1999 Florida State Seminoles football team

The 1999 Florida State Seminoles football team represented the Florida State University as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) during the 1999 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by 24th-year head coach Bobby Bowden, the Seminoles compiled an overall record of 12–0 with a mark of 8–0 in conference play, winning the ACC title. Florida State was invited to the Sugar Bowl, the BCS National Championship Game, where they defeated Virginia Tech to capture the program's second consensus College football national championship. The team played home games at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida.

1999 Florida State Seminoles football
Consensus national champion ACC champion Sugar Bowl champion
Sugar Bowl (BCS NCG), W 46–29 vs. Virginia Tech
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 1
AP	No. 1
Record	12–0 (8–0 ACC)
Head coach	Bobby Bowden (24th season)
Offensive coordinator	Mark Richt (6th season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Mickey Andrews (16th season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Doak Campbell Stadium
Seasons ← 1998 2000 →

1999 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 1 Florida State $#		8	–	0					12	–	0
No. 17 Georgia Tech		5	–	3					8	–	4
Virginia		5	–	3					7	–	5
Clemson		5	–	3					6	–	6
Wake Forest		3	–	5					7	–	5
NC State		3	–	5					6	–	6
Duke		3	–	5					3	–	8
Maryland		2	–	6					5	–	6
North Carolina		2	–	6					3	–	8
# – BCS National Champion $ – BCS representative as conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Florida State entered the season with high expectations after losing to Tennessee in the inaugural BCS Championship game. The Seminoles were ranked No. 1 in all national preseason polls,^[1][2] picked unanimously to win the ACC and expected to contend for a national championship.^[3][4] The Seminoles finished 11–2 in 1998, extending their NCAA record to 13 straight seasons with at least 10 victories and ranked among the nation's top four teams.^[5][6]

The Seminoles were first team in NCAA history to go "wire-to-wire" ranked continuously as the nation's No. 1 team from the preseason through the bowl season.^[7] The 1999 Seminoles are considered to be one of the greatest college football teams of all time.^{[citation needed]} This marked the 13th consecutive season that the Seminoles finished in the top 5 of both the AP and Coaches poll.^[5] 1999 was also the 17th consecutive season in which Bowden led the Seminoles to a bowl game.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
August 28	5:00 p.m.	Louisiana Tech*	No. 1	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	ESPN2	W 41–7	72,702	[8]
September 11	8:00 p.m.	No. 10 Georgia Tech	No. 1	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	ABC	W 41–35	80,187
September 18	3:30 p.m.	No. 20 NC State	No. 1	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	ABC	W 42–11	80,040
September 25	3:30 p.m.	at North Carolina	No. 1	Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC	ABC	W 42–10	60,000
October 2	12:00 p.m.	vs. Duke	No. 1	Alltel Stadium Jacksonville, FL	JP	W 51–23	37,310
October 9	12:00 p.m.	No. 19 Miami (FL)*	No. 1	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL (rivalry)	ABC	W 31–21	80,976
October 16	7:00 p.m.	Wake Forest	No. 1	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	PPV	W 33–10	78,105
October 23	7:00 p.m.	at Clemson	No. 1	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC (rivalry)	ESPN	W 17–14	86,092
October 30	7:00 p.m.	at Virginia	No. 1	Scott Stadium Charlettesville, VA (Jefferson–Eppes Trophy)	ESPN	W 35–10	47,900
November 13	3:30 p.m.	Maryland	No. 1	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	ABC	W 49–10	80,340
November 20	8:00 p.m.	at No. 3 Florida*	No. 1	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL (rivalry, College GameDay)	CBS	W 30–23	85,747	[9]
January 4	8:00 p.m.	vs. No. 2 Virginia Tech*	No. 1	Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, LA (Sugar Bowl, College GameDay)	ABC	W 46–29	79,280
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Rankings

