BUILDING CHARACTER

Before the Seminoles became a juggernaut program with multiple National Championships, the team had to get off the ground. Women’s club and intramural soccer had been popular on campus for decades, but it wasn’t until the early 1990s that FSU Athletics officials considered fielding an intercollegiate program. The athletic board originally agreed on 1997 for the first season but ultimately moved the date to fall 1995. The soccer team played its first three seasons on a renovated intramural field, with Tully Gym serving as a locker room. New head coach Heather Kerby began recruiting throughout the soccer-rich state and region. “I want kids who want to take on a challenge immediately,” she said. “I want kids who have a long-range vision to see that Florida State will be very competitive very soon.” The inaugural team finished with a 4-14-1 record, but Kerby’s prediction came true. The Seminoles secured a winning record for the first time in 1996 and, from the 2000 season onward, have kept that trend going.