Over 67 years of football action, the Florida State Seminoles have come to be known as a national power. The Seminoles have won three national championships, 27 bowls games while producing numerous consensus All-Americans. While FSU is back on top of the college football world, the Seminoles had five losing seasons throughout the 1950’s. Here is a look back at Florida State’s best win each year during that decade:
1950
Tampa 19, Florida State 35
November 25th, 1950
Florida State’s 35-19 victory over the University of Tampa in 1950 actually capped the completion of the Seminoles’ first perfect season. The 19 points for Tampa was the most given up by Florida State all season, but the Seminoles capped a perfect 8-0 campaign with the victory. It would be nearly half a century before the Seminoles would go unblemished again.
1951
Delta State 0, Florida State 34
October 13th, 1951
After a loss at Miami to fall to 1-1, Florida State responded with a shutout of Delta State. Florida State quarterback Nelson Italiano set what at the time, was a school-record with 191 passing yards in the victory. Italiano threw a 54-yard touchdown to Curt Campbell in the third quarter after opening the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run early on.
1952
Florida State 27, Wofford 13
November 29th, 1952
Florida State’s first ever visit to Wofford would account for FSU’s lone victory of the 1952 season. The Seminoles rushed for 299 yards while Nelson Italiano and Bobby Fiveash each passed and ran for a score in the win.
1953
Louisville 0, Florida State 59
October 3rd, 1953
In what would be Florida State’s first victory over a team currently in a BCS conference, the Seminoles blanked Louisville to give Tom Nugent his first win as FSU head coach. Bobby Fiveash rushed for three scores to lead the Seminoles while Lee Corso scored the first touchdown of his Florida State career on a blocked punt that was returned 59 yards the other way. The 59-point victory was the second largest ever for Florida State at the time.
1954
Florida State 13, Tampa 0
December 4th, 1954
In a game dominated by defense, Florida State recorded its only shutout of the 1954 season. The Seminoles forced five Tampa turnovers on the afternoon while quarterback Harry Massey threw long first half touchdown passes to Lee Corso and Buck Metts. The victory gave Florida State its eighth win of the season and a second straight victory over a Tampa team that at the time, sufficed as the Seminoles’ in-state rival.
1955
The Citadel 0, Florida State 39
November 19th, 1955
On a memorable Senior Day in 1955, the Florida State defense pitched its second shutout of the season. The FSU offense on the other hand, racked up nearly 400 yards rushing thanks to Buck Metts and Billy Odom. Odom led the Seminoles with 103 yards rushing on 10 carries while Metts found the end zone three times in the first half.
1956
Florida State 14, N.C. State 0
October 13th, 1956
Florida State’s 14-0 victory in Raleigh in 1956 marked a second straight shutout of the Wolfpack and a fourth straight season in which the Seminoles pitched at least one shutout. FSU held N.C. State to just 147 total yards for the day and after a scoreless first half, the Florida State offense came to life. Lee Corso’s 35-yard touchdown run in the third quarter would be all the Seminoles would need before Vic Prinzi’s 8-yard touchdown pass cemented the win.
1957
Virginia Tech 7, Florida State 20
October 26th, 1957
In the first ever meeting between the Seminoles and Hokies, Florida State forced five turnovers to win a hard-fought defensive struggle on Homecoming. FSU raced to a 14-0 lead, but led by just a touchdown at the break. On the first play of the second half, Fred Pickard raced 80 yards for a touchdown on what would be the game’s final score. The win would serve as the final home victory of the season for FSU during a disappointing 4-6 campaign.
1958
Florida State 17, Miami 6
November 7th, 1958
Prior to 1958, Florida State had never defeated Miami in four previous meetings. The Hurricanes handed it to the Seminoles the previous season by a 40-13 score. On that evening in 1958, Florida State was outgained 309-176, but forced six turnovers to stun its rivals to the south. Joe Majors’ 42-yard interception return in the first quarter started the scoring as FSU took a 14-6 lead into the locker room. Florida State shut Miami out during the second half before Johnny Sheppard’s 22-yard field goal in the fourth quarter put the contest away.
1959
Florida State 33, Tampa 0
November 28th, 1959
In what would be the final game for Florida State head coach Perry Moss and the final match-up ever against rival Tampa, Florida State finished the rivalry in dominating fashion. The FSU defense held the Spartans to just 21 yards rushing on 30 carries. Meanwhile, Florida State quarterback Joe Majors had the best day ever for a Seminole passer, throwing for 313 yards and two scores in addition to rushing for another.
