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46-541: In 1988, the stadium portion of the venue was named after Florida State's first baseball All-American, Dick Howser , also a former head baseball coach of the program. The stadium was originally called Seminole Stadium. The stadium was dedicated in 1985 and commemorated by a game vs the New York Yankees. The light structures were donated by George Steinbrenner. The following season, the Kansas City Royals visited and

92-490: A 30-year stretch that has seen the junior circuit go 22–1–1 in the Mid-Summer Classic after going 2–21 from 1963 through 1985 . However, during the game, broadcasters on ABC noticed he was messing up signals when he changed pitchers, and Howser later admitted he felt sick before the game. It would be the last game he would manage, as he was diagnosed with a brain tumor and underwent surgery. Howser attempted

138-587: A Tallahassee station, it was licensed to Thomasville because the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had allocated only one VHF channel to Tallahassee, channel 11. Florida State University had managed to have the FCC reserve channel 11 for noncommercial use so it could put WFSU-TV on the air. UHF was not considered viable at the time. Until the 1964 FCC requirement that all new sets have all-channel capability, UHF stations were unviewable without

184-428: A VHF allocation available. This could provide city-grade coverage of Tallahassee and north central Florida as well as southwestern Georgia. By this time, the FCC had changed its regulations to allow a station to operate its main studio outside its city of license. As a result, WCTV has been a Tallahassee station from the very beginning. However, it has always identified as serving "Thomasville–Tallahassee," and has operated

230-432: A cable-only operation. On February 17, 2009, WCTV shut off its analog signal on channel 6, and became digital-exclusive on UHF channel 46. On June 25, 2018, Gray Television announced that it would acquire Raycom Media , who had owned ABC affiliate WTXL-TV since 2017. Because the FCC prohibits a direct duopoly between two of the top four stations in the same market, Gray opted to retain ownership of WCTV and sell WTXL to

276-582: A comeback during spring training of 1987 with the Royals, but he quickly found he was physically too weak and abandoned the attempt in late February when Billy Gardner took over. Three months later, he died at St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City and was buried in Tallahassee, Florida . Two pitchers from his 1981 Royals team later died of brain cancer: Dan Quisenberry in 1998 and Ken Brett in 2003. Howser

322-588: A converter, and even with one, the picture quality was marginal at best. Additionally, the FCC had just collapsed a large portion of southwest Georgia into the Tallahassee market, and UHF stations have never carried well across large areas. Hoyt Wimpy, owner and founder of WPAX radio in Thomasville, persuaded the FCC to grant the Phipps family a license for channel 6 in Thomasville, the nearest city to Tallahassee that had

368-403: A live studio, news bureau and advertising sales office in Thomasville for many years. The station originally carried programming from all three networks, but was a primarily an NBC affiliate. This resulted in duplication with WALB-TV in nearby Albany, Georgia , which was also a primary NBC affiliate; any time either station wanted to carry a CBS program, both stations had to agree to it. As

414-492: A manager. Howser was one of the few Yankee managers who refused to let owner George Steinbrenner push him around. When Steinbrenner would call the manager's office before or after games while Howser was meeting with coaches or reporters, Howser would pick up the phone, say "I'm busy!", and hang up. Steinbrenner had a rule about facial hair, which Reggie Jackson would skirt around from time to time in 1980. Howser refused to correct Jackson because he thought Jackson's facial hair

460-918: A passion for Florida State Baseball. The animals job is to use cheers and songs to pump up the crowd and intimidate the opposing team. They strategically serenade the opposition by choosing songs from their official 63-song “Animals of Section B” songbook. Section B does unusual things like displaying the Canadian flag and singing "O Canada" in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Animals have been featured throughout multiple media outlets such as ESPN , Sports Illustrated , Sporting News , Seminole Uprising , The Mike Martin Show , WTXL-TV 27, WCTV , Bally Sports South , Tallahassee Democrat , The Florida Times-Union , FSView & Florida Flambeau , Last Word , The Gainesville Sun , Durham Herald Sun and Wakulla Digest . The Section B Animals have worked hard to establish

506-689: A rebuilding year, but Howser guided the young team to a division title. The Royals were swept in 3 games by the eventual World Champion Detroit Tigers in the ALCS . The following year, Howser guided the Royals to their first World Series title. The Royals reached the World Series by defeating the Toronto Blue Jays , four games to three, in the American League Championship Series , which

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552-618: A reputation of originality, positive energy, and of the No. 1 cheering section in college baseball. In recent years, the Animals website Section B Online , has begun generating hundreds of thousands of hits per month and is the premier source of Florida State Baseball on the Internet. The stadium annually ranks among the top 10 nationally in attendance and set records in 2003 for total and average attendance. The single-game attendance record of 6,789 spectators

598-420: A result, WCTV was forced to air some CBS programs on as much as a two-week delay, while some shows, including popular ones like I Love Lucy , were not seen at all. To resolve this issue, WCTV switched its primary affiliation to CBS on September 20, 1959; however, it continued to carry a secondary ABC affiliation while airing some NBC shows on a per-program basis. It was still the only commercial VHF station in