Further information: 1999 NCAA Division I-A football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ( ) = First-place votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
AP	1 (48)	1 (28)	1 (31)	1 (49)	1 (59)	1 (61)	1 (64)	1 (63)	1 (62)	1 (55)	1 (55)	1 (66)	1 (63)	1 (66)	1 (66)	1 (64)	1 (70)
Coaches	1 (36)	1*	1 (29)	1 (44)	1 (50)	1 (52)	1 (53)	1 (53)	1 (52)	1 (41)	1 (44)	1 (57)	1 (58)	1 (57)	1 (56)	1 (56)	1 (59)
BCS	Not released									1	1	1	1	1	1	1	Not released

Before the season

On November 12, 1998, quarterback Chris Weinke underwent surgery at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital to repair damage to his C6 vertebrae.^[10] The surgery repaired ligament damage, corrected a ruptured disc and removed a bone chip which was lodged against a nerve in his neck.^[6] There was much uncertainty as to whether or not Weinke would be fully healthy for the 1999 season as there was a six-month recovery period and much weight loss.^[6]

Preseason outlook

The Seminoles ended the 1998 season with a defeat in the inaugural BCS Championship game to Tennessee and finished with a No. 3 ranking in both the AP and Coaches polls and winning their seventh consecutive ACC title. Bowden had two returning Consensus All-Americans^[11] and two other All-Americans ^[12][13] among his 16 starters^[14][6] along with 19 fifth-year seniors. "This time a year ago, I said we had a talented football team, but it's the least experience we've had in a long time", Bowden said. "Now we've got most of the same guys back. Most of those guys started. That's the reason for so much preseason optimism."^[15] As expected, FSU was at the top of the first Coaches Poll of the season, released August 5, 1999 with 36 of a possible 59 first-place votes; other teams receiving first-place votes were No.2 Tennessee with 13 votes, No. 3 Arizona with 2 votes, and No. 4 Penn State with 8 votes.^[1] FSU was also atop the AP poll, released August 14, 1999 with 48 of a possible 70 first-place votes; other teams receiving first-place votes were No. 2 Tennessee with 15 votes, No. 3 Penn State with 4 votes, No. 4 Arizona, No. 5 Florida, and No. 13 Virginia Tech with 1 vote each.^[2] Seminoles came into pre-season camp with a healthy Chris Weinke who had to miss the 1999 Fiesta Bowl BCS National championship game due to a season-ending cervical herniated disc sustained during a sack against Virginia.^[6]

Despite being touted as a top NFL draft pick, Consensus All-American Peter Warrick stated his desire to earn his undergraduate degree and to win a national championship after the Seminoles shared a sad result in the 1999 Fiesta Bowl BCS National Championship game.^{[16][17][18][6]} Warrick would enter the 1999 season as a Heisman front runner alongside Drew Brees, Ron Dayne, and Joe Hamilton. On top of being a Heisman favorite, Warrick was considered the front-runner for the Fred Biletnikoff award for the nation's top wide receiver.^[17] The Weinke led offense that scored 31 points a game in 1998 would find himself with a senior talented corp of wide receivers with Warrick, Laveranues Coles, and Ron Dugans.

Recruiting class

See also: American football positions, Glossary of American football, and Recruiting (college athletics)

Due to FSU having 74 scholarship players on the roster and the maximum per NCAA is 85, FSU was only able to sign 13 players on National Signing Day.^[19][20] Despite only signing 13 players, this stellar recruiting class was highlighted by four highly touted recruits that made USA Today's All-USA high school football team: Nick Maddox (RB), Kendyll Pope (LB), Darnell Dockett (DL), and the top prospect in the country, Anquan Boldin (QB) who selected FSU over Florida and Miami.^[19][20] During preseason football practice, Anquan Boldin would move from QB to WR at his request, a move that would eventually pay big career dividends.^[21] The move surprised Bowden who stated "I told him he'd be a great quarterback, (His decision) surprised all of us. He is an excellent prospect wherever he lines up."^[22]

