Florida State University Athletics
Florida State Athletics Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 1998
Wayne McDuffie’s dedication to working out as a football player at Florida State in the 1960s was legendary, and his enthusiasm for perfection continued as a tremendously successful football coach with the Seminoles and a number of other teams.
McDuffie came to Florida State as a 6’2?, 223-pound physical marvel from Hawkinsville, Ga. He was a star on FSU teams that defeated Oklahoma in the 1965 Gator Bowl, lost to Wyoming in the 1966 Sun Bowl, and tied Penn State in the 1967 Gator Bowl. He played center, defensive end and offensive guard for the Seminoles with a passion and commitment that he would later demand from the Florida State offenses that he coordinated for seven years from 1983-90.
McDuffie coached at New Mexico, Oklahoma State, and with the Atlanta Falcons and Georgia twice in his career, but it was the stint at his alma mater that gave him the greatest distinction. In addition to being credited with talking the Seminole coaching staff into signing a skinny quarterback out of Thomasville, Charlie Ward, McDuffie engineered Florida State offenses that became some of the most prolific in the history of college football. In fact, McDuffie’s FSU offenses never finished below eighth in the country in scoring during his tenure.
McDuffie received his bachelor’s degree from Florida State in 1968 and his master’s in 1971. He married Toni, a former FSU cheerleader, and had three children.
