1964 Florida State Seminoles football
Gator Bowl, W 36–19 vs. Oklahoma
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
CoachesNo. 11
Record9–1–1
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorBill Crutchfield (1st season)
Defensive coordinatorDon James (3rd season)
Home stadiumDoak Campbell Stadium
Seasons
← 1963
1965 →
1964 NCAA University Division independents football records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 3 Notre Dame   –   9 – 1 – 0
Florida State   –   9 – 1 – 1
Colgate   –   7 – 2 – 0
Georgia Tech   –   7 – 3 – 0
Syracuse   –   7 – 4 – 0
Villanova   –   6 – 2 – 0
Boston College   –   6 – 3 – 0
Southern Miss   –   6 – 3 – 0
New Mexico State   –   6 – 4 – 0
Penn State   –   6 – 4 – 0
Memphis State   –   5 – 4 – 0
Utah State   –   5 – 4 – 1
Holy Cross   –   5 – 5 – 0
Buffalo   –   4 – 4 – 1
Colorado State   –   5 – 6 – 0
Air Force   –   4 – 5 – 1
Miami (FL)   –   4 – 5 – 1
Xavier   –   4 – 5 – 1
Army   –   4 – 6 – 0
Idaho   –   4 – 6 – 0
West Texas State   –   4 – 6 – 0
San Jose State   –   4 – 6 – 0
Pittsburgh   –   3 – 5 – 2
Navy   –   3 – 6 – 1
Dayton   –   3 – 7 – 0
Detroit   –   3 – 7 – 0
Boston University   –   2 – 7 – 0
Houston   –   2 – 6 – 1
Texas Western   –   0 – 8 – 2
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1964 Florida State Seminoles football team was an American football team that represented Florida State University as an independent during the 1964 NCAA University Division football season. In their fifth season under head coach Bill Peterson, the Seminoles compiled a 9–1–1 record, were ranked No. 11 in the final UPI Coaches Poll, defeated Oklahoma in the Gator Bowl, and outscored opponents by a total of 263 to 85.[1]

After five losses and a tie in the first six games of the Florida–Florida State football rivalry, the Seminoles defeated Florida for the first time. The next day, the sports editor of The Tampa Tribune wrote: "Yesterday, on a technicolor afternoon of brisk wind and refreshing chill, in a stadium that maybe squeaked with an overload, FSU ceased to be the OTHER school, became the football team in this state in the year of 1964, will hereafter claim equal time in all things."[2]

The team's statistical leaders included Steve Tensi with 1,986 passing yards, Phil Spooner with 682 rushing yards, and Fred Biletnikoff with 1,179 receiving yards and 90 points scored (15 touchdowns).[3] Biletnikoff led the country in receiving yards and also with 100 receptions, and was a consensus first-team end on the 1964 All-America team.[4]

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 19at Miami (FL)
W 14–051,605[5]
September 26at TCU
W 10–018,167[6]
October 3New Mexico State
W 36–0> 25,000[7]
October 10No. 5 Kentuckydagger
  • Doak Campbell Stadium
  • Tallahassee, FL
W 48–634,248[8]
October 17at GeorgiaNo. 10
W 17–1431,000[9]
October 24at VPINo. 10
L 11–2022,000[10]
October 31Southern Miss
  • Doak Campbell Stadium
  • Tallahassee, FL
W 34–026,142[11]
November 7at Houston
T 13–1316,000[12]
November 14NC State
  • Doak Campbell Stadium
  • Tallahassee, FL
W 28–624,250[13]
November 21Florida
  • Doak Campbell Stadium
  • Tallahassee, FL (rivalry)
W 16–743,000[14]
January 2, 1965vs. Oklahoma
W 36–1950,408[15]
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

Season summary

Miami (FL)

1 234Total
• Seminoles 7 700 14
Hurricanes 0 000 0
  • Date: September 19
  • Location: Orange Bowl
  • Game attendance: 51,065
Scoring summary
Q12:03FSUBiletnikoff 15 yard pass from Tensi (Murdock kick)FSU 7–0
Q20:46FSUBiletnikoff 16 yard pass from Tensi (Murdock kick)FSU 14–0

[16]

Florida

1 234Total
Gators 0 007 7
• Seminoles 0 736 16
  • Date: November 21
  • Location: Doak Campbell Stadium
  • Game attendance: 43,000
Scoring summary
Q210:57FSUBiletnikoff 55 yard pass from Tensi (Murdock kick)FSU 7–0
Q310:37FSUMurdock 24 yard field goalFSU 10–0
Q412:03FSUMurdock 34 yard field goalFSU 13–0
Q49:03FLAHarper 6 yard run (Hall kick)FSU 13–7
Q46:42FSUMurdock 40 yard field goalFSU 16–7

Florida State accepted the Gator Bowl bid following the victory.

[17]

References

  1. ^ "1964 Florida State Seminoles Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  2. ^ Tom McEwen (November 22, 1964). "FSU 17 Years Later: From Volleyball to Grid Age". The Tampa Tribune. p. D1 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "1964 Florida State Seminoles Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  4. ^ "Football Award Winners" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2016. p. 9. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  5. ^ "Seminoles Blank Miami 14-0". Tallahassee Democrat. September 20, 1964. pp. 1A, 2B – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Alert FSU Tops TCU 10-0". Tallahassee Democrat. September 27, 1964. p. 7B – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "FSU Swats Aggies 36-0". Tallahassee Democrat. October 4, 1964. pp. 1A, 6B – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Jim Selman (October 11, 1964). "It's the Upset State Now: FSU, Gators Kill 'Cats, Rebs". The Tampa Tribune. pp. 1D, 5D – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Bil McGrotha (October 18, 1964). "FSU Edges Georgia 17-14". Tallahassee Democrat. pp. 1A, 3B – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Tribe Suffers First Defeat: Shweickert Gobbles Up Seminoles 20-11". Tallahassee Democrat. October 25, 1964. p. 3B – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Explosive Florida State Bombs Hapless Southern". Tallahassee Democrat. November 1, 1964. p. 3B – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Bill McGrotha (November 8, 1964). "Tribe Tied By Houston 13-13". Tallahassee Democrat. p. 3B – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Bill McGrotha (November 15, 1964). "FSU Hems Up Wolfpack 28-6". Tallahassee Democrat. pp. 3B, 4B – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Jim Selman (November 22, 1964). "Seminoles 16-7 'First' Earns Jax Trip --- FSU Kicks 'Gator' Out of Bowl". The Tampa Tribune. pp. D1, D6 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Bassine, Bob (January 3, 1965). "Seminoles Fill Airways, Gun Down Oklahoma". Orlando Sentinel. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ NoleFan.org. Retrieved 2016-Dec-15.
  17. ^ NoleFan.org. Retrieved 2016-Dec-18.
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