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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.