to every current and recent-past Seminole Booster member and season ticket holder explaining the reason the coaching change was made and the funding necessary to hire the right coach and provide him with the resources needed.

Special packages were overnighted to 44 Seminole Booster members with a very specific ask to join a historic group of Renaissance donors.

Seminole fans – who are eager for a change of fortune –responded quickly.

Fifteen individuals have already committed leadership gifts, which cumulatively exceed $15 million.

The campaign is only two months into its ambitious goal, so the progress is historic and inspiring, thanks in large part to those 15 individuals who have already joined the ranks of “The Twenty”.

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“People give to people for causes they believe in and President Thrasher was the right messenger with the right message – returning Seminole football to its rightful place in college football – a cause we can all support,” said Seminole Boosters President and CEO Andy Miller.

Thrasher, Miller and Coburn have long institutional memories, including the darkest nights in FSU Athletic history and of garnet and gold dawns, fueled by the heroic contributions of previous generations of Seminole supporters.

In addition to the letters soliciting “The Twenty,” a second letter from Thrasher went to donors and season ticket holders asking them to participate in the Renaissance by increasing their annual contribution to a higher donor level or by 20 percent.

More than 1500 individuals have responded to this call, either by increasing their annual fund contribution or by becoming new members, which has already generated more than $1 million in additional annual fund contributions.

The materials accompanying both letters honored previous generations of Guardian Angels who answered the university’s call. Their actions years ago, enabled the program to flourish.

THE TWENTY The following people have committed a leadership gift towards the Renaissance Campaign Alan & Carol Flaumenhaft Jimmy & Lisa Graganella Jim & Carole Henderson William T. Hold Moises Issa Phil Kleinman

Their actions have now inspired a new generation of Guardian Angels, a heroic group who will forever be known as “The Twenty.”

1951 “Exactly one century after the founding of the school, a band of loyal Seminoles met in the old Cherokee Hotel to envision a future of greatness for Florida State University, and the original Seminole Boosters, Inc. was conceived,” the insert reported. “Since that historic meeting, Florida State Athletics has won 17 national championships and established itself as one of the iconic brands in sports.”

1974 “… The reorganization of Seminole Boosters in 1974 prepared the way for the arrival of Bobby Bowden and was highlighted by the Dynasty Years from 1987-2000 when Florida State University won two National Championships in Football and set records for continuous seasons ranked in the top five. Coach Bowden’s reign of success and dynamic personality changed our University forever, and Florida State University grew in numbers as well as prestige.”

1989 “The legendary A-Team was created with the task of securing legislative support for the construction of the University Center. Key to the approval was demonstrating to lawmakers Florida State University’s commitment and ability to generate financial support for the project. It was then the ambitious

Lawton & Beth Langford Craig C. Mateer DeVoe & Shirley McEwan Moore Brian & Renee Murphy Tom & Betty Petway Dr. Jim & Betty Ann Rodgers

goal of raising $10 million dollars in six months was tasked to the A-Team.

“There was frantic opposition to the University Center from many corners, much of it from rivals who wanted to see the Seminoles remain in their “erector set.” Through the genius of the A-Team and our allies in the Legislature, Florida State’s football facilities were elevated to become some of the most magnificent in the nation.

“They embraced the challenge, and they had the vision to see that Bobby Bowden’s Dynasty was just beginning.”

2019-2020 Now, three decades later, there is once again a significant financial challenge.

And there is a need to ask the current generation of Seminoles to make the difference for Seminole football by contributing to the Renaissance Campaign.

“Like those donors who answered FSU’s call before, “The Twenty” will forever be remembered in FSU history for their efforts to restore FSU football to its rightful place on the top of college football,” Miller concluded.

THE LEGEND OF THE TWENTY Having persevered through two centuries of adversity, the Seminole Indians of Florida earned the right to call themselves “the Unconquered People.” Their indomitable spirit is one Florida State University proudly seeks to emulate in all endeavors.

Today, an elite circle of individuals has emerged, whose leadership, reputation and fortune is assured. Theirs is a

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Guy & Delores Spearman Jeffrey & Agnes Stoops Gary & Cumi Walsingham Brian & Cortney Williams

devotion of the heart. With the proud tradition of Seminole Football at a crossroads, this resilient group known as “The Twenty” has come together to steer the proud program towards the future. By emulating the spirit of the Seminole people, The Twenty earn the right to call themselves unconquered.

For generations, alumni and friends of our University will know we had heroes at Florida State, legends on and off the field.

Who are the Seminole Heroes among us today? They are the men and women who committed themselves financially to ensure a new beginning for our program. These heroes stepped forward during challenging times and when they saw only a few others like them had the means and the willingness to set things right.

The legend of Bobby Bowden and The Dynasty live on in this elite group, known as The Twenty. They have been called by our leader, President John Thrasher to respond to the challenge of bringing greatness to Florida State Football. They will live in Seminole lore, responding to the call, stepping forward to lead and thereby ensuring the tradition of excellence continues. They will be known for fulfilling the promise of the Renaissance of Seminole Football.

Now is the time. Their legend is just beginning. They will now take their place of honor in the timeline of distinguished leaders of our university.

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VOLUNTEERS: FAMILIAR & FRIENDLY FACES 2020 SPRING MEMBERSHIP DRIVE SALES REPS Ben Gantt, Chairperson Parker Emery, Captain Brent Scott, Captain Tim Brock, Captain Tommy Folsom, Captain Isaac Montilla, Captain Brian Smith, Captain Michael Sundquist, Captain

Chip Williams, Captain Seattle Alderman, Captain Brian Wilson, Captain Keith Steverson, Captain Leroy Smith, Captain Douglass Cooke, Captain Bill Zottoli, Captain

A familiar face, a friendly voice, a comfort in a time of uncertainty.

While we are unable to gather for the moment, we are able to create a Seminole Booster community of support.

Your friends at Seminole Boosters are here to take your calls, to provide news and entertaining content and provide a community to keep each other’s fire burning until we can gather physically to celebrate the Seminole again.

While we are able to connect with you, we are unable to connect with fans who are not members.

You could be the connection; a familiar face, a friendly voice, who is able to share news you receive from us. A conversation about your mutual love, may be a comfort to you both.

Seminole Boosters’ volunteer campaign, which launched last month to generate new members and funds, has pivoted to a compassionate outreach to our friends.

While the Boosters needs to continued to raise money to fund the athletic budget, it cannot be business as usual. Our volunteers are vital in identifying fans who needs a hug and fans who can help fund athletics as a Booster member.

If you have a few moments to call friends, please consider becoming a Seminole Rep to share these facts with friends: • the Athletics budget depends on $17 million in contributions from 12,000 or more fans who become Booster members • donations fund $10 million in annual scholarship costs • taxpayer dollars cannot be used to build athletic facilities which require donations through Seminole Boosters In addition to helping Athletics, Nole Reps receive rewards, including: pregame on-field passes, radio booth passes to visit Gene Deckerhoff, premium seating, Nike Gear and much more. The volunteer reps also receive support from the Booster staff. In addition to detailed material, Director Joanna White will facilitate Rep questions and action.

Ben Gantt, a 1999 graduate, is leading the campaign. Gantt is the Managing Director and Wealth Management Advisor with Northwestern Mutual and the father of five.

“I picked people who I knew were die hard Noles and were

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passionate about the university and Florida State Athletics,” said Gantt, who encourages others to join. “I want people who are respected and connected.”

Andy Miller has experienced trying times in his 45 years as Seminole Booster President and CEO. The one constant in the Boosters success has been the influence volunteers.

“The Seminole Boosters’ Annual Fund is not just an annual giving program,” said Miller. “It is the way for thousands of Seminole fans to come together to support and continue the tradition of excellence that is Florida State Athletics. The volunteer campaign is a way to come together for a cause we all believe in and essential to the financial success of our program.”

Mike Norvell with six of the 2020 Volunteer Campaign Captains. From left: Tim Brock, Seattle Alderman, Ben Gantt, Brian Smith, Dr. Isaac Montilla, and Tommy Folsom.

Double Your Impact Mike Sundquist is a 43-year-old Booster who lives in Titusville, Florida with his wife and two sons. The Sundquists contribute as much as the family budget allows and would do more if they could. The Nole Rep program allowed them to double their impact.

“I realized my friends and associates, who care about the Seminoles, were very willing to join once they knew about FSU’s needs and the benefits of giving,” Sundquist said. “I contributed a couple of hours a week to talking with friends and realized I was able to generate more in contributions than I give myself.”