The recruiting class of 13^[19][20][23]

Name	Position	Hometown	High School	Height	Weight
Anquan Boldin	QB	Pahokee, Florida	Pahokee HS	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)	205 lb (93 kg)
Rufus Brown	DB	El Paso, Texas	Austin HS	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)	185 lb (84 kg)
Cornelius Collier	LB	Miami, Florida	Palmetto HS	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)	220 lb (100 kg)
Darnell Dockett	DL	Burtonsville, Maryland	Paint Branch HS	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)	260 lb (120 kg)
Kevin Emanuel	DL	Waco, Texas	Waco HS	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)	240 lb (110 kg)
Randy Golightly	FB/LB	Tallahassee, Florida	North Florida Christian	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)	237 lb (108 kg)
Alonzo Jackson	DL	Americus, Georgia	Americus HS	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)	245 lb (111 kg)
Nick Maddox	RB	Kannapolis, North Carolina	A.L. Brown HS	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)	190 lb (86 kg)
Kendyll Pope	LB	Lake City, Florida	Columbia HS	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)	212 lb (96 kg)
Fabian Walker	QB	Americus, Georgia	Americus HS	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)	205 lb (93 kg)
B.J. Ward	DB	Dallas, Texas	Kimball HS	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)	200 lb (91 kg)
Corey Whitaker	OL	Pace, Florida	Pace HS	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)	290 lb (130 kg)
Jeff Womble	DL	Dunwoody, Georgia	Dunwoody HS	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)	295 lb (134 kg)

Game summaries

Louisiana Tech

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	0	7	0	0	7
No. 1 Seminoles	7	7	17	10	41

Georgia Tech

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 10 Yellow Jackets	7	14	7	7	35
No. 1 Seminoles	7	21	10	3	41

N.C. State

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 20 Wolfpack	3	0	8	0	11
No. 1 Seminoles	3	15	14	10	42

North Carolina

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 1 Seminoles	28	7	7	0	42
Tar Heels	0	3	7	0	10

Duke

	1	2	3	4	Total
Blue Devils	0	0	13	10	23
No. 1 Seminoles	21	23	0	7	51

Miami (FL)

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 19 Hurricanes	14	7	0	0	21
No. 1 Seminoles	14	7	3	7	31

Wake Forest

	1	2	3	4	Total
Demon Deacons	3	0	0	7	10
No. 1 Seminoles	6	3	14	10	33

Clemson

See also: Bowden Bowl

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 1 Seminoles	3	0	11	3	17
Tigers	0	14	0	0	14

Virginia

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 1 Seminoles	0	7	14	14	35
Cavaliers	0	10	0	0	10

Maryland

	1	2	3	4	Total
Terrapins	0	3	0	7	10
No. 1 Seminoles	7	21	14	7	49

Florida

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 1 Seminoles	7	6	10	7	30
No. 3 Gators	0	6	10	7	23

Sugar Bowl vs. Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech vs. Florida State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 2 Virginia Tech	7	7	15	0	29
• No. 1 Florida State	14	14	0	18	46

• Date: January 4, 2000
• Location:
  Louisiana Superdome
  New Orleans
• Game attendance: 79,280
• Referee: Steve Shaw
• TV announcers (ABC): Brent Musburger, Gary Danielson

