Florida Senate - 2014 SR 1520 By Senator Smith 31-01772A-14 20141520__ 1 Senate Resolution 2 A resolution recognizing the outstanding play of the 3 Florida State University Seminoles football team 4 during the 2013 season and postseason championship 5 games and congratulating Head Coach Jimbo Fisher, his 6 coaching staff, and the student athletes who captured 7 the 2014 Bowl Championship Series (BCS) National 8 Championship after a remarkable undefeated season. 9 10 WHEREAS, having completed the 2012 season with a 12–2 11 record, and with 11 players selected in the 2013 National 12 Football League draft, the Florida State University Seminoles 13 football team, led by Head Coach Jimbo Fisher, began the 2013 14 season ranked 11th in the Associated Press preseason poll, and 15 WHEREAS, following their 37-7 defeat of the University of 16 Florida Gators to end the 2013 regular season with a flawless 17 record of 12-0, the Seminoles defeated the then 20th-ranked Duke 18 University Blue Devils 45-7 in the Atlantic Coast Conference 19 Championship game on December 7, 2013, giving the Seminoles 20 their 14th Atlantic Coast Conference Championship, and 21 WHEREAS, on January 6, 2014, under Coach Fisher and his 22 coaching staff and Director of Athletics Stan Wilcox, the top 23 ranked Seminoles earned a 34-31 victory over second-ranked 24 Auburn University in the 2014 Vizio Bowl Championship Series 25 (BCS) National Championship Game in Pasadena, California, and 26 WHEREAS, together with the 1950 and 1999 Seminoles football 27 teams that concluded their seasons with undefeated records, the 28 2013 Florida State Seminoles’ 14-0 record marks the third 29 perfect season in school history, and 30 WHEREAS, outscoring their opponents by a total of 723 to 31 170 points, the Seminoles established a single-season football 32 bowl subdivision scoring record, surpassing the previous high of 33 716 points set by the Oklahoma Sooners in 2008, and 34 WHEREAS, several Seminoles players were recognized for 35 their individual performances, including kicker Roberto Aguayo, 36 who received the Lou Groza Award; center Bryan Stork, who was 37 awarded the Rimington Trophy; and quarterback Jameis Winston, 38 who received the Davey O’Brien Award and the Heisman Memorial 39 Trophy and was named the Walter Camp Player of the Year and the 40 Associated Press Player of the Year, and 41 WHEREAS, following in the footsteps of legendary Seminoles 42 before them, cornerback Lamarcus Joyner, center Bryan Stork, and 43 quarterback Jameis Winston were named consensus All-Americans, 44 and 45 WHEREAS, with the 2014 BCS National Championship win, the 46 Seminoles earned their third national football title, having 47 claimed national championships in both 1993 and 1999, NOW, 48 THEREFORE, 49 50 Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida: 51 52 That the Florida Senate recognizes the outstanding play of 53 the Florida State University Seminoles football team during the 54 2013 season and postseason championship games and congratulates 55 Head Coach Jimbo Fisher, his coaching staff, and the student 56 athletes who captured the 2014 BCS National Championship after a 57 remarkable undefeated season. 58 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be 59 presented to Florida State University Interim President Garnett 60 Stokes, Director of Athletics Stan Wilcox, and Head Coach Jimbo 61 Fisher, as a tangible token of the sentiments expressed in this 62 resolution.