On My Mind Monday: Which FSU Program Has Won the Most Consecutive Conference Championships?

Florida State beach volleyball’s return trip to the NCAA Championships was never in doubt. The Seminoles capped off a fourth straight CCSA Tournament championship on Easter Sunday with a 3-0 victory over then tournament’s No. 2 seed, LSU.

FSU was awarded the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Championships in Gulf Shores, Alabama on Sunday. The Seminoles will open things on Friday against sixth-seeded Cal-Poly.

Whether FSU can reach the national title match for a third time in four years or ultimately break through and win its first national title remains to be seen, but four straight conference crowns is impressive nonetheless. In fact, it got one thinking about which FSU programs have won the most consecutive conference championships:

Men’s Outdoor Track and Field (15)
Conference: Metro
Years: 1977-91
Overview: Florida State’s men’s track and field team won the Metro Collegiate Athletic Conference’s outdoor championship from the late 1970s until ultimately leaving the conference for the ACC. The Seminoles weren’t able to capture a national championship during that run, but had plenty of notable names including pole vaulter Jeff Bray, discus national champion Brad Cooper, indoor national champion Walter McCoy, national champion sprinter Mike Roberson and some other names that FSU fans will recognize like Deion Sanders, Terrell Buckley, Greg Allen, Bobby Butler, Barry Smith, Sammie Smith and Rohn Stark.

Men’s Golf (10)*
Conference: Metro
Years: 1977-82, 1984-87
Overview: This one gets an asterisk, because Florida State’s men’s golf team won 10 straight Metro Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournaments, but not in 10 straight years. The Seminoles won six straight titles from 1977 through 1982 and four straight from 1984 to 1987, but they were not consecutive, since FSU did not participate in 1983. Over that stretch, FSU had the individual conference champion on nine occasions, including 2-time winner Jeremy Robinson in 1985 and 1986. The most familiar name for golf fans is Paul Azinger, who claimed the 1981 Metro title.

Football (9)
Conference: ACC
Years: 1992-2000
Overview: Florida State football had finished in the top 5 in five straight seasons upon joining the ACC and proceeded to win the conference in each of its first nine years as a member. Over that span, FSU went an ungodly 70-2 in conference play and did not lose a single home game — conference or otherwise. The Seminoles won a pair of national championships over that stretch and played for three more. Quarterbacks Charlie Ward and Chris Weinke became the first two Heisman Trophy winners for the program during that run to go a long with countless other All-Americans such as Warrick Dunn, Peter Warrick, Clay Shiver, Peter Boulware, Marvin Jones, Clifton Abraham and Sebastian Janikowski.

Men’s Indoor Track and Field (8)
Conference: ACC
Years: 2003-10
Overview: While it pales in comparison numbers-wise to what the outdoor team did to close its stay in the Metro, Florida State’s men’s indoor track and field team took eight straight ACC crowns from 2003 to 2010. The Seminoles were unable to capture a team national title over those eight years, but had a number of individual national champions, including sprinter Walter Dix, who won back-to-back titles in the 200 meters in 2006 and 2007. While Dix was winning national championships in the 200 meters, Rhodes scholar Garrett Johnson claimed the 2006 title in the shot put and Ricardo Chambers was national champion in the 400 meters in 2007. In 2008, Gonzalo Barroilhet and Drew Brunson claimed national championships in the heptathlon and 60-meter hurdles, respectively.

Women’s Cross Country (7)
Conference: ACC
Years: 2007-13
Overview: Florida State women’s cross country team won the ACC in seven straight seasons from 2007 to 2013 under head coaches Bob Braman and Karen Harvey. Perhaps the most notable athlete for FSU during that stretch was Susan Kuijken, who finished in the top three at the NCAA Championships in each of her final three seasons. Pilar McShine, Barbara Parker and Colleen Quigley all finished in the top 10 at the NCAA Championships during the Seminoles’ run of ACC domination.

Special thanks to Bob Perrone and NoleFan.org for the information provided for this article.

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson. Like The Daily Nole on Facebook. To pitch an idea, author a post or to learn more about The Daily Nole, email Mike Ferguson at Mike@TheDailyNole.com.