I’ve worked on a lot of fun stories over the years, but this was one of the most entertaining reporting jobs I’ve had: The oral history of “Seminole Rap” on its 30th anniversary.
A few nuggets worth noting: This wasn’t a rogue project. The university was behind it, it was cleared by the NCAA, and the songwriters had to forego all royalties in order to avoid any sort of NCAA infractions. Bobby Bowden wasn’t thrilled with the idea, but he supported it. And the players all loved it — right until they took the field against Miami, in an opening game that ended up being one of the worst losses in FSU history.
Read the story for a litany of great memories and better quotes. In addition, I’ve embedded images of the original request letter and lyrics to the song, courtesy of Florida State.
Enjoy.
by David M. Hale 