Think about it. You can double your financial impact for FSU by encouraging one person to donate at the level you do.

You are already thinking about Seminole friends who would welcome your call and the opportunity to talk about Florida State Athletics.

For Information Visit: seminoleboosters.com/nolereps, and select “SignUp.” Contact Joanna White at (850) 644-2169 or at jwhite9@fsu. edu.

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CHICK-FIL-A KICKOFF GAME SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2020 T H E

WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS A N D

T H E

FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES will face off in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game to open the 2020 season in a

Big 12 vs. ACC showdown.

The game is set for Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020 and will be played in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

This will be the FOURTH TIME the West Virginia Mountaineers and Florida State Seminoles have played to date, and the FIRST TIME since 2010, with Florida State winning all three contests.

Ticket Request Deadline - June 15th Request or buy online at Seminoles.com or by calling (850) 644-1830, option 2

THROUGH THE AGES

By JERRY KUTZ, FORMER SR. VICE PRESIDENT OF SEMINOLE BOOSTERS, THE OSCEOLA OWNER/PUBLISHER Photos By ROSS OBLEY, MIKE OLIVELLA, AND COURTESY FSU SPORTS INFORMATION

Charles Williams, the acclaimed British novelist, penned the phrase, “In order to move forward into the future, you need to know where you’ve been.”

As Seminole Boosters and Florida State Athletics speeds into the future, with a variety of projects in the planning stages or rising from the ground, we thought it would be helpful to present a photo timeline of the athletics facilites built just since 1976.

We realized a timeline with that many projects could be daunting if presented in a single issue, so we decided to divide the presentation into two issues: Part I (Winter 2019): Eight-page, facility timeline from 1976 to 2013 Part II (Spring 2020): Eight-page, facility timeline from 2013 to present We hope you enjoy the series, which provides a nostalgic walk down memory lane for long time members and a concise history lesson for our younger members. The complete timeline can be found at www.UnconqueredMagazine.com

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MANNY GARCIA FOOTBALL LOCKER ROOM

Manny Garcia Football Locker Room (2014)

400-meter track and runways resurfaced with next generation of Hobart Texture Synthetic Surface; the same surface as the NCAA Championships and the US Olympic Trials.

2013

2013

Football 3rd National Championship

FSU Launches Raise the Torch Campaign

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DONALD L. TUCKER CIVIC CENTER

Coaches Office Suite and display of FSU’s football traditions and accomplishments

Tucker Center Locker Room and Storage (Men’s Basketball)

2014

2014

First Soccer National Championship

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Tucker Center Locker Room and Storage (Women’s Basketball)

CollegeTown Phase I Opens

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Tucker Center seating Replacement

2015 Athletic Scholarship Endowment reaches $57.3 million

Tucker Center LED, Video, Scoreboard Replacement

Tucker Center Premium Seating and Assembly Space

2015

2016

Champions Club project construction begins

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College Town II Opening

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DUNLAP CHAMPIONS CLUB

Parrish Owens Football Players Lounge

Doak Campbell Stadium Sky Box Windows, Heating and Air

2016

2016

Beach Volleyball became an NCAA sport in 2016 with FSU in every tournament since.

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Dunlap Champions Club Dedication

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North Stadium Scoreboard and Sound system

2017-18 No.1 ACC in Director’s Cup. No. 9 Nationally

Doak Campbell South End Zone Stair Towers and Club Seating

2018 Raise the Torch Campaign Celebration

Doak Campbell Stadium repairs and coating funded by Champions Club revenue

Dunlap Champions Club provides luxury seating for 5,800 and includes 40,000 square feet of conditioned club space on game day as well as for year round banquet rental for weddings and events.

2018 Unconquered Campaign Launch

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2018 First Softball National Championship

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Tucker Center Basketball Training Facility enhancements

Basketball Training Center Hydro Therapy room finished

2018

2018

Second Soccer National Championship

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CollegeTown III Opening

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Tucker Center Marquee signage

2018-19 No. 1 in ACC in Director’s Cup. No. 7 Nationally

SEMINOLE LEGACY GOLF CLUB

Seminole Legacy Golf Club, a renovation of the Don Veller Golf Course

2019 Renaissance Campaign Launch

Women’s Softball Complex roof over seating structure - Construction began October 2019 and was completed in January 2020

2020 Ghazvini Odyssey Center Dedication

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2020 Athletic Scholarship Endowment reaches $76.4 million

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MEET THE 2020 FSU FOOTBALL STAFF

By BOB FERRANTE Mike Norvell will be measured on his win-loss record and who he recruits. But his success will also be a reflection of who he hires to achieve his goals.

The Florida State football coach has hired 10 assistant coaches and assembled a front office that is led by Bruce Warwick, the Seminoles’ chief of staff. Eight of the 10 assistants have experience at Power 5 schools, two have head coaching experience (Odell Haggins and Chris Thomsen) and three have been recruiting coordinators at the FBS level (John Papuchis, Marcus Woodson and Thomsen).

“There is an unbelievable excitement from our coaching staff of where we are and what we get to represent,” Norvell said. “We’re excited about what the future holds … Because of the young men that we have that are working their tails off each and every day, preparing themselves for what the future holds.

“And I’m excited about the gentlemen and the ladies that make up our staff, that are going to make sure that we’re pouring everything we have into those individuals to make sure that we get Florida State football back to where it deserves to be. And that’s among the country’s elite football programs.”

We take a look at who Norvell has hired and what they have accomplished prior to arriving in Tallahassee.

Kenny Dillingham Early start: Dillingham was injured playing high school football and immediately began coaching his high school’s junior varsity team at the age of 17.

Record-breaking years: Memphis broke the program record with 7,324 yards in 2018 and had 3,919 rushing yards that season with Dillingham as offensive coordinator.

Chris Thomsen Developing talent: Thomsen had offensive linemen drafted at each of his three prior FBS jobs: Texas Tech, Arizona State and TCU. Two-sport star: Thomsen was an all-conference baseball player at TCU and went on to play two seasons in the Oakland Athletics’ organization. He also played football at TCU and Abilene Christian.

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Alex Atkins Remarkable turnaround: Tulane had averaged 115.8 rushing yards per game the year before Atkins arrived. In his first season, the Green Wave jumped to 228.1 yards per game (top 30 in the FBS).

Run-dominant line: At Georgia Southern in 2014, the Eagles led the nation in rushing with 381.1 yards per game.

Ron Dugans A champion: Dugans played three sports in high school, winning state titles in basketball and track. He also was part of FSU’s 1999 national championship team.

Developing talent: Dugans has coached an NFL receiver at Louisville (DeVante Parker), South Florida (Rodney Adams) and Miami (Stacy Coley).

David Johnson Developing talent: Memphis walk-on tight end Anthony Miller evolved into a consensus All-American with 96 catches for 1,462 yards and an FBS-leading 18 touchdowns with Johnson in 2017.

Who he coached: Johnson coached running back Leonard Fournette and defensive back Tyrann Mathieu during his time at St. Augustine (La.) High as the school’s head coach.

Adam Fuller Stat to know: His defense, which featured five allconference performers, ranked 20th in FBS in 2019 with a team passing efficiency defense rating of 115.36 and ranked 25th in the nation with an average of 7.0 tackles for loss per game.

You have to start somewhere: Right out of graduation, Fuller landed a job at Worcester Polytechnic as the linebackers coach. He earned $2,500 that year.

Odell Haggins Stat to know: Haggins has consistently developed defensive linemen and 19 have been selected in the NFL draft. Derrick Nnadi, a third-round pick in 2018 by Kansas City, won Super Bowl LIV in early February.

Tenured professor: Haggins enters his 27th season as FSU’s assistant coach, the longest-tenured assistant coach at one school in the nation.

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John Papuchis Ready to take flight: Papuchis was just 34 when he took over Nebraska’s defense in 2012, the youngest solo defensive coordinator in the country.

Who he coached: At Nebraska, Papuchis coached backto-back Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year winners in Ndamukong Suh and Prince Amukamara.

Chris Marve Early acclaim: Marve has been named to the American Football Coaches’ Association’s 35 under 35 list (he just turned 31 on March 1, 2020).

Play it, coach it: Marve was a four-time All-SEC linebacker at Vanderbilt, where he accumulated 397 career tackles (top 10 on the school’s all-time list).

Marcus Woodson Consistent success: Woodson has coached an allconference defensive back at his last three FBS coaching stops: Auburn (Jeremiah Dinson), Memphis (T.J. Carter) and Fresno State (Derron Smith).

