4/13/2023 football Edit

Fan preview: What to do, schedule for spring showcase weekend

Bob Ferrante • TheOsceola

Editor

If you’re coming to Doak Campbell Stadium for Saturday’s spring showcase, there will be plenty to do before and after the 4 p.m. event. We’ve compiled a list of activities for the weekend. And if you can't make it back, here's how to watch and follow along with the Osceola's coverage this weekend.

Friday night

Looking for what to do on Friday night? There are three good options, from the Friday Night Block Party (5-10 p.m.) in College Town, featuring country singer Dylan Marlowe, to the FSU-Virginia softball game (6 p.m., tickets available here) to the Flying High Circus (7 p.m., limited availability on tickets).

The Osceola staff will share what we're looking forward to watching on Saturday in a story and we'll also have a live preview show on Friday at 12:30 p.m. (watch on our YouTube, Facebook or Twitter) and if you miss it watch on demand or listen to the show on your favorite podcast platform.

Saturday pregame, game information

The Garnet and Gold Spring Showcase will begin at 4 p.m. While not a true game format, expect a good amount of 11-on-11 competition (Mike Norvell has often placed an emphasis on it this spring). Guest coaches from the 1993 national championship team will be Charlie Ward and Henri Crockett, with Karlos Williams and PJ Williams as guest coaches from the 2013 national championship team.

The ticket office at Dick Howser Stadium will open at 2 p.m. But you may want to avoid the lines and grab your tickets online. Tickets are general admission and cost $10.

Champions Club will open at 2 p.m. Gates A, C, E, F, J, K and M as well as the Champions Club will be open at 3 p.m. Students can use their FSU ID at any gate. Tickets to the Champions Club ($40) are only available to existing season ticket holders and Silver Chief donors or above.

Looking to plan the morning? Parking lots open at 10 a.m. (parking at the Lot 9 garage is $8, purchase here). There will be a fan fest on Langford Green from 11 a.m.-noon., and current players will be signing autographs in an event sponsored by The Battle's End.

A Coca-Cola tailgate opens at noon. There will also be a fan fest for Battle's End members from noon-3:30 p.m.

The FSU softball team will play Virginia at 1 p.m. You can buy a ticket (here), watch from the left-field berm or the parking garage across the street.

If you can’t make it to Doak, there will be a live stream on ACC Network Extra with a two-hour window for the broadcast. Quarterback EJ Manuel is expected to be among the broadcasters coming in for the game.

Whether you're in the stadium, watching from home or if you have other plans, the Osceola staff will have a live thread with updates during the spring showcase and we'll have interviews with coach Mike Norvell and others in the evening.

FSU officials say fans will be allowed on the field postgame.

The Flying High Circus will also perform at 7 p.m. (limited availability on tickets).

Sunday-Monday

And if you don’t have too long of a drive home on Sunday, run or walk in the Garnet and Gold 4-miler. The event begins at the Unconquered statue outside Doak and follows the four-mile course through the FSU campus before returning for a finish on the 50-yard line inside the stadium. (Register here.) If you haven't seen the campus in a while, this is an excellent way to see it, even if you walk it.

There’s also a softball game at noon (buy a ticket here) and a PRISM concert featuring College of Music students and faculty at 2 p.m. If you've never been to a PRISM concert, you owe it to yourself to attend.

The Osceola has organized a pair of events for longtime assistant coach Billy Sexton to life his spirits and offset some of the rehabilitation costs of a major stroke suffered last August. Both events -- a dinner Sunday evening and golf tournament Monday -- sold out quickly, thanks to many Osceola subscribers and former players. Look for full coverage of the event on our site and follow our social media channels for photos. More than 40 former players, coaches and staff have made donations to attend the dinner, which counts among its ranks 22 members of the FSU Hall of Fame.

The former players planning to attend include Dexter Carter, John Crowe, Warrick Dunn, Dano Fiore, Victor Floyd, William Floyd, Buddy Gridley, James Harris, Eric Hayes, Jared Hetzel, Darrin Holloman, Colson Hosford, Greg Jones, Keith Jones, Jimmy Jordan, Tommy Leathers, Kez McCorvey, Rick Oreir, Mark Orlando, Clint Parker, Billy Rhodes, Billy Sexton, Barry Smith, Sammie Smith, Mike Shuman, Jessie Soloman, Kurt Unglaub, Chariie Ward and Dayne Williams.

The former coaches and staff include former defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews, linebacker coach Wally Burnham, defensive ends coach Jim Gladden, runningback coach Billy Sexton, executive secretary Sue Hall, Toni McDuffie, wife of former FSU offensive coordinator/line coach, athletic trainers Kent Knicely, Randy Oravets, and Jim Watson, basketball coaches Pat Kennedy and Tom Carlson, former swim coach/associate AD Bill Shults and track coaches Terry Long and Dick Roberts. .