The Daily Nole

47 Days Until FSU Football: The First Season In FSU Football (Sort of)

Photo Courtesy of NoleFan.org

There are 47 days until Florida State football begins the 2018 season at Doak Campbell Stadium. As part of the offseason, we’re highlighting players, games, and specific moments from FSU football history.

On Tuesday, it was former tight end Nick O’Leary catching 48 passes during his 2014 season that won him the John Mackey Award as the nation’s top tight end.

Today, it’s the first ever FSU football season in 1947.

Without the 1947 football team, this website would not even exist. Though we feel compelled to add some qualifications to the title of “First FSU Football Team Ever”.

There actually was a football team at Florida State College, which was the forerunner of Florida State University. They competed from 1902 to 1904 in the early days of football itself. The “Florida State College Eleven” went 7-6-1 in three seasons before the Florida legislature passed the Buckman Act, which reorganized the state university system into three distinct college for white men, white women, and African-Americans.

Florida State College became Florida Female College, so the football team ceased to exist until 1947 when another bill was passed that reopened the college to coeducational status.

With the blessing of President Doak S. Campbell, football returned to the university (along with other varsity sports). The 1947 team was led by athletic director Ed Williamson, who formerly served as the athletic director for the Tallahassee branch of the University of Florida.

A triumphant return it was not. FSU went 0-5 versus Stetson, Cumberland, Tennessee Tech, Troy State, and Jacksonville State. The team failed to score more than six points in any contest. The leading offensive player seems to be fullback Ken MacLean, who combined for…150 total yards.

But not all was negative. The 1947 team established two well-known precedents for the future of the athletic program. First, it decided to stick with the original garnet and gold colors of its predecessor school. Second, they became known as the Seminoles by the second game against Cumberland. Two of the most distinctive elements of FSU sports both started with the 1947 team, even if the winning did not.

If one ever has the time to do so, it’s fun to just go through the archives and game recaps to read how they covered sports back in the 40s. They use interesting terminology for basic plays, and they give funny descriptions like “chunky fullback” and “porkpelt” (football).

Florida State would make a quick turnaround the next year when Don Veller assumed head coaching duties. Yet despite its struggles, the 1947 team holds a special place in FSU history. They weren’t good and they certainly didn’t set the college football world ablaze.

But they were the first team to ever take the field for the modern FSU. That definitely means something.

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