Stat to know: Memphis made 32 interceptions in 2016-17 and were one of only six teams nationally to grab at least 16 interceptions in those two seasons.

PHOTOS COURTESY FSU SPORTS INFORMATION

Bruce Warwick (Chief of Staff) Warwick helped guide the Rams’ move from St. Louis to Los Angeles. He led the operations related to the move as well as the logistical needs of players, coaches and front office staff. Warwick had a role in the construction of four operational team facilities and two business operation sites.

He has prior college experience at Tennessee, Duke, Clemson and Maryland as well as with the NFL’s Green Bay Packers.

Josh Storms (Director of Strength and Conditioning) Storms was Memphis’ director of athletic performance for four years. He is a Master Strength and Conditioning Coach, the highest honor given in the strength and conditioning coaches profession, by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCa).

Jeff Kupper (Director of Player Development and Operations) Kupper was director of operations at Memphis for 10 years.

He was responsible for team travel, camps, community service and coordination of practice schedules. Kupper worked at Columbia for five years, helping with football marketing, compliance, equipment, facility operations, quality control on game days and arranging staff and team travel.

Kenny Dillingham

Chris Thomsen

Alex Atkins

Ron Dugans

David Johnson

Adam Fuller

Odell Haggins

John Papuchis

Chris Marve

Marcus Woodson

Bruce Warwick

Josh Storms

Jeff Kupper

Carlos Locklyn

Carlos Locklyn (Director of High School Relations) Locklyn was Memphis director of high school relations in 2019 and previously was an offensive analyst at Mempjhis (2018).

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IN LESS THAN TWO MONTHS

NORVELL SIGNS TOP 20 CLASS

By PATRICK BURNHAM, Photos Courtesy FSU Sports Information

Quarterback The Seminoles needed to sign at least one quarterback for the 2020 class with only two scholarship quarterbacks, James Blackman and Jordan Travis, returning for next season. And coach Mike Norvell was able to sign both Chubba Purdy and Tate Rodemaker.

Purdy, from Gilbert (Ariz.) Perry High School, is 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds and was ranked as the 6th best dual-threat quarterback in the country by 247Sports. In his two years as a starter Purdy produced over 9,000 yards of total offense and accounted for 111 touchdowns. In both seasons he ran for over 1,000 yards.

Rodemaker is ranked as the 27th best pro-style quarterback, and he threw for over 6,800 yards and 74 touchdowns in his career at Valdosta (Ga.) High. Rodemaker also possesses a strong arm, makes quick decisions and is further along fundamentally than most quarterbacks at this stage in their development. He is also athletic enough to move around in the pocket and can make plays with his feet when he has to.

Rodemaker is already enrolled in classes and will take part in spring practice.

Running Back The Seminoles have only two returning scholarship running backs on their roster for next season in Khalan Laborn and Anthony Grant and have added four new running backs with the class of 2020. La’Damian Webb and Corey Wren signed with FSU and will join Jashaun Corbin, a transfer from Texas A&M, and Lawrance Toafili as the newest members of this position group. Webb was a JUCO All-American in 2019 at Jones (Miss.) Junior College, where he ran for over 900 yards.

Wren has elite speed and, like Webb, will be able to line up at both running back and slot receiver in a hybrid RB/WR role, which Norvell has mentioned being important to his offense. Toafili is a four-star recruit that is ranked as the 17th best running back in the nation. He ran for over 4,800 yards in high school, including three consecutive seasons where he ran for over 1,000 yards. Corbin is another versatile back who gained over 1,000 all-purpose yards in 14 games with the Aggies. He was also a kick returner for Texas A&M. Tight End This was another position where FSU needed to add some depth with Camren McDonald the only returning scholarship tight end, and the Seminoles added Carter Boatwright and Markeston Douglas. These were key signees for Norvell,

whose offense requires tight ends that need to be both good pass catchers and blockers in the run game.

Douglas, who is 6-6 and 250 pounds, is athletic and has potential but has only played one year of high school football and will need some time to develop. He is physical and has good hands from his experience as a basketball player. Norvell described Douglas as the biggest “steal” of this recruiting class.

Boatwright, 6-4 and 227 pounds, is already on campus, which will benefit his chances of contributing next fall greatly.

Offensive Line FSU added some physicality up front with the signing of Zane Herring (6-5, 300), Lloyd Willis (6-7, 310), Thomas Shrader (6-5, 283) and Robert Scott (6-5, 305). Herring and Shrader are already enrolled in classes at FSU. Willis is one of the most talented athletes of the 2020 class and is also a relative newcomer to the game of football, having only played two years in high school. He is a prospect that could end up being an all-conference performer if he lives up to his potential.

While Norvell and his staff did address the future with the signing of four freshmen up front it also added FIU graduate transfer Devontay Taylor. The 6-4 and 305-pound Trinity, Fla., native started 16 games for the Panthers and should battle for a starting position.

Wide Receiver Wide receiver should be a position of strength next year with the return of Tamorrion Terry for his redshirt junior season and the expected return of Keyshawn Helton from injury. FSU added four new receivers to the roster. Darion Williamson, 6-3 and 180 pounds, is an explosive athlete who could compete for playing time right away. He joins Bryan Robinson (6-1, 185), Ja’Khi Douglas (5-9, 187) and Kentron Poitier (6-3, 200). When you add these four signees with the versatility that Webb, Corbin and Wren bring with their ability to catch the ball out of the backfield or from the slot, FSU met its need at this position.

Defensive Ends & Defensive Tackles Norvell and defensive coordinator Adam Fuller have brought in four new players on the defensive front as the Seminoles transition back to a multiple 4-3 scheme. FSU became deeper at both interior spots with the change in scheme and most certainly with the unexpected announcement in December that Marvin Wilson would return for his senior season.

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Carter Boatwright

Jashaun Corbin

TJ Davis

Stephen Dix Jr.

Ja’Khi Douglas

DJ Lundy

Devontay Love-Taylor

Alex Mastromanno

Jayion McCluster

Kentron Poitier

The Seminoles signed Manny Rogers, who is 6-foot-5 and 320 pounds, in December and he looks to be the nose tackle of the future. Defensive line coach Odell Haggins called him the best defensive tackle prospect in the state following his signing. It looks like Louisville transfer Jarrett Jackson (6-6 and 281 pounds) can contribure early.

Jackson will be a redshirt sophomore this upcoming season and will help make the Seminoles very strong up front.

At defensive end the Seminoles added Josh Griffis (6-4 and 236 pounds) and TJ Davis (6-3 and 250 pounds). Griffis is a high-motor guy who enrolled early and is already impressing FSU coaches with his effort and toughness in FSU’s offseason conditioning program. Davis was a home-run find for the Seminoles late in the recruiting class. He is fast, physical and has big-time potential having played only his senior season of high school at defensive end after spending most of his prep days at linebacker.

Linebacker This is another position that got deeper with the move back to a 4-3.

Norvell and his staff have now added

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three very good linebacker prospects to the roster with the signing of DJ Lundy (6-1, 225 pounds), Stephen Dix, who is already enrolled for the spring semester, and Jayion McCluster. Lundy is fast, physical, has great feet and is an ideal MIKE linebacker prospect. He is a guy you know who will play with great leverage and toughness based on his success as one of the best high school wrestlers in Georgia. Dix has already made an impression on linebackers coach Chris Marve, who indicated that besides being gifted physically is mature beyond his years and could develop into one of the future leaders of FSU’s defense. McCluster is an instinctive playmaker who is fast and physical. All three linebackers should have a chance to compete for playing time on special teams if not compete to be a part of the two-deep roster this upcoming season.

Defensive Back The secondary should be a position of strength for the Seminoles this upcoming season. Norvell and his staff made it that much deeper with additions of cornerbacks Demorie Tate, and Sidney Williams and safety Jadarius GreenMcKnight. Tate (6-1 and 189 pounds)

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was one of the top cornerbacks in the country for 2020 and could compete for playing time right away as a player who could develop into a lockdown man-to-man corner. Green-McKnight is fast, extremely physical and is talented enough that he could compete for playing time at one of the safety spots despite FSU returning Hamsah Nasirildeen, Jaiden Lars-Woodbey, Brendan Gant, Raymond Woodie III, Akeem Dent and Travis Jay. If GreenMcKnight has the ability to compete for a spot on the two-deep at safety it could mean that Jay or Woodie, who are both gifted athletically, could move to one of the corner spots. Williams missed most of his senior season due to injury but was heavily recruited as an underclassman.

