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FLORIDA STATE: CHIEF OSCEOLA DECLARES WAR
Perhaps the most exhilarating pregame ceremony in college football takes place at FSU home games
when the school's mascot stirs the passions of Seminole fans as they prepare for their opponent's
massacre. This frenzied moment includes a battle dressed Chief Osceola racing on to the field on an
appaloosa horse named Renegade. The intensity builds to a climax when the chief heaves a flaming
lance at midfield just prior to the opening kickoff. Perhaps fittingly this tradition was introduced just
before a 1978 game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
Former FSU assistant coach and regional sports radio host, Max Howell, describes this exciting moment,
"If you're out there and you don't get chill bumps, you're a dead man," he said. "That tradition is the most
unreal that I've ever been around. It's unbelievable."
Opposing players that visit Doak Campbell Stadium often gain quite an impression from the pregame
buildup as well. Former University of Tulsa quarterback Richie Stephenson still vividly remembers being
shocked prior to his team’s 1985 kickoff against the Seminoles. "It's the closest I've ever come to
having a heart attack. We'd just won the coin toss and our offensive team was huddled on the field near
the sideline. Suddenly the guy across from me eyes get as big as basketballs, Stephenson exclaimed.
"I turn around to see what's going on and this huge horse with a screaming Indian riding it, is running
straight at me and is nearly on top of me. The crowd's roaring and the Indian is holding a flaming
spear." Pausing to laugh, Stephenson added, "I almost dropped to my knees. I thought I was dead."
Perhaps the most exhilarating pregame ceremony in college football takes place at FSU home games
when the school's mascot stirs the passions of Seminole fans as they prepare for their opponent's
massacre. This frenzied moment includes a battle dressed Chief Osceola racing on to the field on an
appaloosa horse named Renegade. The intensity builds to a climax when the chief heaves a flaming
lance at midfield just prior to the opening kickoff. Perhaps fittingly this tradition was introduced just
before a 1978 game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
Former FSU assistant coach and regional sports radio host, Max Howell, describes this exciting moment,
"If you're out there and you don't get chill bumps, you're a dead man," he said. "That tradition is the most
unreal that I've ever been around. It's unbelievable."
Opposing players that visit Doak Campbell Stadium often gain quite an impression from the pregame
buildup as well. Former University of Tulsa quarterback Richie Stephenson still vividly remembers being
shocked prior to his team’s 1985 kickoff against the Seminoles. "It's the closest I've ever come to
having a heart attack. We'd just won the coin toss and our offensive team was huddled on the field near
the sideline. Suddenly the guy across from me eyes get as big as basketballs, Stephenson exclaimed.
"I turn around to see what's going on and this huge horse with a screaming Indian riding it, is running
straight at me and is nearly on top of me. The crowd's roaring and the Indian is holding a flaming
spear." Pausing to laugh, Stephenson added, "I almost dropped to my knees. I thought I was dead."
| Chief Osceola carries on the proud Seminole tradition and takes school spirit to new levels |
The FSU Seminole war chant has echoed throughout many collegiate stadiums since its refinement in the
early 80's. The intimidating and sometimes deafening cheer was first started by the school's band, the
Marching Chiefs.
An added dimension of a chopping motion was developed by the FSU fans and included a repetitious bend
at the elbow. This Seminole cheer grew into a national phenomenon when Atlanta Braves fans
transformed it into the tomahawk chop during the 1991 playoffs and World Series.
