Osceola and Renegade

Osceola and Renegade are the official

Osceola and Renegade debuted in 1978, and are the most recent of several mascots used by the school. FSU has tried to ensure a dignified depiction of Osceola. The portrayal is supported by leaders of the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

Depiction

Florida State's Osceola tradition is overseen by Allen Durham, whose father, Bill Durham, introduced it in 1978.^[1]

Osceola wears

In the late 1960s, Chief Fullabull emerged as a mascot during basketball games. Like Sammy Seminole, he donned cartoonish Native American-themed outfits, and performed clownish stunts. Under protest from Native American groups, the character's name was altered to Chief Wampumstompum, though this did nothing to assuage the concerns of protesters. The character was replaced with a more traditionally dressed figure named Yahola, also known as the "spirit chief". All of these mascots were eventually retired, and officials decided to find a more respectful representative for the school's teams.[4]^{[2]: 137–138}

Osceola

In 1962, the Osceola and Renegade symbols were conceived by Bill Durham, a Tallahassee businessman and Florida State alumnus. He came up with the concept of a horseback-riding Seminole mascot when he was voted into the school's homecoming court. He returned to the idea in 1977, and won the support of Ann Bowden, wife of head football coach Bobby Bowden, who helped make the idea a reality.^{[2]: 138–139 [4]} Durham contacted the Seminole Tribe of Florida about the project, and chairman Howard Tommie had tribe members make the first costume for Osceola.^[5] Durham provided the horse, while Bowden helped acquire the various permits necessary to allow a horse onto the field.^{[2]: 138–139 [4]}

Osceola and Renegade debuted at a September 16, 1978 game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. They proved quite popular, and subsequently other faux-Indian traditions arose, including the "War Chant" in 1984 and the "Tomahawk Chop" shortly after.^[2]: 142 Durham oversaw the Osceola tradition for 25 years, and over time aspects of the performance have become more refined and regulated. In 2002, Durham retired and passed his role on to his son Allen Durham, a former Osceola portrayer.^{[1][2]: 138–139}

In the 1980s and 1990s, when

In keeping with his stoic portrayal, FSU refers to Osceola and Renegade as "symbols" rather than mascots, and does not use them for more traditional mascot activities like cheerleading and promotions. In 2012, the university developed another related mascot, an anthropomorphic horse named "Cimarron", to fill this role.^[8]

In April 2016, the FSU Student Government Association voted to discourage the wearing of Native American headdresses from sporting events as being contrary to the goal of maintaining its relationship with the Seminole Tribe, because the headdresses worn by fans are closer to those worn by Plains Indians. Although referred to as a ban, the vote did not change official university policy regarding student conduct, and imposes no penalty.^[9]

The first student to portray Osceola was Jim Kidder in 1978. Since then, six different Renegades and 18 different riders have portrayed the role.^[10]

See also

• Florida State Seminoles
• Seminole Tribe of Florida
• Florida State Seminoles football

Notes