Punter FSU added Alex Mastromanno, who is from Melbourne, Australia.

Mastromanno has never played American football but competed in Australian Rules football, tennis and track and field. He was considered one of the rising stars at Brighton Grammar School in Melbourne, Australia.

For updates visit UnconqueredMagazine.com

Markeston Douglas

Jadarius GreenMcKnight

Josh Griffis

Zane Herring

Jarrett Jackson

Chubba Purdy

Bryan Robinson

Tate Rodemaker

Manny Rogers

Robert Scott Jr.

FSU’S 2020 FOOTBALL SIGNING CLASS Position Carter Boatwright* Jashaun Corbin* TJ Davis Stephen Dix Jr.* Ja’Khi Douglas* Markeston Douglas Jadarius Green-McKnight Josh Griffis* Zane Herring* Jarrett Jackson* DJ Lundy Devontay Love-Taylor* Alex Mastromanno* Jayion McCluster Kentron Poitier Chubba Purdy Bryan Robinson* Tate Rodemaker* Manny Rogers Robert Scott Jr. Thomas Shrader Demorie Tate Lawrance Toafili La’Damian Webb Sidney Williams Darion Williamson Corey Wren Lloyd Willis

TE RB DE LB WR TE DB DE OL DE LB OL P LB WR QB WR QB DT OL OL DB RB RB DB WR RB/ATH OL

Height

Weight

6-4 6-0 6-3 6-2 5-9 6-4 5-11 6-4 6-5 6-6 6-1 6-4 6-1 6-1 6-3 6-2 6-1 6-4 6-5 6-5 6-5 6-1 6-0 5-8 6-1 6-3 5-10 6-7

227 213 250 210 187 255 204 236 300 281 244 305 202 206 200 210 185 190 329 305 283 189 180 190 198 180 185 310

Hometown

Star-ranking

Moultrie, GA Rockledge, FL Metter, GA Orlando, FL Houma, LA Brownsville, TN Fort Myers, FL Starke, FL Madison, FL Riviera Beach, FL Ocilla, GA Trinity, FL Melbourne, Australia Largo, FL Miami, FL Gilbert, AZ Boynton Beach, FL Valdosta, GA Sewalls Point, FL Conway, AR Venice, FL Orlando, FL Pinellas Park, FL Opelika, AL Mobile, AL Humboldt, TN Harvey, LA Miami, FL

Three-star Transfer Three-star Four-star Four-star Three-star Four-star Three-star Three-star Transfer Three-star Transfer Two-star Three-star Three-star Four-star Four-star Three-star Three-star Three-star Three-star Four-star Three-star Four-star Three-star Three-star Three-star Three-star

*- Early enrollee SEMINOLE-BOOSTERS.COM

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Thomas Shrader

Demorie Tate

SEE WHERE OUR SIGNEES ARE FROM

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Lawrance Toafili

La’Damian Webb

Sidney Williams

Darion Williamson

Corey Wren

Lloyd Willis

SEMINOLE-BOOSTERS.COM

2020

Renaissance FLORIDA STATE IS

COMMITTED

TO RESTORING A HIGH ACHIEVING FOOTBALL PROGRAM.

YOU CAN HELP by renewing your annual fund pledge & football season tickets for 2020.

Thank You & Go Noles!

SeminoleBoosters.com (850) 644-1830

SPRING SPORTS SEASON GAVE US

REASONS TO SMILE

By BOB FERRANTE An unprecedented and abrupt ending.

The spring sports season was just beginning to bloom – and the fruits of an offseason of labor were evident.

A baseball team that made mistakes in the field but displayed quality pitching and took down No. 1 Florida in Gainesville. A softball program that knocked off No. 1 Alabama on back-to-back days on opening weekend. A men’s track and field program that surprised us with an ACC indoor title. A women’s tennis team that reached No. 2 nationally and came just a few points away from knocking off the No. 1 team. Individual titles on the golf course for John Pak. Whew. And we were just getting started.

The threat of COVID-19 shut everything down on the afternoon of March 12. No practices, no games.

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“We regret having to take this action, but we believe it is in the best interest of our student-athletes and fans,” said athletics director David Coburn, of preventative guidance by the conference and NCAA offices.

While the seasons ended far too quickly, we look forward to sports returning in the fall. And a proposal from the NCAA would allow for each athlete to earn a redshirt season for 2020, which would also pave the way for this year’s seniors to return in 2021.

Let’s take a look back at the highlights from FSU’s spring sports season: Baseball: The Seminoles went 12-5 as they blended a group of newcomers with veterans. And FSU played some of its best baseball on March 10 at Gainesville, playing error-free

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SPRING SPORTS

baseball as Antonio Velez (six innings) and Parker Messick (three innings) combined on a three-hitter in a 2-0 victory over No. 1 Florida. “Velez and Parker were outstanding,” FSU coach Mike Martin Jr. said.

We also enjoyed the return to the diamond of Dylan Simmons, a freshman pitcher / first baseman who diagnosed with lymphoma late in his senior year of high school.

Simmons underwent months of treatment and rehabilitation, was declared cancer-free in December and has worked his way into shape to fulfill his dream of playing baseball at FSU. In his first college at-bat, Simmons had a double. “The whole thing has been a roller coaster. It’s been fun and it’s been a heck of a journey,” Simmons said.

took third. “I truly thought we had no chance to win the men’s title after Day 1,” FSU coach Bob Braman said. “But then we dropped the best Day 2 in my career, and that gave us belief.” The Seminoles ran with it – all the way to the top spot on the podium.

Softball: FSU went 17-7 with wins over No. 1 Alabama and a narrow loss to No. 2 UCLA in Clearwater. The Seminoles also split with No. 19 Baylor, knocked off No. 21 Arkansas in a tournament at Fayetteville, Ark., and defeated No. 22 UCF in Orlando. Yes, there were losses but FSU’s schedule was loaded – 11 of the 28 games were against ranked teams. The Seminoles also set a school record with 22 runs scored in a Feb. 8 win over Detroit Mercy.

Women’s tennis: Coach Heather Hyde picked up her 300th victory in February. And there was a fun afternoon at the Scott Speicher Tennis Center as there was a rare 1 vs. 2 showdown. The No. 1 Tar Heels narrowly held off FSU to take a 4-3 victory.

Women’s track and field: Junior Ka’Tia Seymour won the ACC indoors 60-meter title in a Notre Dame facility record time of 7.17, moving into a share of No. 2 on the Noles’ alltime list. In the 200 final she broke her own FSU record, winning in 22.82 and breaking the ACC Championship and facility record. And as an encore Seymour anchored the 4×400 relay to a third-place finish, locking up her record third consecutive ACC Championship Track MVP. Women’s golf: Beatrice Wallin led the way with an average of 72 and also fired the best round (66) of the spring season. Amanda Doherty picked up a tournament victory in Guadalajara, Mexico, the first of the senior’s career. Doherty rallied from three strokes back with nine holes to play to record the victory. The women’s team also hosted its Seventh Annual Florida State Match-Up at Bay Point in Panama City, Fla., as a fundraiser for victims of Hurricane Michael.

Men’s tennis: Dwayne Hultquist grabbed his 350th win in February. The No. 25 Seminoles were building momentum with ACC wins over Clemson and Georgia Tech. FSU was clearly poised to make an 18th straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

Men’s golf: John Pak won at Mobile, Ala., and took the Seminole Intercollegiate title. His seven tournament titles are just one short of Nolan Henke’s program-record eight championships. Pak led the team with an average of 69.40 per round, while Jamie Li was just behind at 70.39.

FSU looked like it was in position for a 15th straight NCAA postseason appearance.

Men’s track and field: The FSU men pulled away with a resounding victory (by 31 points) over runner-up Virginia Tech to claim the Seminoles’ 13th ACC indoor track and field title. Trey Cunningham won an ACC record third straight title in the 60-meter hurdles, breaking his own meet record (7.60 seconds). Cunningham was followed by two more FSU hurdlers as Caleb Parker took second and Braxton Canady

Beach volleyball: FSU opened the season No. 2 (only behind No. 1 UCLA). The Seminoles played host to a large group of schools for a season-opening tournament and knocked off No. 9 Stetson and No. 16 TCU, No. 7 Cal Poly and No. 13 South Carolina. FSU then defeated No. 10 Grand Canyon and No. 17 South Carolina. FSU went 12-1 with its only loss to No. 4 Southern Cal.

