Legends Bracket continues with Corso vs. Sellers, Biletnikoff vs. Jones
As expected, the first day of voting in the Legends portion of our 2020 Bracket Challenge featured one very competitive matchup, but the higher seeds prevailed once again.
In the closest battle yet, No. 4 seed Greg Allen pulled away from No. 5 seed Jamie Dukes with 57 percent of the vote on our Tribal Council message board. Meanwhile, No. 1 seed Ron Simmons rolled to an easy win in his first-round matchup with 96 percent of the vote on the Tribal Council.
Our version of Seminole Madness continues today with the final two matchups from our Legends division:
No. 3 seed Ron Sellers vs. No. 6 seed Lee Corso
No. 2 seed Fred Biletnikoff vs. No. 7 Willie Jones
If you need more information and insight, we present bios on each player below:
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In addition to voting on our Tribal Council message board, you can also submit your vote on Warchant's Twitter account. The voting window is 24 hours, and each round offers an opportunity for Warchant subscribers and Twitter users 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.
If you already know who gets your vote, click here to make your picks on the Tribal Council:
The Matchups
No. 2 seed Fred Biletnikoff vs. No. 7 seed Willie Jones
Fred Biletnikoff redefined the wide receiver position at Florida State shorty after signing with the Seminoles in 1961 out of Erie, Pa. Playing in Bill Peterson's wide-open passing attack, which was one of the first of its kind, Biletnikoff delivered a pair of brilliant seasons in 1963 and '64. His final campaign was his best, as he set FSU single-season records with 57 receptions for 987 yards and 11 touchdowns. Those numbers don't include his record-smashing Gator Bowl performance against Oklahoma, in which he caught 13 passes for 192 yards and four scores. Biletnikoff had his jersey retired at Florida State and went on to be inducted into the college and pro football halls of fame. He was FSU's first Consensus All-American as a senior, and he played in four Pro Bowls with the Oakland Raiders.
Willie Jones blossomed into one of the first stars for Florida State football when Bobby Bowden took over as head coach in 1976 and became one of the most feared pass-rushers in college football. The highlight of Jones' career was a five sack performance against rival Florida in 1978, which still stands as the FSU record for most sacks in a game (tied with Ron Simmons one year earlier vs. North Texas State). Jones finished his FSU career with 20 sacks, and he still shares the school career record with eight fumble recoveries. Jones earned Defensive MVP honors in the 1977 Tangerine Bowl -- a 40-17 rout of Texas Tech -- and went on to be a second-round pick of the Oakland Raiders. As a rookie, he led the Raiders with 10 sacks.
No. 3 seed Ron Sellers vs. No. 6 seed Lee Corso
Ron Sellers was such a dominating force for Florida State's offense in the late 1960s that many of his performance still are recognized in the Seminoles' record books some 50 years later. In fact, Sellers still holds the top four spots in FSU history for receptions in a game with a career-best 16 vs. South Carolina and three more games with 14 apiece. Nicknamed "Jingle Joints," the 6-foot, 4-inch Sellers actually holds seven of the top eight spots overall. He also holds the school records for catches per game during a season and a career, and his 1,496 receiving yards in 1968 still stand as No. 1 in FSU history. His five touchdown receptions against Wake Forest in '68 are another school best -- and he holds the marks most 200-yard receiving games in a season (4) and career (5). Sellers went on to be drafted No. 6 overall by the Boston Patriots of the American Football League but only enjoyed modest success in the NFL.
Lee Corso was a standout on both sides of the ball at FSU in the mid-1950s and held the rare distinction of leading the Seminoles in interceptions, rushing and passing during different seasons. Corso's career record of 14 interceptions was No. 1 in school history for two decades, and he still ranks No. 3 all-time in a tie with Deion Sanders. Only Terrell Buckley (21) and Monk Bonasorte (15) had more. Corso's six interceptions during the 1954 campaign still ranks as one of the 10 best season marks in school history. Corso also turned in three 100-yard rushing games; he led the Seminoles in rushing in 1955 and total offense in '56. Corso went on to a successful coaching career and has become a beloved ambassador for college football as one of the longtime hosts on ESPN's "College GameDay."
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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. (Votes also can be placed through the poll at our official account on Twitter, @Warchant.)
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
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).
* CLICK HERE for a printable bracket
(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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