Up Close with Tomahawk: Meet the real Tommy M

Introducing you to the Tomahawk Nation staff, one-by-one

By FrankDNole and Tommy Mire Aug 13, 2022, 6:00am EDT

Here at Tomahawk Nation, we’re lucky to have ourselves a fine group of learned people who are able to help shape, produce and elevate the content we put out here covering Florida State athletics.

It’s easy to forget sometimes that there’s a human behind the words — we’re here to fix that. Each week, we’ll be giving some insight into the people that make TN’s engine purr.

Next up, one of our young guns with his boots on the ground in Tallahassee, the man Rashad Greene wanted nothing to do with, Tomahawk Nation writer and staff member, Tommy Mire.

What was it about FSU that attracted you to follow FSU football/recruiting, and the other sports, as closely as you do?

Good question. Florida State has always been a major part of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up in Tallahassee in the 80s and 90s and had never been really anywhere else until around 2009.

My FSU “fandom” started at a young age, but it didn’t truly set in until I got stationed in Guam in 2012. I was sitting at a computer and one of my friends came up and started talking to me about FSU. Homesickness struck and from then on, I was addicted. Watching FSU became my sense of home and, well, here I am.

Crazy little side note: A few years later on a ship, I had the gnarliest heat rash one could imagine after working on the flight deck in the intense heat that comes from being on an aircraft carrier in the middle of summer.

Low and behold former FSU defensive lineman Alex Boston literally slept in the bunk across from me. He had experienced those types of conditions before and handed me a bottle of tea tree oil to help.

I didn’t know it at the time, but I eventually figured out that he played for FSU when we both were going crazy in the common area watching Dalvin Cook do his thing. Alex Boston — a solid guy.

Who is your all-time favorite FSU football player?

Rashad Greene. The man would come through at any given moment, big or small, and was such a reliable unsung hero in my opinion.

Another crazy little side story: I came home on leave one time and my mom (knowing how much I adored this guy) e-mailed him to see if he’d meet up with me or say hey or something to that tune. Our plans never really came to fruition.

Which Seminole highlight makes you the happiest when you watch it?

Gwyn Rhodes already chose one of the ones I was thinking of but there are hundreds. The correct answer would be any.

The first one that comes to mind though would be Dalvin Cook becoming FSU’s all-time leading rusher against Syracuse and then this one at 00:15. Seeing him disappear in a pile and then reappear heading for the end zone was remarkable.

Which was the most memorable FSU game you witnessed live, at Doak or elsewhere as a visitor?

Whew, recently? Facepalm against Jacksonville State, 4th and 14 against Miami, UNC ‘20 and ‘21.

As a child, it would have to be Duke in the ’90s. I was a kid living in the woods of Killearn and hung out with my dad for a change. We watched the games on a tiny AV antenna TV screen and listened to Deckerhoff call plays live in the nosebleed section.

Getting every player to sign a ball outside of Dick Howser was also a must when we would go see the baseball team.

What is your favorite non-football FSU moment?

My first fist bump with coaches and players.

Seeing the university become a top-20 institution, watching basketball grow, soccer championships, College World Series, and walking around the stadium at 19 with a world of imaginable things that could happen.

FSU reaffirmed its place in the Top 20 among public universities for the third consecutive year, retaining its No. 19 spot in the U.S. News & World Report rankings. FSU also climbed three spots to No. 55 among all national universities, both public and private.
Read more …

If it couldn’t be FSU, which college team would you root for?

A team way outside of the ACC realm. Washington? I was brought up on LSU as well because a lot of my family is from that area of the US so — Saban-era LSU? UCF (National Champs?).

I’m not really sure. To be honest, I’m a Seminole.

Which pro teams are you a fan of, if any?

New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and not necessarily in that order. I like the Baltimore Ravens and the Minnesota Vikings as well.

If you could’ve played for FSU, what position would you have played and what number would you have worn?

Is there an opening for men’s cannonball? I probably would’ve been good at that.

Tell Tomahawk Nation something unique about yourself.

There is nothing unique about me. I’m just your average, trip over a curb, tell a cute girl “Hey” while stumbling to get in a spaceship aimed at Taco Bell to pick up some food on the way kind of guy. I love quesadillas.

I don't know. Can we do an up-close with Frank?

Frank is the type of guy to sit in the stands at Sea World shouting “Go Dolphins!” and yell at the trainers for bad play calls.

“That's not a WEST coast offense! That's EAST COAST!”

I would like to thank Tommy Mire for his contributions to Tomahawk Nation over the years and for sharing his FSU experiences with the Tomahawk Nation Community. Please follow Tommy on the Twitters @7tomms

Please check out these other previously published Up close with the Tomahawk staff.

Up Close with Tomahawk: Meet the real Tommy M

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