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NICKLAUS HELPS FSU DEDICATE SEMINOLE LEGACY GOLF COURSE

By JERRY KUTZ, RETIRED SR. VICE PRESIDENT SEMINOLE BOOSTERS & CURRENT OWNER, PUBLISHER OF THEOSCEOLA.COM A crowd of 300 or more were seated in gold folding chairs facing the 18th green for the dedication of the Seminole Legacy Golf Course, designed by Jack Nicklaus and his son Jackie.

The moment was significant, historic for Florida State University and for the Nicklaus family who were seated in the audience.

Jack, who played golf at Ohio State, addressed the crowd wearing a golf cap with the Seminole logo on the front, the number 35 on the side and the words “Go Nicky” on the back, a reference to grandson Nick O’Leary, who played tight end on the Seminoles 2013 Championship team.

Afterwards, he addressed the media and spoke to the name Seminole Legacy Golf Club.

“Here at Florida State we have a great legacy coming here,” Jack said. “One of my sons (Steve) was here. Jackie has had three of his kids here. My son, who came earlier to play football here, he has a son here. And then of course I have my grandson (Nick O’Leay) who played football here. We have had a lot of people come here and have a pretty good legacy to start with so we might as well put it on the golf course.”

The word legacy has another meaning as well.

“We have started a new thing we are calling Legacy and this is the first one we have done,” said Jack, who has designed more than 300 courses, 50 to 60 of which have been codesigns with his son Jackie. “Legacy is basically passing the baton from me to my son to put what knowledge we have learned over time on this property.”

I had the chance to play the course on Friday thanks to an invitation from Steve Brown, a Seminole Booster donor and member. Diana Azor played in our foursome. She and husband Jorge made a leadership gift to the course, commemorated on the 17th tee box.

While the course is a redesign, Nicklaus did not scrape it flat and start over. He preserved almost every tree, re-routing fairways through openings. There are enough similarities to elicit memories for returning alumni.

“We treated it as a raw piece of property and re-did a golf course on it,” Nicklaus said.

“I think you are going to find it’s a good test of golf,” he said. “One of the two things I like to do with a golf course is to make it aesthetically pleasing. I think a lot of people really like to have some place that’s pretty but they also like to have something that has some good golf shots in it. If you have something that has good shots in it and is aesthetically pleasing, that’s a good combination.”

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Since the course will be home to the Seminole golf team, Nicklaus stretched it to challenge the low handicap players but put in a number of forward tee boxes, some from just 6,400 yards, to make the course playable for the rest of us. “(Men’s golf coach) Trey Jones said every golf course they make, the players make it a miniature golf course, so we put 7,800 yards in it,” Nicklaus said, “but you still make it so the average golfer can play it with different sets of tees and things.”

Carrying a 17 handicap, I qualify as an average golfer, so I was very happy to play all the way forward.

The course is scenic and very playable from tee to green.

The greens, which are a Nicklaus trademark, undulate and are just as challenging as advertised. While the greens are mostly guarded, Nicklaus did cut the non-collegiate golfers a break with some open faces.

“It is a strong golf course,” Jackie explained. “We don’t have a lot of forced carries. You can bounce it around and don’t have to be able to hit flop shots onto the greens.”

“The greens have a lot of jazz in them,” Jackie said, which based on pin placement should make every round interesting.

Better golfers than I say the course plays eight strokes more difficult than the old course from the back tees, and I believe it as you need binoculars to see the forward tees from the tips.

But degree of difficulty is not what Jackie wants golfers to be talking about after their round. His goal is for them to say, “Gosh, I can’t wait to play this course again.”

Mission accomplished, Jackie.

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QUARTERLY

MIKE MARTIN JR HONORS PAST, LOOKS TO FUTURE

By JIM CROSBY

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PHOTOS COURTESY FSU SPORTS INFORMATION

Editor’s note: This story was originally planned as a 2020 preview but has been revised to reflect how the Seminoles performed before the season was halted.

When the keys to the head baseball coach’s office at Florida State University were handed over to Mike Martin Jr., he accepted a responsibility that no other college coach in the country had ever assumed.

Mike Jr., or Meat as everyone calls him, was taking the reins from the coach who had won more games than any other coach in the history of college sports. Mike Martin Sr. stepped down after the 2019 season (his 40th) having won 2,029 games.

“A bunch of my buddies have said I’m crazy to go into a situation like this because it’s never going to be enough. The expectations are set,” Martin Jr. said while sitting behind the desk that was formerly occupied by his dad. Glancing out the window, in plain view on the huge video board with the words: Mike Martin Field.

The enormity of the task was one that Martin Jr. embraced from the start. And he was prepared with 22 years of on-the-jobtraining as an assistant coach. It was a role that included recruiting coordinator, hitting instructor and third base coach. As a former Seminole catcher, he also shared his knowledge with the catchers.

And don’t count on his team looking like a carbon copy of the ones before him, even though they were led by his dad, the man who had instilled a wealth of baseball knowledge in his life.

A man who should know about that is FSU baseball’s Director of Operations, Chip Baker, who begins his 37th year with Seminole Baseball. Baker, called the Big Shooter by everyone, watched Meat grow up and used to bang tennis balls around in the backyard with him as a kid. Asked if it will be different around the friendly confines now, without hesitating he answered: “Yes, it will be a lot different. Mike Martin Jr. is his own man. Always has been. Fatherson camaraderie can sometimes be father-son banging heads a little bit.”

Asked what he will do differently Meat had an immediate answer: “I really want to tackle the mental health side. I think there is a lot more to it than some coaches realize and put stock in. We want to have mandatory mental conditioning as far as being able to clear your mind when you are out on the field,” he said.

At his opening press conference, he elaborated: “We want them right mentally, physically, spiritually and socially.”

BASEBALL

As far as what he wants to preserve, Meat’s ready answer is: “Just the continuity. The way the guys are treated. People ask why 11 (the popular nickname for Martin Sr.) was able to do it so long and so well. I think it goes to being consistent in your personality. Guys wanting to be around you. We are not going to beat them up mentally. We are a positive coaching staff.”

A group that was a blend of veterans and newcomers had the expected ups and downs but was showing the progress that it was making before games were halted on March 12 due to the threat of COVID-19. FSU (12-5) often struggled in the field, but battled early as the Seminoles suffered one-run losses to a top-5 Texas Tech team at home. The Seminoles also built some momentum with a home victory over previously unbeaten Mercer before knocking off No. 1 Florida 2-0 on March 10.

Confidence is a big deal in athletics and there’s none bigger than taking down a rival and an unbeaten Gators squad on the road. A day later, FSU defeated Illinois State in what was the final game of the season. And on March 17, FSU and the ACC announced that all spring sports had been canceled.

It was a difficult ending for a season that saw so much potential. “It’s a shame but the safety and health of everyone is paramount,” Martin Jr. said.

When baseball resumes, there’s little doubt Martin Jr. will lean on his experience as well as relationships with players and coaches to lead the Seminoles again.

A Detour, An Appreciation For FSU Mike Martin Jr. didn’t start his college career at FSU or as a catcher either. In 1992, he was a skinny, 145-pound senior at Maclay School. He thought he wasn’t ready for FSU and says, “I wanted to get away from my family and small-town Tallahassee.”

He didn’t go to Manatee Junior College as a catcher. “I went down to junior college as a shortstop,” Martin Jr. recalled.

Then fate changed the course of his career and his life.

“Someone flunked out. Someone got hurt. The next thing you know we don’t have a catcher,” said Meat. “Then our coach, the late Tim Hill Sr., asked if anybody had done it. No one raised their hand. So he said, ‘Alright is anybody willing to do it.’ ” Meat raised his hand and they showed him how to put on all the “tools of ignorance” as they have been called. They turned into tools of wisdom for him as he won All-Conference Honors wearing them.

This also prompted The Big Shooter to tell 11, after FSU played a game against Manatee in the fall, “He can play here.”

The next year he was “here” because Meat had some new thoughts of his own: “I got down there about six months and I thought, ‘Man, I sure miss Tallahassee.’ All my buddies like Link Jarrett and Kevin McCray and a whole bunch of guys I basically grew up with were on TV playing (for FSU) and having a blast. I thought maybe I’m not as independent as I was thinking I was.

I want to get home and be with my home boys.”

Meat came home, won the starting catcher’s role and helped lead the Noles to the College World Series in his final two playing years (1993-94). Drafted in the 9th round by the

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San Diego Padres, he spent a few years in their minor league system before returning to FSU and becoming a member of the coaching staff in 1998.

