Marching Chiefs create unique atmosphere for FSU baseball's rivalry week
It started as a simple idea between David Plack and Link Jarrett.
Although baseball games aren't the traditional atmosphere for pep bands, a section of the Florida State Marching Chiefs were invited to attend a fall-ball scrimmage at Dick Howser Stadium last October to play the National Anthem and the FSU fight song before it got underway.
"(Jarrett) could not have been more appreciative and complimentary and stated numerous times how much he appreciates what we do for FSU athletics," Plack, FSU's director of athletic bands, told the Osceola. "He made a big impression on our students. We then both talked about our mutual desire to have us come out for a ‘big’ game in the regular season."
That big game, as it turned out, was picked out to be Tuesday's home game vs. Florida. But what started as a simple pregame idea quickly evolved into so much more.
"We met just last week to talk details and started asking the what ifs. What if you all stayed and played the entire time? What if you all started playing Seminole Uprising when the team takes the field for the first time?" Plack said. "Randy Burdette, FSU baseball’s director of program development, and I got creative and with help and assistance from FSU ticketing, facilities, Bailey DeHart in marketing and others, came up with a plan to make it work. It exceeded our expectations and we had numerous opportunities to add to the atmosphere and impact the game."
A group of 100 or so Chiefs arrived an hour before the game and were seated in the right-field bleachers. They treated the event as if it was a football or basketball game they normally attend, playing throughout pregame warmups, blaring the War Chant at big moments in the game and, of course, playing the fight song each time the Seminoles scored a run.
That wound up being quite a few times as No. 10 FSU ran away with a resounding 19-4 win over the Gators to complete a regular-season sweep. The Chiefs helped create perhaps the most raucous environment in Dick Howser Stadium history as 6,700 fans attended Tuesday's game (tied for seventh-most in DHS history) and plenty more students who couldn't get into the sellout game climbed onto the outfield wall in right field behind the chain-link fence to get a view of the beatdown performance by the Seminoles and the chaos that was Howser on this night.
"I think that's the best atmosphere I've ever seen in a game that I've coached or played at this level. It was just awesome..." Jarrett said after Tuesday's win. "I never thought we would have that many of (the Chiefs) that were able to make it out. It was just a really cool part of what makes Florida State so special."
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FSU catcher Jaxson West added: "I've come to a lot of games in my life at Florida State, being from here and I don't think I've ever experienced an atmosphere like that. It was cool to see the team do that tonight, but I think a lot of the credit should go to Nole Nation for what they did for us. I think that's the most fun I've ever had playing baseball in my entire life. I gotta give all the credit to those guys."
The Marching Chiefs/Seminole Sound are a busy group of students. Many of them are music majors with plentiful musical obligations and the group prides itself on making it out to as many sports as possible, recently playing at Senior Day matches for the FSU men's and women's tennis teams as well as for the FSU club lacrosse team when they recently hosted rival Florida.
That meant that as special as Tuesday was, it was unclear in the immediate aftermath when or if it would be able to happen again this season. After some behind-the-scenes coordination, however, the Chiefs announced Thursday night that they would be back inside Howser for Friday night's sold-out 6 p.m. game vs. rival Miami.
While this will not become a regular occurrence like this week's two appearances would make it seem to be, the allure of FSU baseball's rivalry week was too much to deny.
"I thought Tuesday night was the neatest thing I've ever seen at a baseball stadium. I've had some crazy things against me. I don't think I've ever had something like that for me as a coach in a stadium, for our stadium. It was a community event, I felt like..." Jarrett said. "It brought everybody together. David and the Chiefs to show the cooperation to do this and do it again, it doesn't always line up. Those musicians have other commitments and other responsibilities so it's not something you can easily gather them to do. But I thought it was so cool and it'll be cool again (Friday) and people will be climbing over the place to try to get in. That's really what this is about. It's for Tallahassee and the fans create it."
Plack has been a part of quite a few awe-inspiring FSU athletics moments during his time as an FSU student and his 20 years as FSU's director of athletic bands. But he admits Tuesday's game ranks up there in terms of atmospheres he's experienced.
"I can’t imagine we are the first band to ever play at a college baseball game although it doesn’t happen that often," Plack said. "But with it being the first time for us, it was memorable and special, especially given the outcome and significance of the game itself and the outpouring of appreciation for our efforts from Coach Jarrett, the team, and Seminole fans.
"It was one of the more special and electric atmospheres in any sport at FSU I can recall and one I won’t soon forget."
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