A HELMET FOR EVERY ROLE

The 1962 season featured a unique moment in program history — when each class of players wore a different helmet. In his third year as head coach, Bill Peterson was eager to shake things up. After posting a 7-11-2 record in his first two seasons, excitement in Tallahassee was lukewarm at best. So, in a bold (and slightly theatrical) move, Peterson divided his team into three named squads: the Renegades (defense), the War Path (offense) and the Chiefs (two-way players). To make the new team divisions stand out — literally — Peterson assigned a different helmet design to each group, resulting in one of the most visually distinctive seasons in FSU history. Peterson’s 1962 squad finished the season 4-3-3, hardly dominant, but a sign that change was coming. More importantly, it was the beginning of a new culture where tradition could be built from invention.