Putting Stress On Pitchers As he looks at college baseball and ponders the way the game has changed Mike Martin Jr. has come to a major realization.

To continue and improve on the successes of the past they need to play faster.

The players like the new emphasis. Sophomore catcher Mat Nelson from Largo has been familiar with Florida State baseball for a long time. He started coming to Mike Martin baseball camps in 7th grade. He says: “It does feel different. Practices are a lot more upbeat, a lot more fast-paced. Meat wants to outplay the opponents by keeping the pace of the game faster.

Keep them on their toes. Give us the upper hand that we’ve been practicing for. Upbeat. Fast-paced.”

This extends to everything from taking the extra bases (scoring from first on a double) without (“playing stupid”) to the tempo on the mound. Meat explains: “Speed even applies to getting on and off the field. I think a lot of it is psychological.

It takes its toll. Makes them (opponents) feel like the other team is constantly coming at them.”

In putting a coaching staff together Meat said the first thing he did was call “the Colonel” (another name for Chip Baker) and make sure he was staying. Having that part solidified a large piece of the puzzle was then in place.

As Director of Baseball Operations Baker fills an invaluable role that takes a lot of weight off the head coach’s shoulders. He oversees all of the administrative aspects of Seminole baseball.

Having been around as long as he has prior to getting the job as head coach Martin Jr. has developed a list of helpful contacts in the business. This resulted in his being able to attract two elite assistant coaches who immediately fit right in to the Seminole system.

Mike Metcalf was hired as recruiting coordinator as well as an on-field coach. Meat says: “Mike Metcalf’s connections in the southeast are second to none.” Metcalf spent 11 years in the San Francisco Giants organization with six of those as an area scout in Florida. He also covered the southeast as a cross checker for five years during the time the Giants won three World Series titles.

Martin also hired Jimmy Belanger, a respected pitching coach from the University of Kentucky. “Jimmy is really good at what he does. The reason I know him is from back in the day when he was at Maryland and they were going to Super Regionals,” said Martin Jr. As Meat plans for the future of FSU baseball he has this promise for fans. “We are going to play an exciting brand of baseball,” Martin Jr. said. “Going be fun to watch. It’s going to be fast.”

There’s little doubt that the only program in college sports that has never had a single losing season has hired another winner in Mike Martin Jr.

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SHARING THE STORIES OF FLORIDA STATE COACHES AND STUDENT ATHLETES

UnconqueredMagazine.com

“At the end of the day we need every little piece working to win on the ball field. So it’s really cool that they care and they love us. The roof is super cool too. And to see us growing as a program and definitely the sport of softball is growing a lot as well.”

Sydney Sherrill, on the financial and fan support from FSU booster members

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SOFTBALL

SHERRILL FINDS A HOME - AND SUCCESS - ON THE DIAMOND WITH FSU

PHOTOS COURTESY FSU SPORTS INFORMATION

By BOB FERRANTE Sydney Sherrill was the top high school softball player in Oklahoma and the scholarship offers poured in from just about everywhere.

When it came time to pick a school, Sherrill fell in love with the concept of going farther from home. Oklahoma had a great softball program, but she began looking at a variety of schools, including Florida State.

Sherrill, while not wanting to be near home for four years, wanted a college that felt like home. FSU provided just that.

“The coaches really made me feel comfortable with going so far away from home and that was really what I was interested in doing,” Sherrill said.

“My parents were OK with me going here because they knew how culturedriven this program was and how they were making me a better person first and then player second. That was what they loved and what I love.”

Sherrill has found a home in Tallahassee, a second family with the FSU softball coaches and teammates as well as thousands of fans who cheer her on each home game. Considered the No. 5 player in the nation by Softball America, the junior third baseman is already among the top 10 on FSU’s alltime list for home runs and doubles while also helping the Seminoles win the 2018 Women’s College World Series. Yes, raising the trophy just a few minutes from her hometown of Moore, Okla.

It was there, more than a decade ago, where the swing work took place each afternoon. Sherrill returned home from school and the hitting instruction began. Her dad, Scott, began the lesson, setting up the tee, instructing and helping his daughter develop a smooth left-handed swing.

All of those hours in the yard

created a strong bond between father and daughter. And Sherrill gradually became one of Oklahoma’s top prep softball players.

“My dad basically developed me into the player I was,” Sherrill said. “I can just remember always working hard. Now I have the mindset that you will never be uncomfortable if you are prepared for it. I get up in the box and I can never look back and say, ‘Man, I wish I worked harder.’ It’s really awesome to say that now, because I know I’ve worked so hard. And so when I get up in that box, I can just clear my mind.”

Sherrill’s mind is clear and her swing is quick. She also is back at her natural position, third base. Arriving in Tallahassee, Sherrill knew that she would be starting elsewhere with All-American Jesse Warren at third.

Sherrill happily settled in at second and embraced it.

When Warren graduated, Sherrill went back to third and realized again how much she loved it.

“It kind of just came back naturally,” Sherrill said. “It’s almost easier for me to play there because it’s all reaction.

You don’t have to use your brain really for anything. It’s all reaction - going forward, making quick backhands and things like that. It’s really fun to just let your reflexes play.”

FSU coach Lonni Alameda thinks that Sherrill’s defensive play gets overlooked because of what she has done at the plate - Sherrill hit .370 in 2018 and .405 in 2019, cranking out 29 doubles as a freshman and 16 home runs as a sophomore. She could play second base, right field, catcher or pitch, Alameda said.

“She is a very skilled defensive player and a very smart defensive player,” Alameda said. “She makes some plays look so easy sometimes. She’s really

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done a good job of anchoring down a prideful position for us and a very impactful position, coming in and filling Jesse’s shoes and doing it Syd’s way. I think it’s been pretty special.”

Playing third base came naturally and, in some ways, so has being a leader. The soft-spoken Sherrill is more of the lead-by-example type and her work ethic has brushed off on younger players. Sherrill also has an innate ability to connect with teammates, building friendships that strengthen throughout a season and career.

Alameda has seen her leadership blossom in the last few years.

“The thing that Syd has, there’s just no cliques,” Alameda said. “She can resonate with everybody: older, younger, competitive, not competitive.

She’s just such an easy-going person.

When you connect with a lot of people it’s really easy for you to be a leader.

Because you could speak to everyone and everyone can speak to you.”

Sherrill’s leadership will help what is a young Seminoles roster, a blend of newcomers and veterans. FSU will have difficult series ahead with the likes of Florida, Louisville, Louisiana, Notre Dame and others.

But in many regards, Sherrill is prepared as the lessons go back to those post-school hitting sessions in Oklahoma. The swing may look natural, but it was grooved through hard work.

The fielding may look easy, but it was honed through practice. Being successful is about being prepared.

“He kind of just put that hard-work mentality into my head from day one,” Sherrill said of those backyard softball lessons from her dad. “And it’s been really cool to have it all show off now and I know he’s really proud, too.”

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PAK DOMINATING COLLEGE GOLF, LEAVING HIS MARK ON FSU

By PATRICK BURNHAM In what has been an impressive winter and spring sports season – from success on the basketball court to the baseball and softball diamond to the tennis courts – it’s possible the most impressive feat taking place in FSU athletics this spring is quietly happening on the southwest corner of campus at the newly renovated Seminole Legacy Golf Club. That’s where junior John Pak is quickly making his way to becoming the most decorated golfer at a program that is steeped in tradition.

In late February, Pak secured his second straight individual title in as many tournaments by shooting 11-under in his three rounds to win the FSU’s Seminole Intercollegiate

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tournament by five strokes. It was the seventh individual title of his career and that places him second in FSU men’s golf history, trailing only Nolan Henke who won eight individual titles from 1985-1987.

Pak was the ninth ranked collegiate golfer in Division I History, according to GolfStats.com, prior to his win in the Seminole Intercollegiate, this weekend.

“John is extremely dedicated,” said head coach Trey Jones. “He is focused on what he does. I would say he doesn’t waste any days when he is here, so that’s an amazing thing.”

Despite all his success, accolades and what looks to be a very bright future as a professional golfer, Pak

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seems very grounded and doesn’t have plans to leave the Seminoles anytime soon despite the fame and fortune that will come with a career on the PGA Tour.

Pak spoke with Unconquered about how he ended up a Seminole, his success at FSU on and off the course and his plans for the future.

“I wanted to go to a bigger school and a school with a dominant athletic program, and you can definitely see that in the football program and the basketball program,” said Pak. “All the other programs here are so strong and that really drove me to come here.”

