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Up Close with Tomahawk: Meet the real Perry K

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

By FrankDNole and Perry Kostidakis
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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.

Up this week, TN Greek sponge diver, the manager of the Shell City store in Bikini Bottom, our fearful leader, the John Stamos of the FSU beat, Perry Kostidakis.

What was the deciding factor in your decision to attend FSU in Tallahassee?

Spoiler alert off top — I grew up a Gator fan, raised by a father who led me astray. I went to Gainesville my junior year of high school for a concert and absolutely hated every bit of it, including the people I interacted with. I had my sights set on USF, because they had a journalism program and because Tampa had basically every sport you could ask for, making a potential career in it easier.

I went up to Tallahassee my senior year to visit some friends, and fell in love with the campus and the people there. Everybody was friendly (likely because they were wasted, but) and then the campus, phew, from the trees to the brick to Landis to the just overall sense of peace you had being there, it felt like home.

Who is your all-time favorite FSU football player?

This is a young man’s answer, but there was nobody who I enjoyed on the field more than Dalvin Cook. Knowing that the dude could take off at any second and score felt like a cheat code, and it made covering the program so much fun.

Runners-up: Chris Thompson, Kenny Shaw, and Lonnie Pryor.

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

One of the funniest ways that FSU has ever beaten Miami:

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

As a fan: 2012 vs. Clemson, which was my first real exposure to Doak in a high-stakes matchup as a student.

As media: 2013 BCS National Championship is an easy pick (sorry not sorry for the bragging), so I’ll go with the 2016 Orange Bowl vs. Michigan. It was absolutely thrilling and absolutely hilarious, which are the two utmost things you could ask for from a college football game.

What was your major at FSU and what is your current occupation?

English, with a focus on editing, writing and media — a fancy way of saying we learned how to use Wordpress. I’d say my major technically was the FSView, the student paper at FSU, which I spent waaaaay more timing working at than I ever spent on school.

Right now, I work at 10 Tampa Bay, a TV station in, well, Tampa, as an associate producer — a fancy way of saying I edit videos and run the teleprompter.

What was your favorite spot on campus or in Tallahassee when you were a student?

Both were FSView offices that no longer exist — the first was off-campus, like 5 minutes away on Woodward, the second was right in the middle of the union, facing the HCB. I loved the one in union more than anything, because I could just pop open the doors, blast music and do homework, but the best part about the off-campus was there was a golf cart, which I took to class and games and felt like a god.

What is your favorite non-football FSU sports moment?

FSU soccer winning its first title in 2014. Soccer was my first sports beat at FSU, so I was really really invested in the program right off the bat. They had come so close in the years before, so finally breaking through felt like a coronation moment.

What is your favorite non-FSU sports moment?

2006 Oklahoma vs. Boise State Fiesta Bowl, 2017 USF vs. UCF, and 2021 Wrestlemania, my first and only interaction with anything WWE-related.

Alternatively: the last two years of Tampa sports, validating my entire life of rooting for underwhelming professional franchises (still waiting for the Magic, though.)

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

There is a dark, sad timeline where I am the saddest USF fan to ever exist, duped by the promises of an outlier 2007 season.

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

As mentioned above, if it’s Tampa, it’s my jam (Rays, Rowdies, Buccaneers, Lightning), plus the Orlando Magic. Fun fact: I am a fan of those teams because my dad became a Bucs fan the year they became a franchise to annoy some random kid on his street who was a Dolphins fan. When I say pettiness to the point of idiocy is running in these veins, it is not hyperbole.

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

In high school, I was a defensive lineman that wore No. 66, and I would be a liar if I said it wouldn’t bring tears to my eyes to be the tiniest human to ever take Bobby Bowden Field and do it against humans three times the size of me.

Yes, my jersey was a XXL and yes, my friend’s grandma had to sow it for me

Tell Tomahawk Nation something unique about yourself?

A) My hair moves when I talk — I can’t control it

2) I have relatives with the last name Costidakis because they came through Ellis Island at a different point than my grandfather

D) Perry is not short for anything, but my real name is Παράσχος Θεμιστοκλή Κοστιδακις

4thand14) I just got engaged last Saturday

I would like to thank Perry for his contributions to Tomahawk Nation over the years and for sharing his FSU experiences with the Tomahawk Nation Community.

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

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