SodTalk at Florida State University’s Sod Cemetery has now become a pre-game favorite for hundreds of football fans who visit each gameday to meet and hear from legendary former Seminole football players. Now in its third season, SodTalk has been a great new addition to the excitement of the FSU football gameday experience.
Ninety minutes before each FSU kickoff, Seminole Legends return home to visit with fans, sign autographs, and tell them about their best Seminole experiences. SodTalk happens at the Sod Cemetery Plaza, located between the Bobby Bowden Statue and Dick Howser Baseball Stadium, just outside of Gate M at Doak Campbell Stadium.
In the past two years, SodTalk Legends have included Charlie Ward, Fred Biletnikoff, Ron Sellers, Warrick Dunn, Derrick Brooks, Ron Simmons, Peter Warrick, Peter Boulware, Corey Simon, Wally Woodham, LeRoy Butler and Jimmy Jordan. The Legends are interviewed on a stage with a state-of-the art sound system by the Sod Cemetery Keeper, Doug Mannheimer, Tallahassee attorney, now in his 30th year of upholding the 54 year Sod Cemetery tradition.
The Sod Cemetery began in 1962 when the Seminoles were about to go on the road to play a tough game at the University of Georgia. Dean Coyle Moore, a longtime FSU Professor of Social Work and Athletics Board Member, spoke to the team. He challenged them to win on the road, against the crowd and against the odds. No one gave FSU much of a chance against the more established Georgia program. But Dean Moore said, “I know that you can win against the odds. I believe in you. And when you win, I want you to reach down and grab a little sod from between those hedges at Georgia and bring it back home.”
Well, the Seminoles believed Dean Moore. They defeated University of Georgia (UGA) 18-0 when no one else had given them much of a chance. Team captains Gene McDowell and Red Dawson remembered what Dean Moore had told them and they gathered some sod in a paper cup to bring back to Tallahassee. At the first practice following the UGA game, they presented the victory sod to Dean Moore. At first he was not sure what to do with it, but soon, he and Coach Bill Peterson decided they would bury the sod at a place on the side of the FSU practice fields and place a grave marker over it to commemorate the year and the score. They created the Sod Cemetery.
And so began the Sod Game tradition at FSU. Each week before road games, including all away games against the University of Florida (UF), championship and bowl games, and when FSU is an underdog or slight favorite, a Sod Captain is selected. That captain reminds the team of the challenge ahead and is charged with “bringing back the victory sod”.
Since 1962, the Seminoles have brought home the Sod in 101 victories. The 100th Sod Win was in the 2014 ACC Championship against Georgia Tech. The 101st Sod Win was last season’s 27-2 victory over UF in Gainesville. That sod marker was installed in April.
Today the Cemetery proudly shows some of FSU’s finest days, with wins over the greatest football programs in America, including Alabama, Southern Cal, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Texas A&M, Auburn, Georgia and of course, state rivals Miami and UF. Each gameday, when a visiting team plays at Doak Campbell for which there was a Sod Win, flowers in that team’s color are placed beside the marker in the Cemetery.
On November 26th, when the Gators come to Tallahassee, their orange and blue colors will grace 12 Sod Markers celebrating Seminole Sod Wins.
SodTalks provide a great opportunity for Seminole fans to see and hear from the legendary players who helped “bring back the Sod”. Over the past two years, the crowds have been growing, with over 2,000 fans gathering to see great Seminole tailback Warrick Dunn last year.
Sod Cemetery Keeper Doug Mannheimer promises to continue to bring back the Legends. “At our opening game against Charleston Southern, we will hear from two Legends that will have been inducted in the FSU Athletics Hall of Fame the night before. We are working to bring back more of the recent FSU greats, some of whom will be on their open weekends for their NFL teams. Our fans seem to have really enjoyed hearing from the former players they remember wearing those gold helmets. But, in a way, those helmets are removed and our fans see and meet those players as real people. And they have all been very interesting to hear from.”
So, FSU fans can add to their Seminole gameday fun by remembering to visit SodTalk at the Sod Cemetery 90 minutes before kickoff. This is one happy cemetery where the memories are all good and everyone is alive!
By Dale Joyce
Home & Yard Publisher