He also gives Jones credit for landing in Tallahassee while being heavily recruited as a junior golfer,

PHOTOS BY ROSS OBLEY

GOLF

where he ranked 15th in the nation and was a Rolex Junior All-American.

While listed as a native of New Jersey, Pak finished his Junior Golf career and last three years of high school here in the Sunshine State.

“I was actually in Orlando my last three years of high school,” said Pak. “So, my coach told me to visit four schools in Florida and four schools out of state and I really liked Coach Jones. He was always looking out for the best for me even when I was a recruit. That’s definitely what drove me to come here.”

The two-time All-American is aware of a group of predecessors that includes former All-Americans Brooks Koepka, Jonas Blixt, Daniel Berger, Nolan Henke and Hubert Green, all of whom moved on to have outstanding professional careers.

“It definitely feels special,” answered Pak about where he fits into FSU’s rich golf heritage. “To carry on their legacies here, that’s always been my main focus. It’s definitely something very special to me.”

He says that he feels the influence of Blixt, Koepka, Berger and other golfers, who have played for Jones.

“Not from them personally but from what coach has told me,” said Pak when asked if Blixt or Koepka have helped him with his game. “Like what they thought, their thought process on the golf course. That has definitely been helpful to me.”

“He is the most accurate golfer that I have ever seen, not coached, but seen,” said Jones of his latest star pupil, who include Koepka, Blixt and Berger to name a few. “I would put him up there with Jeff Sluman or someone of that nature. It’s just unbelievable how straight he hits a golf ball.”

Pak has had a chance to interact with Blixt and Koepka, though.

“I did a radio show with Jonas one time, which was really cool,” said Pak. “I’ve met Brooks in person. Both really cool and great guys. I enjoyed meeting and talking to them.”

While his favorite place to be oncampus may be the golf course, Pak

is enjoying the FSU experience as a student as well as an athlete.

“I like being on-campus, I like meeting new people,” said Pak, “You know, there are 45,000 students here and there are a lot of great people you get to meet here.”

Pak also credits being a studentathlete for his maturation on and off the course.

“Just growing up,” said Pak of the influence attending FSU has had on his personal growth. “I pay my rent.

I do my own laundry, cook my own food. You don’t really do that back in high school. I have definitely found a new level of maturity in college.”

“He is the most accurate golfer that I have ever seen, not coached, but seen. I would put him up there with Jeff Sluman or someone of that nature. It’s just unbelievable how straight he hits a golf ball.”

Coach Jones of his latest star pupil He says that the biggest influences since arriving to campus have been that of his teammates both past and present.

“All of my teammates are a great influence on me, especially the guys that graduated last,” continued Pak. “They have definitely been a great influence on me, on how to manage my time and how to become a better golfer and a better person.”

Despite the emphasis put on individual performance in golf, Pak says it’s a team accomplishment that stands out as his favorite achievement on the course at FSU. “I think it’s definitely the (2018) ACC Championship,” said Pak. “That final round, we were a couple of shots down, but that’s definitely the one.”

Off the course Pak is proudest of the relationships he is building across campus with his fellow students.

SEMINOLE-BOOSTERS.COM

“I guess I am proud of the relationships I’ve made in school,” said Pak, whose favorite place to spend time away from campus with his teammates is Gordo’s Cuban Cuisine on Pensacola Street. “I’ve met a lot of really great people that I know can help me in the future.”

Pak is also a fan of the changes FSU has made in its renovations to the Seminole Legacy golf course, having had several opportunities to play it before its official re-opening to the public in March.

“It’s a really, really good golf course,” said Pak. “They made it longer, challenging. I think the toughness of the golf course is what I like. It offers a different challenge every single day.”

Pak said his favorite hole on the redesigned course is the Par-3 5th hole, where he has made a hole-inone. But he does think there are three holes golfers should be prepared for when they come out to play the new course.

“Ten, 12 and 18 are really tough holes,” said Pak. The good news for Seminole fans that haven’t had a chance to see Pak in action is that he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. He wants to enjoy all four years of the college experience and he has no plans of turning pro before his college eligibility is up.

“I am coming back for my senior year,” said Pak quickly when asked if he is considering turning pro given his dominance at the college level. “I haven’t discussed that with anybody.

I’ve always just wanted to stay here for four years. It’s never really been in my head, leaving early. I love it here.”

With Pak’s decision to return for his senior season next year he is on pace to leave as the most decorated men’s golfer in Seminole history while enjoying and appreciating what his FSU experience is teaching him off the course as well.

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Bricks &Brass www.BricksandBrass850.com

850 422 0071

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BUSINESS SUIT OPTIONAL. WAR PAINT REQUIRED.

Enjoy our unique amenities and award-winning hospitality.

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- Free parking - Free Wi-Fi - 24-Hour fitness center

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- Resort-style pool - Breakfast, lunch and dinner served daily

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This season protect yourself from Mayhem with Allstate.

Š 2019 Allstate Insurance Co.

HAPPENINGS ON MADISON

IN COLLEGETOWN

Several events throughout the semester were planned, however due to the COVID-19 heath crisis the district cancelled all events through May 9, 2020. Please visit Facebook.com/ FSUCollegeTown for more information.

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COLLEGETOWN

HOST YOUR NEXT EVENT ON MADISON!

If you have not yet considered hosting an event on Madison, let us show you why you should. Contact the Director of Events & Marketing, Erin Cramer, to book now! erin@fsucollegetown.net

VENUE SPOTLIGHTS:

THE GATHERING Situated between downtown and just steps from Doak Campbell Stadium, The Gathering combines a sophisticated industrial setting with true southern hospitality. It’s a full-service venue equipped with tables, chairs, linens integrated audiovisual, WiFi and more.

INTRODUCING FITNESS ON MADISON

FREE WEEKLY FITNESS CLASSES ON MADISON IN THE COLLEGETOWN DISTRICT! Tallahassee’s premier entertainment district, FSU CollegeTown, is excited to announce the launch of Fitness on Madison, a series of free weekly workout classes taught by Pure Barre Tallahassee, Modern Fitness and Journeys in Yoga on Madison Street.

Rotating each week, a different hour-long class will be taught on Sundays at 11:00 a.m. by one of these local fitness boutiques within the CollegeTown district, bringing the fit life to Madison Street. As an added bonus, participants will receive fun perks and discounts from select CollegeTown merchants.

The Spring 2020 class schedule is as follows: February 9 - Modern Fitness February 16 - Pure Barre February 23 - Journeys in Yoga March 1 - Modern Fitness March 8 - Journeys in Yoga March 29 - Pure Barre April 5 - Modern Fitness April 19 - Pure Barre April 26 - Journeys in Yoga

51 ON MADISON 51 on Madison is a private club for Seminole Booster Members and a unique culinary experience that pushes the boundaries yet always remains true to its deep Tallahassee roots. Nestled in the heart of CollegeTown, it’s a vibrant collision of unparalleled game weekend activation, year-round community fellowship networking, best-in-class meeting space and compelling food and beverage offerings.

The classes are free to everyone, but space is limited.

Participants must sign up for classes beforehand through the fitness studio’s website or mobile app.

Please visit the CollegeTown Facebook page, www.facebook. com/FSUCollegeTown/, for more information, class locations and updates.

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NEWEST ’NOLES

We proudly welcome the newest members of our Seminole Booster Family

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

A) Andrew and Melissa La Marca, a son, Dominic La Marca, born October 18, 2019. B) Zach and Emily Kramer, a son, Murphy Kramer, born October 25, 2019. C) Daniel and Michelle Wilkie, a son, Vance Nolen Wilkie, born September 28, 2019. D) Kyle and Imalah Cothran, a son, Matthias Aaron Cochran, born September 12, 2019. E) TJ & Jackie Thornberry, a daughter, Maecyn Grace Thornberry, born September 10, 2019. F) Benjamin and LaChelle Browning welcome son, Camden Browning born November 3, 2019. G) Ryan and Ansley Boyd Haskins, a son, Houston Boyd Haskins, born December 18, 2019. H) Lindsay Carter and Jason Jernigan, a son, Carter Reese Jernigan, born November 6, 2019. I) JP and Courtney Sinclair, a son, John Paul Sinclair, IV, born January 17, 2020.

J) Glenn and Erin Saunders, a daughter, Lochlyn Parker Saunders, born August 8, 2019. K) Richard and Courtney (McClow) Gills, a daughter, Hazel Brooke Gills, born September 10, 2019.

