Florida State University Athletics
Bill Peterson Bio
6/17/2014 12:00:00 PM | General
For 11 seasons from 1960-1979, Bill Peterson was the head football coach at Florida State. Under “Coach Pete’s” direction FSU football became an exciting event. Peterson brought wide-open offensive action to the garnet and gold, developing some of the decade’s greatest offensive teams and individual players. In the process, Coach Pete also became one of the greatest characters in American sports. His teams compiled a record of 62-42-11, a winning percentage of .587. While “Coach Pete” led the Seminoles, FSU made four bowl appearances. In 1964, the Tribe defeated Oklahoma 36-19 in the Gator Bowl.
Two years later FSU lost to Wyoming in the Sun Bowl and in the 1967 Gator Bowl FSU tied Penn State 17-17 with a great second half rally. The final Peterson-FSU bowl appearance came in 1968 when the Seminoles lost to a narrow 31-27 decision to LSU in the inaugural Peach Bowl. The rise of FSU football to national prominence is due in large part to the Peterson Era.
