FSU legend Warrick Dunn shares ‘remarkable’ evening with current 'Noles

Most of the current Florida State football players already knew about Warrick Dunn. His name and image are featured pretty prominently around the Seminoles' football facility and stadium, after all.

But just in case there was any question as to how dynamic the Florida State Hall of Famer was during his days in Tallahassee, head coach Mike Norvell made sure they were answered before Dunn spoke to his team Thursday night.

"We showed a short intro video," Norvell said. "Which it doesn't take long to respect a man's game when you have that type of highlight (video). But Warrick Dunn also played 12 years in the league. ... So there's a great understanding of who he is and was as a football player.

"And I'm pretty sure if he was to suit up right now, he could probably make a couple of them miss right now."

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Dunn was in Tallahassee on Thursday to serve as a guest speaker following the Seminoles' second week of preseason camp.

Norvell wouldn't tell reporters who the speaker was going to be when he addressed the media earlier that morning -- not wanting to spoil the surprise for the players -- but at around 7 p.m., they officially found out when he walked into the indoor practice facility.

During his four years at Florida State, Dunn not only emerged as one of the best players in school history, but he became one of the all-time fan favorites as well.

His backstory -- from his mom, police officer Betty Smothers, being tragically shot and killed in Louisiana, to rooming with Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward, to scoring all those touchdowns and helping win all those games (including the 1993 national championship) -- have become lore among the Florida State fan base ever since the Baton Rouge native splashed onto the scene as a true freshman.

So has, of course, his Homes for the Holidays charity that has helped provide housing assistance for 181 families in the last 23 years.

"Service, sacrifice and respect -- I think he embodies that in all aspects," Norvell said, adding that those are the three tenets of his football program.

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The Seminoles' new head coach said he had never met Dunn face to face until Thursday night, but he had talked to him on the phone.

Norvell didn't tell the former All-American what he wanted him to talk about or address with his team: "I just wanted him to share his heart. And it was an incredible message. I was so honored to have him last night."

Freshman tight end Carter Boatwright was so mesmerized and engaged by Dunn's speech -- and subsequent question-and-answer session -- that he couldn't believe how fast time flew.

"We started at 7:15ish," Boatwright said. "It felt like five minutes had gone by, and I looked up and it had been an hour."

One day after the team spoke glowingly about their retreat to South Georgia for a team-bonding exercise, one of the most famous players in school history was standing in front of them and talking about the reasons he chose Florida State and the reasons it will always be special to him.

And it went beyond all those touchdowns and victory celebrations.

"For me, being a Seminole is everything and then some," Dunn told the group. "It's those little things in life. Because to be great, it's all about those little things. We did all the little things. We prepared. We challenged each other. We did those little things in helping each other. We prayed together. We dined together. We had each other's back.

"I mean, that's Florida State, right? ... When I came here, I had Charlie Ward. A fifth-year senior (rooming) with a freshman. This is the guy that I talked to, that I was able to really be vulnerable with and cried in front of. We had talks about my mom. I was missing her. ... Charlie was there for me and he listened to me. He didn't judge me, he was just there to support me in my time.

"And we can all accept each other for who we are, and we're going to come a long way. And that's Florida State. Who cares where we come from? We all play as one."

Norvell explained that he when has guest speakers visit, he likes to pay special attention to the players and how they're responding.

He said everyone on the team, from freshmen to redshirt seniors to support staff to coaches, were all taking notes as Dunn talked.

"I've got a couple of pages worth myself," Norvell said. "It was pretty impressive."

The whole night was.

Not because Dunn was a great football player who put points on the scoreboard, but because of what he has done and become off the field.

As the new coach has said repeatedly since he arrived in Tallahassee, "How you do one thing is how you do everything." And there's not a much better example of that than Warrick Dunn.

The former FSU and NFL star is, by all accounts, a better person than he was a player. And he was an all-time great player.

"I have unbelievable respect for him and the man he is," Norvell said. "Just the impact he has and had during his playing career, and even more impressively the impact he's had after his playing career. His generosity and service to impact the lives of others and communities is special.

"At the end, he asked for questions. ... And for our guys to ask specific questions for what they're searching for in their own journeys is pretty remarkable."

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