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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ETERNAL FLAME

REMEMBERING OUR

FELLOW SEMINOLES David K. Custis Tallahassee, FL

Pace A. Allen, Sr. Tallahassee, FL 1959

REMEMBERING OUR Nicholas C. DiLuzio Attapulgus, GA 1981

Charles Alley Waynesville, NC 1976

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.

Thomas E. Lewis Tallahassee, FL 2007

Lomax Smith Tallahassee, FL

FELLOW SEMINOLES Monheim Manassa Tallahassee, FL

Jim Spooner Lewisville, TX 1976

PaulFlorida Strait State Jr. Daleso W. much Doss in so many Edwin Alumni and friends have contributed ways R. toMarshall, demonstrate their love for Tallahassee, FL Apex, NC Tallahassee, FL John Beranek Athletics.

Their contributions and dedication have helped create an elite athletic program that1970 shines among 1959 1958 Tallahassee, FL the brightest in the nation. We are thankful for their generosity, dedication and Seminole spirit.

1961 Peter Dunn-Rankin Honolulu, HI 1965 Golf, Swimming

Ronald W. Brooks Saint Marks, FL 1970

Lee A. Everhart Tallahassee, FL

Oberley A. Brown Tallahassee, FL 1944

Peter Harris Tallahassee, FL 1990

Bobby Byrd Clearwater, FL 1962 Dwight Chastain Tallahassee, FL Franklin A. Collinsworth Havana, FL Carolyn Coward Tallahassee, FL

Teresa K. Trammell New Orleans, LA 1967

Michael V. Morton Tallahassee, FL 1964

Thomas W. Traxler Tallahassee, FL

Elizabeth P. Nix Tallahassee, FL

Michael J. Visconti Michael J. Visconti Charlotte A. Williams Tallahassee, FL 1979

Hadley H. Hasemeier Tallahassee, FL

Jimmy Patronis, Sr. Panama City, FL 1953

Sandra R. Henderson Tallahassee, FL

William E. Powers Jr. Tallahassee, FL

Janet Wilson Fort Myers, FL 1990

Jeffrey L. Jansen Jacksonville, FL 1971

Ronald E. Prater Panama City Beach, FL

Janet L. Wilson Tallahassee, FL

Michael L. Schneider Tallahassee, FL

Ronald P. Yarbrough Tallahassee, FL 1965

Robert A. Johnston Fort Wayne, IN 1996

Derek Cowart Boston, GA

Dr. William Miller Tallahassee, FL 1986

Harold A. Smith Tallahassee, FL

Lomax Smith

Lomax Smith was born in Bellwood, Alabama in 1942, to Herman and Evelyn Smith. As a teen growing up in Panama City, Florida, he decided to join the United States Airforce at age 18. Lomax served as a medic for four years. In 1967, he moved his family to Tallahassee, where they put down roots and established a successful real-estate development company (West Florida Construction). He never shied away from caring for his family, friends and anyone needing a helping hand. Lomax was an avid supporter of Florida State University Athletics. His passion and support for FSU sports fueled his desire to become a Seminole Booster in 1969. Lomax was a Golden Chief for many years and became Chairman of the Board of the Seminole Boosters in the mid 1980’s. He was honored and excited to have the opportunity to build the original Sky Box at Doak Campbell Stadium. He was also a member of the Rotary Club, Florida Contractor’s Association and a founding member of the Governor’s Club in Tallahassee. Quoting from a commemorative achievement award given to Lomax, from Florida State University Seminole Boosters, are the perfect words which reads: “The final test of a leader, is that he leaves behind him in other men the conviction and the will to carry on” …. (Walter Lippmann)

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Pretty. Unexpected.

Our Beauty Sets The Stage, Our Events Steal The Show.

From vibrant festivals and live performances with talented artists to award-winning craft breweries, restaurants and over 700 miles of trails, Florida's Capital City surprises in all the best ways.

UNIQUELY TALLAHASSEE FOR 26 YEARS. Enjoy a locally sourced brunch, ice cream creations and hand-made hard candies.

LoftyPursuits.com

BREWING GREAT LOCAL BEER IN TALLAHASSEE'S NORTHEAST. A scenic drive along canopy roads brings you to our tasting room where you can sample our 15 rotating brews and delicious local food trucks.

DeepBrewing.com

VisitTallahassee.com

CHAIN OF PARKS ART FESTIVAL CELEBRATES 20 YEARS. Experience one of the nation's top five art festivals, complete with live music and delicious food, under the oaks in Tallahassee's downtown Chain of Parks on April 18-19, 2020!

ChainOfParks.com

IRA’s & THE SECURE ACT: WHAT IT IS AND HOW IT COULD IMPACT YOU

By MIKE DASHER, SR. VICE PRESIDENT OF DEVELOPMENT, SEMINOLE BOOSTERS INC.

2. No age limit on traditional IRA contributions for working IRA owners.

There is no longer an age limit on contributing to a traditional IRA for IRA owners who continue to work beyond age 70 ½.

From a charitable planning perspective it is important to know that deductible amounts that an IRA owner contributes after reaching age 70 ½ will reduce, dollar for dollar, the amount of a QCD that can be excluded from the donor’s income.

On January 1, 2020, a new law went into effect known as the SECURE Act, “Setting Every Community Up for Retirement

3. “Stretch” IRA eliminated for most non-

Enhancement” Act. The Secure Act has a wide range of

spouses.

impacts from individual income, estate, financial, retirement planning and charitable planning. If you are over 70 ½ years

When a deceased owner’s IRA is inherited by non-spouse

old, and have an IRA account, you need to know how this

who is more than 10 years younger than the deceased, no

legislation impacts you. This article will highlight a few

longer can the new owner “stretch out” distributions over his

things to be aware of but as always, speak to your financial

or her life expectancy. The new owner must now empty the

professionals about how this personally impacts you and

inherited IRA within 10 years. However, there are no longer

your family.

any more annual required distributions, the owner can take distributions any way they want to as long as they withdraw

1.RMD

(Required

Minimum

Distribution)

starting age increased from 70 ½ to 72.

all funds within 10 years.

From a charitable planning perspective it is important to

The age at which the owner of an IRA must start taking

know that the elimination of the “stretch” IRA creates even

RMD’s has increased from 70 ½ to 72.

more incentive for the charitably inclined to designate what’s left in their IRA to one or more charities and to use

From a charitable planning perspective it is important to

other funds to benefit their heirs. This will avoid all income

know that the minimum age for making a qualified charitable

tax on the IRA funds because charities are tax-exempt and

distribution (QCD), or what is widely known as a charitable

provide heirs with funds on which they will not need to pay

IRA rollover, remains 70 ½.

income tax.

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If you have further questions how these changes may impact your charitable giving or wish to discuss a charitable gift plan for Seminole Boosters, please give me a call at 850-644-9674 and I would be happy to visit with you.

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COMPLIANCE

FSU Compliance Jumble Unscramble the words to complete the tips regarding NCAA rules and regulations. Then, take the circled letters and unscramble them to complete the final tip from the FSU Compliance Team!

SORBESTO

ASFN

1. FSU is responsible for the actions of

, season ticket holders and

XTTE

2. Do not call,

, tweet, meet or greet recruits.

NYMEO

3. Never arrange or give friends/families.

ITERSRCU

or gifts to

, student-athletes, or their

ERUSL

4. Breaking NCAA to compete.

LEGIEBINLI

can render recruits and student-athletes SETCKTI

5. Never purchase

, clothing, equipment or awards from student-athletes.

IFECFO

6. The Compliance educates the various stakeholders of FSU and the community regarding NCAA and ACC regulations.

OTNRPTAISRATNO

7. Never loan your car or provide their friends/family.

to recruits, student-athletes or

ACOLSCIONA

8. An meal may be provided to a student-athlete by a booster if approved by the Compliance staff in advance, and is held at a dining facility on FSU’s campus or the booster’s home.

UTDSIOCNDE

TDEPMTRIE

9. Free or items/services to student-athletes are not unless available to the general public.

EGINYTRTI

10. To help protect our student-athletes and the

of FSU –______________________

!

Always If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the FSU Compliance Team: Office Phone: 850/644-4272

Email: Ath-compliance@admin.fsu.edu

Twitter: @FSUCompliance

1. Boosters, Fans 2. Text 3. Money, Recruits 4. Rules, Ineligible 5. Tickets 6. Office 7. Transportation 8. Occasional 9. Discounted, Permitted 10. Integrity – ASK BEFORE YOU ACT SEMINOLE-BOOSTERS.COM

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