Arguably the greatest spectacle in college football unfolds moments before kickoff at Doak Campbell Stadium when Osceola charges down the field aboard Renegade, a beautiful Appaloosa, and plants a flaming spear at midfield prior to each home game. This tradition is a tribute to the great Seminole Tribe of Florida.

The tradition was born on Sept. 16, 1978, when a student, portraying the famous Seminole warrior Osceola, led the football team from the tunnel riding a horse as the Seminoles headed into battle against Oklahoma State. The first student to portray Osceola was Jim Kidder riding Renegade I. Since then, six different Renegades and 16 different riders have made the ride and planted the spear, which brings the game day crowd to its feet. In 2018, the tradition of Osceola and Renegade is celebrating 40 years as the 17th Osceola takes to the field aboard Renegade.

Bill Durham, a 1965 FSU graduate, developed the concept of the Osceola and Renegade tradition. He launched the tradition at Florida State University in 1978 after obtaining permission from the Seminole Tribe of Florida. The Durham family provides the beautiful Appaloosa horses involved with the program and has directed the Osceola and Renegade program since its inception with the assistance of the members of the Renegade Team. The regalia used by Osceola is designed for authenticity and approved by the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

Prior to the 2011 season, ESPN’s SportsNation voted Osceola and Renegade the best NCAA Football Tradition in the country. A framed rendering of the spear plant was presented to the Durham family during the Oklahoma game on Sept. 17, 2011. That rendering now resides in the Moore Athletics Center.

In 2013, Osceola and Renegade made their second appearance at a National Championship Game, traveling to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, to watch the Seminoles claim their third national title. Osceola and Renegade also appeared at the Orange Bowl where Florida State won its first national championship to cap the 1993 season.

Renegade Throughout FSU History