1963 Florida State Seminoles football team

1963 Florida State Seminoles football
Conference	Independent
Record	4–5–1
Head coach	Bill Peterson (4th season)
Defensive coordinator	Don James (2nd season)
Home stadium	Doak Campbell Stadium

1963 NCAA University Division independents football records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 14 Memphis State			–					9	–	0	–	1
No. 3 Pittsburgh			–					9	–	1	–	0
No. 2 Navy			–					9	–	2	–	0
No. 12 Syracuse			–					8	–	2	–	0
Utah State			–					8	–	2	–	0
Oregon			–					8	–	3	–	0
No. 16 Penn State			–					7	–	3	–	0
Army			–					7	–	3	–	0
Air Force			–					7	–	4	–	0
Boston College			–					6	–	3	–	0
Buffalo			–					5	–	3	–	1
Southern Miss			–					5	–	3	–	1
Idaho			–					5	–	4	–	0
Villanova			–					5	–	4	–	0
Oregon State			–					5	–	5	–	0
San Jose State			–					5	–	5	–	0
Xavier			–					5	–	4	–	1
West Texas State			–					4	–	4	–	1
Florida State			–					4	–	5	–	1
Colgate			–					3	–	4	–	1
New Mexico State			–					3	–	6	–	1
Colorado State			–					3	–	7	–	0
Miami (FL)			–					3	–	7	–	0
Texas Western			–					3	–	7	–	0
Detroit			–					2	–	6	–	1
Holy Cross			–					2	–	6	–	1
Notre Dame			–					2	–	7	–	0
Pacific (CA)			–					2	–	8	–	0
Houston			–					2	–	8	–	0
Boston University			–					1	–	6	–	1
Dayton			–					1	–	7	–	2
Rankings from Coaches Poll

The 1963 Florida State Seminoles football team represented Florida State University as an independent during the 1963 NCAA University Division football season. This was Bill Peterson's fourth year as head coach, and he led the team to a 4–5–1 record.

While an FSU student and before he became famous as lead vocalist for The Doors, Jim Morrison was arrested for public drunkenness, resisting arrest, and disturbing the peace at the September 28 game against TCU.^[1]

The game against Auburn was one of only 5 games across the country not to be canceled due to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy the day before.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 20	at Miami (FL)	Orange Bowl Miami, FL (rivalry)	W 24–0	57,500	[2]
September 28	TCU	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	L 0–13
October 12	Wake Forest	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	W 35–0	15,000	[3]
October 19	at Southern Miss	Ladd Stadium Mobile, AL	T 0–0	11,353	[4]
October 26	Virginia Tech	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	L 23–31	16,500
November 2	Furman	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	W 49–6	12,000	[5]
November 9	at Georgia Tech	Grant Field Atlanta, GA	L 7–15	49,804	[6]
November 16	NC State	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	W 14–0	23,851	[7]
November 23	at No. 9 Auburn	Cliff Hare Stadium Auburn, AL	L 15–21	28,000	[8]
November 30	at Florida	Florida Field Gainesville, FL (rivalry)	L 0–7	45,000	[9]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

• WR Fred Biletnikoff, Jr.

References

1. "Jim Morrison's Arrest History".
2. "FSU upsets Miami". Tuscaloosa News. (Alabama). Associated Press. September 21, 1963. p. 6.
3. "Seminoles bomb Wake Forest". The Tampa Tribune. October 13, 1963. Retrieved January 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "FSU plays scoreless tie". Tallahassee Democrat. October 20, 1963. Retrieved March 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Breakaway runners give FSU runaway". The News Tribune. November 3, 1963. Retrieved September 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Seminoles force Tech to late effort for win". The Dothan Eagle. November 10, 1963. Retrieved October 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Florida State blanks North Carolina State". The Montgomery Advertiser. November 17, 1963. Retrieved January 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Auburn dumps FSU on Sidle TDs 21–15". Panama City News-Herald. November 24, 1963. Retrieved October 17, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Dupree paces Florida over FSU 7–0". The Bradenton Herald. December 1, 1963. Retrieved October 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.