BOOTS ON THE GROUND

These leather boots were worn by Chief Osceola as he rode Renegade, an Appaloosa horse, to the center of Doak Campbell Stadium. Bill Durham, a 1965 FSU graduate, developed the concept of the Osceola and Renegade tradition, launching it at Florida State University in 1978 after obtaining permission from the Seminole Tribe of Florida. In the decades since, Osceola and Renegade have introduced home football games by planting a burning spear into the turf at midfield. One of the best-known conventions in college football, ESPN’s SportsNation voted Osceola and Renegade the best NCAA Football Tradition in the country prior to the 2011 season.