Scoring summary

Q1	3:22	FSU	Warrick 64-yard pass from Weinke (Janikowski kick)	FSU 7–0
Q1	2:14	FSU	Chaney 6-yard blocked punt return (Janikowski kick)	FSU 14–0
Q1	0:30	VT	André Davis 49-yard pass from Michael Vick (Shayne Graham kick)	FSU 14–7
Q2	13:45	FSU	Dugans 63-yard pass from Weinke (Janikowski kick)	FSU 21–7
Q2	11:40	FSU	Warrick 59-yard punt return (Janikowski kick)	FSU 28–7
Q2	0:37	VT	Michael Vick 3-yard run (Shayne Graham kick)	FSU 28–14
Q3	7:54	VT	Shayne Graham 23-yard field goal	FSU 28–17
Q3	5:57	VT	Andre Kendrick 29-yard run (2-point pass failed)	FSU 28–23
Q3	2:13	VT	Andre Kendrick 6-yard run (2-point pass failed)	VT 29–28
Q4	12:59	FSU	Dugans 14-yard pass from Weinke (Warrick pass from Weinke)	FSU 36–29
Q4	10:26	FSU	Janikowski 32-yard field goal	FSU 39–29
Q4	7:42	FSU	Warrick 43-yard pass from Chris Weinke (Janikowski kick)	FSU 46–29

Main article: 2000 Sugar Bowl

See also: 1999 Virginia Tech Hokies football team and BCS National Championship Game

Personnel

Coaching staff

Name	Position	Seasons at Florida State	Alma Mater
Bobby Bowden	Head coach	24	Howard College (1953)
Chuck Amato	Assistant Head Coach, Linebackers	19	NC State (1968)
Mickey Andrews	Defensive coordinator, Defensive backs	16	Alabama (1964)
Jeff Bowden	Receivers	6	Florida State (1983)
Chris Demarest	Graduate assistant, Defensive backs	1	Northeastern (1988)
Steve Gabbard	Graduate assistant	2	Florida State (1988)
Jim Gladden	Assistant Head Coach, Defensive Ends	25	William Jewell College (1962)
Odell Haggins	Defensive Line	6	Florida State (1993)
Jimmy Heggins	Assistant Head Coach, Offensive Line	14	Florida State (1978)
John Lilly	Tight Ends, Recruiting Coordinator	4	Guilford College (1990)
Mark Richt	Offensive Coordinator, Quarterbacks	10	Miami (1982)
Billy Sexton	Running Backs	22	Florida State (1974)
Dave Van Halanger	Strength and Conditioning	17	West Virginia (1976)
'Reference:

Roster

1999 Florida State Seminoles roster
Quarterbacks 6 Anquan Boldin – freshman 10 Rich Maher – junior 11 Jared Jones – sophomore 14 Marcus Outzen – junior 16 Chris Weinke – junior Running backs 20 Raymont Skaggs – senior 20 Nick Maddox – freshman 22 Davy Ford – sophomore 23 Travis Minor – junior 24 Jeff Chaney – junior Fullback 10 Dan Kendra – senior 36 William McCray – junior 39 Chad Maeder – sophomore 43 Randy Golightly – freshman Wide receivers 7 Laveranues Coles – senior 9 Peter Warrick – senior 13 Marvin Minnis – junior 19 Greg Moore – freshman 21 Talman Gardner – freshman 26 Atrews Bell – sophomore 80 Ron Dugans – senior 83 Jarret Gardner – junior 84 Gennaro Jackson – junior 86 Germaine Stringer – senior 87 Robert Morgan – sophomore Tight ends 81 Nick Franklin – senior 82 Patrick Hughes – sophomore 85 Ryan Sprague – junior 88 Carver Donaldson – sophomore		Offensive line 51 Ronald Boldin – junior 52 Antoine Mirambeau – freshman 54 Jarad Moon – junior 57 Eric Thomas – senior 60 Tarlos Thomas – junior 61 Montrae Holland – freshman 64 Justin Amman – junior 67 Josh Baggs – sophomore 68 Jason Whitaker – senior 70 Corey Whitaker – freshman 71 Jerry Carmichael – junior 72 Brett Williams – freshman 74 Otis Duhart – sophomore 75 Char-ron Dorsey – junior 76 Ross Brannon – junior 77 Jeremy Brett – senior 78 Donald Heaven – junior 79 Todd Williams – freshman Defensive line 45 Darnell Dockett – freshman 53 Corey Simon – senior 56 Roland Seymour – junior 58 Jamal Reynolds – junior 69 WD Rodeffer – junior 89 Alonzo Jackson – freshman 90 Kevin Emanual – freshman 91 Jeff Womble – freshman 92 Jerry Johnson – senior 93 Chris Walker – senior 94 Octavis Jackson – freshman 95 Rian Cason – freshman 96 Randy Wilkins – junior 97 Tony Benford – freshman 98 Chris Woods – freshman 99 David Warren – junior		Linebackers 5 Theon Rackley – senior 5 Cornelius Collier – freshman 29 Tommy Polley – junior 32 James Lewis – freshman 42 Jerel Hudson – freshman 44 Bradley Jennings – sophomore 46 Michael Hamilton – freshman 49 Bobby Rhodes – senior 55 Brian Allen – junior Defensive backs 1 Reggie Durden – senior 3 Malcolm Tatum – freshman 6 Derrick Gibson – junior 7 Rufus Brown – freshman 8 Clevan Thomas – junior 12 Abdual Howard – sophomore 15 Mario Edwards – senior 18 Sean Key – senior 27 Tay Cody – junior 28 Chris Hope – sophomore 28 BJ Ward – freshman 30 Stanford Samuels – freshman 32 Jean Jeune – junior 35 Todd Frier – senior Punters 47 Keith Cottrell – junior 37 Chance Gwaltney – freshman Kickers 38 Sebastian Janikowski – junior Long snapper 73 Clay Ingram – senior

