In 1960, a time when Florida State was barely known outside the South, a change agent arrived on campus. And FSU football was about to get a lot more intense for the players, and a lot more fun for fans.
Bill Peterson had been an assistant at LSU under coaching legend Paul Dietzel. He was a coach on the way up, much like the Seminoles’ fledgling football program. Peterson and FSU were a great fit for each other—right time, right place. And together, they were destined for great things. So were many of Peterson’s coaching assistants — a long list of born winners that includes names like Bobby Bowden, Joe Gibbs and Bill Parcells. Here’s the story, as told by his son, Bill Peterson, Jr. in an interview from our archives.