Three things to know when attending a football game at FSU
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Attending a Florida State home game is a yearly pilgrimage for all Seminole fans and a bucket-list event for the college football public. Based on the setting alone, Doak Campbell Stadium is one of the most beautiful football cathedrals in the sport. It is the second-longest continuous brick structure in the world, behind the Great Wall of China, and sits on the south side of campus, providing easy access for students and alumni to walk over. But its appeal does not end there, as Seminole football is steeped in tradition and part of some of the most iconic moments in the sport. There is no experience like seeing an FSU home football game. Here are three things to know when attending Doak Campbell Stadium to maximize the moment.
No. 1: Be in your seat before kickoff
This part should go without saying. Seeing Chief Osceola plant the spear at midfield right before opening kickoff is one of the best traditions in college football. The pregame ritual made ESPN’s favorite college football traditions list a year ago and for good reason. Florida State has been planting the spear for almost 50 years at home football games, along with 16 riders and six horses. The planting of the spear is a five-minute buildup with the crowd and Marching Chiefs blaring the Warchant, the players taking the field, and Renegade’s 50-yard dash from the end zone to midfield before it kicks up its front legs and Osceola fires the spear into the grass. It is a spectacle only seen and felt in Tallahassee. Many FSU fans and athletes say seeing the spear plant in person is what makes them fall in love with the university, including Derwin James, who talked about his first experience seeing it in his Player’s Tribune piece from nine years ago.
“My earliest memory of watching FSU was when I was around five years old, sitting in the living room with my mom and my stepdad. The first thing that caught my attention was the spear. What I remember is being completely in awe as I watched Chief Osceola ride out on a horse towards midfield to the steady beat of drums. The crowd got louder and louder the closer he got, and then all at once, his horse lifted its front legs as Chief Osceola planted the spear right in the center of the logo. Then you could see the camera shake from all the noise in the stadium. It had nothing to do with football, but it just left this huge impression on me. It was one of the coolest things I’d ever seen.”
But the pregame pageantry does not stop at Osceola and Renegade. As mentioned, the Marching Chiefs, Florida State’s band, are an integral part of creating the atmosphere inside Doak Campbell Stadium. The band is one of the largest in the country, with almost 400 members, and performs during pregame and halftime. Head coach Mike Norvell visits with the Marching Chiefs before the start of every football season to motivate and give his appreciation for all that they do to make a Seminole football game what it is.
No. 2: Get creative on transportation
To have a Florida State game-day experience, most fans will have to figure out the best way to get to Tallahassee. In an article written by Tomahawk Nation’s Jon Loesche last year, he noted that only 8% of the state of Florida’s population lives within 150 miles of Florida State’s campus, and according to 2023 numbers, over 50% of Seminole Boosters live over 150 miles outside of Tallahassee. That means for most FSU and college football fans, figuring out transportation and logistics is just as important as what game to go to.
Unfortunately, getting to Tallahassee is not easy or cheap. In 2024, the U.S. Department of Transportation said that TLH, Tallahassee’s airport code, was the most expensive airport in the State of Florida, and anyone who travels knows those prices have only risen in the last 18 months or so. WCTV broke down all the data from the state of Florida here.
That means getting creative to reach Tallahassee is key. Luckily for fans, there are a few solutions. The state capital sits around a four-hour drive from Atlanta and Orlando, which stratosjets.com ranks as the first- and seventh-busiest airports in the country, making it easy to find flights from all over the country. Doak Campbell Stadium is also around a 150-minute drive from Jacksonville’s airport, which has an average of 94 flights per day, compared to 20 from TLH, according to Expedia.
Luckily for fans, there has been a construction boom around the city in recent years, in apartments and hotels. In an article last year, WFSU highlighted investment in Tallahassee’s tourism and hospitality sector, making it easier to find places to stay even on the busiest game weekends.
No. 3: Check out the tailgate scene on Langford Green
In the backdrop of Doak Campbell Stadium and the Unconquered Statue, FSU athletics hosts the Ford Fan Fest on Langford Green, a free tailgate scene for all fans starting four hours before kickoff. There are dozens of vendors, including food trucks and activities for kids, along with Seminole Sports Networks’ live pregame show next to the statue. Being on Langford Green also provides fans easy access to Florida State football’s legacy walk. Around two hours before every game, the Seminole buses line up outside the stadium and stride into the locker room with thousands of fans cheering them on.
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