Bracket Challenge Finals: Is Charlie or Deion the greatest Seminole ever?
There is no wrong choice here.
In fact, it might just be an impossible choice to make.
Charlie or Deion?
Deion or Charlie?
Who takes the crown as the best-ever player in Florida State football history? (Voting has begun on the Tribal Council)
On one hand, you've got the program's first Heisman Trophy winner. A quarterback so gifted that he won every conceivable award during 1993 and led the Seminoles to their first national championship, concluding his career with a game-winning drive in the final minute of the Orange Bowl. Oh, and he punted as a freshman, too. And he was the starting point guard on two Sweet 16 basketball teams and wound up being a first-round pick in the NBA, where he enjoyed a lengthy career.
On the other hand, you have the most decorated defensive back in football history. A cornerback who was a two-time consensus All-American, won the Thorpe Award, played in multiple Super Bowls, and was a first-ballot member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Oh, and he returned punts, too. And was an All-American in track. And had a long career in Major League Baseball.
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Charlie Ward and Deion Sanders aren't just the two best Florida State football players of all time (at least according to our 64-player Bracket Challenge here at Warchant.com), they are two of the best athletes who have ever been on any campus. At any time.
Deion hit a major-league home run and scored an NFL touchdown in the same week.
Charlie Ward is the only Heisman winner ever drafted in the first round of another sport.
They have created so many highlights, in multiple sports, that it's impossible to list them all in one article. So we're not going to even try. And if you're reading this article, you already know plenty about both all-time greats.
So, really, what this decision comes down to is preference.
There are cases to be made for both being the most important player in Florida State history.
First, there's Deion.
He came along in 1985. His class was the one that started the Dynasty. He helped turn Florida State into a destination program for the best players in the country. He brought swagger. He brought charisma. He brought immense, generational talent. And he brought a whole lot of wins.
Without Deion, who knows if the likes of Terrell Buckley, Corey Sawyer, Clifton Abraham and on and on and on end up coming to Tallahassee? Deion's impact was unquestionable.
Then, there's Charlie.
He didn't start for four years like Deion. But he was so gifted an athlete that he did start at punter as a freshman in 1989 and then, after sitting behind Casey Weldon and Brad Johnson, became the starting QB in 1992 and rewrote most of the record books. All the while, he was leading the Florida State basketball team to three straight NCAA Tournaments, even beating Louisville for the Metro Conference championship with a long 3-pointer in the final seconds.
Charlie was the QB who finally got Bobby Bowden that elusive national title. He was the QB who finally brought a Heisman Trophy to Tallahassee. He was the QB who, with the championship on the line late in the Orange Bowl, led the Seminoles to a game-winning score against Nebraska.
There's no way to truly calculate his impact on the FSU program other than to say that, for certain, there would be one less national championship trophy in the Moore Athletic Center.
So, this is the choice you're facing. And honestly, it seemed like this was always going to be the matchup when we released the bracket two months ago. As great as Simmons and Marvin and Brooks and Walter Jones and Boulware and Weinke and Jameis and the Warricks were, these two guys have always been folk heroes in Tallahassee. They've long been considered, in most fans' eyes, a slight step above the other all-time greats.
And now you get to choose who you think should be labeled the best FSU player of all time.
The legendary quarterback vs. the legendary cornerback.
The soft-spoken multi-sport star from Thomasville, Ga., vs. the not-so-soft-spoken multi-sport star from Fort Myers.
No. 17 vs. No. 2.
It's not an easy choice to make. At all.
But at least you can take solace knowing there is no wrong answer.
BRACKET CHALLENGE FINALS
Charlie Ward, who was the No. 1 seed and winner of the Offensive Playmakers Bracket, reached the Bracket Challenge finals by storming past Peter Boulware in their Final Four matchup. Boulware reached that level by winning the Offensive/Defensive Line bracket, but he was no match for Ward, who claimed an astounding 94.9 percent of the vote.
Sanders, who was the No. 1 seed and winner of the Defensive Playmakers Bracket, had a tougher time but still cruised into the finals by defeating Ron Simmons in their battle. Sanders defeated Simmons, who won the combined Legends/Special Teams bracket, with 78.9 percent of the vote.
THE VOTING BEGINS
Here is the link to vote for the overall champion:
Charlie Ward vs. Deion Sanders
Unlike the previous rounds, which featured 24-hour windows for voting, this battle will be open for 48 hours. The winner will be announced Saturday morning, May 23.
All voting will be done on our Tribal Council message board. Each round offers an opportunity for Warchant subscribers to win a $25 e-card to Garnet & Gold. That prize will go to the person who makes the most compelling and/or original argument for their vote.
Final Four Winner of $25 eCard from Garnet & Gold - Tom81
Click here to make your votes on the Tribal Council. If you're not yet a member of Warchant.com, start your 30-day Free Trial today.
About the tournament
We've broken down the field of 64 into four 16-team brackets:
* Offensive Playmakers
* Defensive Playmakers
* Linemen (offensive and defensive)
* Legends/Special Teams
Here is the original 64-player printable bracket
The first three "regions" are pretty self-explanatory. The final one is a combination of eight Seminole "legends," which we've defined as players who graduated by 1985 (just before the Dynasty era really began), and eight special-teams players.
The special-teams players were broken down further into two four-team brackets -- kickers/punters and "specialists" (return men or players who specialized in blocking kicks).
(Note: Players who already held a spot in one of the other categories were not eligible to also be selected as specialists. That is why Deion Sanders, Peter Warrick and Terrell Buckley are not listed there.)
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Talk about this story with other Florida State football fans in the Tribal Council