From modest beginnings to national championships and some of college sports’ most recognizable traditions, Florida State Athletics has played a defining role in shaping the identity and spirit of Florida State University.

As FSU celebrates its 175th anniversary, Seminole Athletics stands as one of the university’s most visible symbols of pride, connection and achievement, built by student-athletes, coaches, traditions and fans.

The story dates to 1902, when Florida State College fielded football and baseball teams as a co-educational institution. More than a century later, FSU Athletics has grown into a nationally recognized program with a broad championship legacy and a deep connection to the university community.

Since 1947, Florida State has carried the Seminoles name. The university’s relationship with the Seminole Tribe of Florida has grown into a longstanding partnership rooted in respect, consultation and a shared commitment to representing Seminole heritage with dignity.

That connection is most visible on football Saturdays, when Osceola rides Renegade to midfield and plants a flaming spear moments before kickoff. Introduced in 1978 with the approval of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, the tradition has become one of the most iconic pregame moments in college football.

Other traditions — including the war chant, the Marching Chiefs and the Sod Cemetery, which honors major football road victories — have helped make FSU games shared experiences for students, alumni and fans across generations.

The university’s athletic success has matched the strength of those traditions. FSU has won 20 national championships across nine sports, including seven in the past 15 seasons, and has claimed 205 conference titles that include 114 Atlantic Coast Conference championships.

FSU’s national championships include:

• Women’s soccer: 2014, 2018, 2021, 2023, 2025
• Football: 1993, 1999, 2013
• Softball: 1981, 1982, 2018
• Men’s outdoor track and field: 2006, 2008
• Men’s volleyball: 1955, 1957
• Men’s gymnastics: 1951, 1952
• Women’s indoor track and field: 1985
• Women’s outdoor track and field: 1984
• Women’s golf: 1981

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As Florida State University celebrates its 175th anniversary, the milestone coincides with the national observance of America 250, offering an opportunity to reflect on how the university’s history has unfolded alongside that of the United States.

Since its founding, FSU’s evolution from a regional seminary into a preeminent public research institution has been closely connected to many of the defining events and transformations that shaped the nation.

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Long before Florida State University became known for its research enterprise and nationally ranked academic programs, the arts were helping shape the life of the university.

Music, theater and visual arts were among the earliest academic offerings at the institution that would become FSU, predating many of the STEM and professional programs taught at the university today.

Over the decades, those programs have grown into nationally recognized schools in music, film, theater, dance and design while bringing world-class artists, exhibitions and performances to campus.

Today, as Florida State celebrates its 175th anniversary, the arts remain central to the university’s identity by enriching campus life, connecting the university with the community and preparing generations of artists, performers and creators.

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PHOTOS: Friday, May 1 | Saturday, May 2

Florida State University celebrated its Spring 2026 graduating class Friday and Saturday, awarding more than 8,900 degrees and honoring alumna Sara Blakely with an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. 

FSU President Richard McCullough presided over the ceremonies at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, where about 7,190 graduates participated in person and heard messages of resilience, leadership and service. 

The ceremonies featured three speakers whose careers span business, military service and government: entrepreneur Blakely, Lt. Gen. Sean M. Farrell and Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez. 

The ceremonies began Friday morning with doctoral hoodings, recognizing the university’s newest Ph.D. and doctoral graduates. 

“As the new torchbearers of our great university, I urge you all to embrace your esteemed role as highly respected scholars and leaders,” McCullough told the doctoral graduates. “You are actively shaping the future of industries, academia, the arts and scholarly achievements in society. As you embark on new academic and professional pursuits, I encourage you to continue to embody the three values of Florida State: Vires, Artes and Mores, or strength, skill and character.” 

Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Jim Clark continued: “All of us charged with the care of this great university urge you, graduates, to take on this stewardship with pride, joy, gravitas and celebration.”  

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Florida State University awarded an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters to alumna and Spanx founder Sara Blakely during spring commencement Friday, recognizing a career built on instinct, persistence and a willingness to do things differently. 

When Blakely took the stage, she didn’t dwell on success. She talked about failure, self-doubt and the decision that shaped everything that came next. 

“The most critical thing that I did — the thing that everyone here can do — is I made one big investment early on,” she told the graduates. “I invested in me.” 

Blakely returned to campus 33 years after graduating from Florida State, where she said her dreams began, even if her path after college didn’t go as planned. 

She had hoped to become a lawyer. She failed the LSAT twice. She went to a job fair and was rejected by 20 companies. She hoped to be Goofy at Disney World and didn’t meet the height requirement. 

Eventually, she found herself selling fax machines door to door for seven years. 

“It was brutal,” she said, recalling days of rejection while her peers moved into careers as lawyers, doctors and corporate executives. 

At one point, she pulled her car to the side of the road and said out loud: “I’m in the wrong movie.” 

Two years later, she started a company called Spanx. 

What began as a simple fix — cutting the feet off a pair of pantyhose to improve the way clothing fit — grew into a global brand that reshaped the shapewear industry. Blakely built the company without outside investors, eventually selling a majority stake in 2021 after turning it into a billion-dollar business. 

She has continued working on another venture called Sneex, a footwear company she launched to combine the comfort of a sneaker with the look and style of a heel. 

FSU President Richard McCullough conferred Blakely’s degree during Friday evening’s ceremony at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, the first honorary degree awarded during his presidency. 

In introducing her, he described Blakely as someone defined by curiosity and perseverance and a cultural force whose success began with a simple belief: There must be a better way. 

After the hooding, McCullough turned back to the audience and said, “It is now my honor to introduce, for the first time, Dr. Sara Blakely.” 

Blakely told graduates that the curiosity and persistence behind her success is available to anyone willing to do the work on themselves. 

“You can be a spectator in your life or a participant,” she said. “You can be a passenger of your thoughts or the driver of your thoughts. I chose to be the driver.” 

That idea, she said, traces back to her teenage years, when her father gave her cassette tapes by author Wayne Dyer that focused on mindset, visualization and not fearing failure. She listened to them so often she memorized them, even if it made her unpopular on car rides with friends. 

Years later, after building Spanx and landing on the cover of Forbes for being the youngest female self-made billionaire, those same friends sent her a message: “Should have listened.” 

Blakely’s speech mixed humor with hard-earned lessons. She told stories about scrambling to fulfill her first major order without the right manufacturing pieces, navigating embarrassing moments on international television and writing her own patent because she couldn’t afford an attorney. 

“I had no experience, but I had belief,” she said. 

She also warned graduates about the challenge of distraction in a fast-moving world and urged them to protect time to think, reflect and grow. 

“You can distract yourself or you can discover yourself,” she said. 

At one point, Blakely held up a worn red backpack, the same one she carried as a student at Florida State and later to early business meetings. Today, it serves as a symbol for her Red Backpack Foundation, which supports women and girls around the world. 

“It’s a reminder that everything you need is already right there on your back,” she said. 

Blakely’s recognition marks the 133rd honorary degree conferred by the university.

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