The remaining days until Florida State football’s return has reached double digits. We stand just 99 sunsets away from the anticipated Sept. 3 contest against the Virginia Tech Hokies. As part of the offseason, we’re doing a countdown that highlights players, games, and specific moments from FSU football history.
On Saturday, it was Kermit Whitfield’s 100-yard return kickoff return. Now, it’s Florida State’s 1999 national championship season, where the Seminoles became the first team to ever go wire-to-wire as No. 1 in the polls.
The Seminoles concluded the prior 1998 season with a loss to Tennessee in the Fiesta Bowl for the inaugural BCS national championship. They returned nearly everybody, including star wide receiver Peter Warrick and eventual Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Chris Weinke. Other notable names include wide receiver Ron Dugans, running back Travis Minor, defensive tackle Corey Simon, kicker Sebastian Janikowski, and defensive end Jamal Reynolds. The preseason polls unanimously ranked Florida State as the No. 1 team in the nation.
FSU lived up to the hype. 12 straight victories later, Florida State raised the crystal ball as the undisputed national champion. The Seminoles defeated four ranked teams in the regular season and averaged over 38 points per game with the dynamic Warrick-Weinke duo leading the way.
The season began with an easy 41-7 win over Louisiana Tech, but had its trials and tribulations along the way. Warrick was suspended for two games in an infamous incident in which he and the later dismissed Laveranues Coles took heavily discounted merchandise from a Tallahassee Dillard’s. FSU also had to mount second-half road comebacks against rivals Clemson and Florida.
Seven of the 12 contests ended with a 20-point margin of victory. It was head coach Bobby Bowden’s second national title within the decade, solidifying the “dynasty” label for the decade of the 1990’s.
Who did the Seminoles defeat for the 1999 national title? None other than…the Michael Vick-led Virginia Tech Hokies in the Sugar Bowl by a 46-29 score.
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