There are 19 days left until Florida State football starts the 2018 season. As part of the offseason, we’re highlighting players, games, and specific moments from FSU football history.
Today, it’s former FSU defensive end Peter Boulware and his school-record and nation-leading 19 sacks as a redshirt junior in 1996.
With a defensive front that included Andre Wadsworth, Reinard Wilson and Boulware, the FSU pass rush was nothing short of relentless. Wadsworth would later go to be selected third overall in the NFL Draft in 1998 — the highest any FSU player had gone to that point — while Wilson left Tallahassee with the career sacks record. The single-season sack record however, would belong to Boulware.
With the ability to rush with speed or power, Boulware led the ACC in sacks with 10 in 1995. His senior campaign could not have gotten off to a better start as Boulware needed just six games to eclipse that total.
Boulware recorded multiple sacks in six of the Seminoles’ 11 regular season games and in seven of 12 total games when the Sugar Bowl is included. In wins over North Carolina, Virginia and Southern Mississippi — all ranked opponents — Boulware recorded three sacks in each contest.
Throughout the course of the season, Boulware recorded 68 total tackles, 20 for loss and the aforementioned 19 sacks en route to being named a Consensus All-American. The plus side for Boulware that season was that the rest of the defensive line was so good that it was hard to double team an individual. The downside is Boulware had to race his teammates to the passer.
As a team that season, Florida State recorded 67 total sacks. Boulware’s 19 accounted for 28 percent. FSU finished the season 11-1 with a No. 3 national ranking.
Despite starting just 12 games throughout the course of his FSU career, Boulware left FSU as the school’s all-time leader in sacks with 34. That record would last just a year, but to this day, only Wilson’s 35.5 is more in Florida State history.
Boulware would go on to be selected fourth in the 1997 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens, with whom he would spend nine years. Boulware was the 1997 Defensive Rookie of the Year and went on to make three Pro Bowls. He was also an integral part of Baltimore’s 2000 Super Bowl defense, which many claim is the best in league history.
Boulware’s younger brother, Michael, would be a 3-year starter at linebacker for the Seminoles from 2001-03. In 2004, Peter Boulware was inducted into the FSU Hall of Fame.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole and former editor of Noled Out. Mike has more than seven years experience as a sports writer including the last four in print and online media. Mike graduated from Florida State University in 2009 with a Bachelors in Religion and a minor in Communications. Mike provided press coverage of Florida State's run to the 2013 BCS National Championship. Mike is also a news reporter at Polk County's newspaper, The Ledger in Lakeland, Florida. and contributes to Athlon Sports and ACCSports.com. Mike has been featured on sites as prominent as Yahoo Sports, FoxSports.com, Associated Press and the front page of SI.com while interviewing athletes as high profile as 2013 National League MVP, Andrew McCutchen. Email Mike at Mike@TheDailyNole.com. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson.
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