38 days to FSU football: National award winners face off for top ‘Nole No. 38

It’s a tricky vote today, as a pair of greats at their respective positions headline the competition. Florida State football is growing ever closer, and this could be a pretty close vote as well.

We start with place kicker Sebastian Janikowski. Of the elite Seminoles to have captured countrywide position awards, the Polish Powder keg is the only to have won one in back-to-back years, as he captured the Lou Groza Award in both 1998 and 1999 (he’s still the only kicker to have ever earned the award in consecutive seasons). Janikowski was one of just seven ‘Noles to earn consensus All-American honors twice, in the aforementioned years, when he was also a first-team All-ACC choice. His 2.23 field goals per game in ‘99 led the country en route to FSU’s second national title. He’s the second-most accurate kicker in Seminole history and led the ‘Noles in scoring all-three years he was at Florida State before declaring early for the NFL Draft and becoming the only kicker ever taken in the first round, when the Oakland Raiders made him the 17th overall selection in 2000. Janikowski earned Pro Bowl honors in 2011.

But don’t forget about linebacker Pat McGowan, who garnered All-American honors in three-straight seasons as a ‘Nole. In 1985, he earned an Honorable Mention AP All-American nod and was a second-team Sophomore All-American per Football News. McGowan repeated his Honorable Mention AP All-American play in ‘86, and punctuated his FSU career in 1987 when he was a first-team All-American according to Football News, the AP, and The Sporting News. That year, he became the only Seminole not named Marvin Jones to capture the Butkus Award, presented to the country’s top LB, when he won the prize over Ohio State’s Chris Spielman. His 150 tackles in ‘87 is the seventh-most in a single Florida State season, and he finished with 446, the fourth-best total in ‘Nole history. McGowan’s 32 career tackles for loss ties him for 13th most in that category at FSU. An All-South Independent first-team pick from ‘85-’87, he was a ninth-round draftee of the Minnesota Vikings in 1988.

A couple more ‘Noles have secured all-conference level honors as well. Backer Ken Roe was a second-team All-South Independent choice in 1982, and punter Cason Beatty nabbed All-ACC Honorable Mention honors following 2015. Defensive back Buzzy Lewis was drafted by the Colts in the 17th round of the ‘74 draft.

The other FSU players to wear No. 38:

• Jack Tully (1948-1949)
• Aaron Carter (1973)
• Mike Kincaid (1975)
• Larry Ellison (1977)
• Kelly Burney (1980)
• Jason Crain (1988)
• David Bassett (1989-1990)
• Scott Holmes (1991-1993)
• Dan LaRose (1993)
• Mike Mirando (1994)
• Mario Edwards (1995)
• Laveranues Coles (1996)
• Greg Jones (2000)
• Paul Irons (2001-2004)
• Sean Compton (2006)
• Jermaine Thomas (2008-2011)
• Darren Edwards (2010)
• Jonathan Akanbi (2012-2013)

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