Depth chart

Defense FS Sean Key Reggie Durden B.J. Ward MIKE WILL SAM Tommy Polley Bradley Jennings Brian Allen Bobby Rhodes Jerel Hudson Theon Rackley Michael Hamilton James Lewis Cornelius Collier ROVER Derrick Gibson Abdual Howard ⋅ CB Mario Edwards Rufus Brown Malcolm Tatum DE DT DT DE Jamal Reynolds Corey Simon Jerry Johnson Roland Seymour Randy Wilkins Darnell Dockett Chris Woods Alonzo Jackson O.J. Jackson David Warren Rian Cason Chris Walker CB Tay Cody Stanford Samuels Chris Hope Offense WR Peter Warrick Robert Morgan Jarret Gardner LT LG C RG RT Brett Williams Jason Whitaker Eric Thomas Justin Amman Tarlos Thomas Donald Heaven Otis Duhart Antoine Mirambeau Ronald Boldin Todd Williams Char-ron Dorsey Corey Whitaker Josh Baggs Jerry Carmichael Ross Brannon TE Ryan Sprague Carver Donaldson Nick Franklin Patrick Hughes WR Marvin Minnis Talman Gardner Gennaro Jackson QB Chris Weinke Marcus Outzen Jared Jones RB Travis Minor Jeff Chaney Lemar Parrish Davy Ford FB William McCray Randy Golightly Chad Maeder Special teams PK Sebastian Janikowski P Keith Cottrell

Awards and honors

• Lou Groza Award – Sebastian Janikowski, K^[24]

Statistics

• QB Chris Weinke: 232/377 (61.5%) for 3,103 yards (8.23) with 25 TD vs. 14 INT (3.71%).
• RB Travis Minor: 180 carries for 815 yards (4.53) with 7 TD. 16 catches for 102 yards and 0 TD.
• WR Peter Warrick: 71 catches for 934 yards (13.15) with 8 TD. 16 carries for 96 yards (6.00) and 3 TD.
• WR Ron Dugans: 43 catches for 644 yards (14.98) with 3 TD.
• WR Marvin Minnis: 19 catches for 257 yards (13.53) with 3 TD.
• WR Laveranues Coles: 12 catches for 179 yards (14.92) with 1 TD.
• WR Anquan Boldin: 12 catches for 115 yards (9.58) with 2 TD. 4 carries for 33 yards (8.25) and 0 TD.
• K Sebastian Janikowski: 23 FGM and 47 XPM.
• P Austin Haywood: 1 punt for 73 yards