644-689: A semi-satellite, WSWG simulcasted all local newscasts from WCTV, except for weeknights at 5 and 5:30. Although that station did not produce any separate southwestern-Georgia-specific segments during the simulcasted shows, WCTV formerly operated a news bureau in Valdosta. It also formerly maintained bureaus in Thomasville on North Broad Street, and in Moultrie at WSWG's sales office. WCTV's former reporters assigned to southwest Georgia did not use any localized WSWG identification. WCTV did not provide news coverage of Albany despite WSWG being its CBS affiliate. However, there

690-599: A separate offering of syndicated programming; there were also separate station identifications and commercial inserts. Although master control and most internal operations of WSWG were based within WCTV's facilities, that outlet does currently maintains offices on Pine Avenue in Albany; it previously maintained a news bureau and advertising sales office on 2nd Avenue Southwest in Moultrie, Georgia . Even though WSWG technically serves as

736-404: A strong combined signal with just under 50% overlap. WCTV had been the default CBS affiliate for Albany for many years. In March 2006, WCTV moved from its longtime studios on County Road 12 in northern Leon County (approximately midway between Tallahassee and Thomasville) to new facilities on Halstead Boulevard in Tallahassee. The location formerly housed the now-defunct Florida's News Channel ,

782-505: A third party. On August 20, 2018, Gray announced that they would sell both WTXL-TV and KXXV (along with semi-satellite KRHD-CD in Bryan ) to the E. W. Scripps Company for $ 55 million. The deal was completed on January 2, 2019. From 2005 until 2019, WSWG operated as a semi-satellite of WCTV. As such, that station cleared all network programming as provided through its parent and simulcast most of WCTV's local newscasts (see below), but aired

828-493: Is a tradition. Existing since 1977 the animals are a group of Florida State baseball fans that come to the games and cheer on the Seminoles. Some old fans believe that they evolved out of a fan group that existed even before that time and was organized around supporting an individual player, a first baseman. That group carried a paddle with the player's picture on it and waved it during games. The reason for their name Section B Animals

874-405: Is because when Dick Howser Stadium opened in 1983 they took accustom to section B. The name animals came when a man would bring bad doughnuts to the games and eventually the group of fans threw the doughnuts at the man who brought the doughnuts and they were called animals, so the name stuck. The Animals consist of students, alumni, business people, families, public servants, and anyone else who has

920-450: Is generally felt that Steinbrenner actually fired him. Howser was the first manager to be fired/resign after leading a team to a 100 win season (incidentally, Steinbrenner had fired Howser's predecessor Billy Martin in the middle of the 1978 season after he had led the Yankees to a 100-win season the year before). In the 2007 ESPN produced mini-series The Bronx Is Burning , Howser

966-400: Is honored with a bronze bust on the stadium grounds. The Royals also commissioned a new bronze statue for their Outfield Experience to cap off the end of Kauffman Stadium renovations in 2009. The statue was revealed in a dedication ceremony on Opening Day, April 10, 2009. WCTV WCTV (channel 6) is a television station licensed to Thomasville, Georgia , United States, serving

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1012-548: Is located next to the Griffin Family Clubhouse under the first base stands. The trophy room as stated above showcases the stories of the great players in Florida State baseball history telling of their stories and successes. The room holds awards, plaques, championships, and more. Inside of the tradition room is a lounge area with multiple televisions that continually broadcast historic moments that have occurred within

1058-519: The 1961 All-Star team, and was named The Sporting News rookie of the year. As his stats declined in the following two years, his only other season as a regular was with the Cleveland Indians in 1964 . His major league career spanned eight seasons with three clubs – Kansas City Athletics , Cleveland Indians , and New York Yankees . Tommy John played with Howser in Cleveland. He described

1104-463: The Tallahassee, Florida , market as an affiliate of CBS and MyNetworkTV . It is owned by Gray Television alongside Live Oak, Florida –licensed MeTV affiliate WFXU (channel 57). The two stations share studios on Halstead Boulevard in Tallahassee (along I-10 ); WCTV's transmitter is located in unincorporated Thomas County, Georgia , southeast of Metcalf , along the Florida state line. WCTV

1150-494: The Albany market) that are programmed separately. With the sale of WSWG to Marquee Broadcasting (enabling Gray to re-acquire WALB as part of its buyout of Raycom Media), that arrangement was formally broken in April 2019 after a transitional period. WCTV produces 31 hours per week of local news (five hours per day on weekdays; three hours per day Saturday and Sunday). Through a news-share agreement, WCTV also produces local newscasts for

1196-518: The CBS affiliate for the Albany market , its over-the-air broadcasting radius falls just short of Albany proper. This forces the station to rely on cable and satellite for most of its viewership. However, WCTV's more powerful digital signal reaches into Albany. Despite WSWG once being a semi-satellite of WCTV, it operates two digital subchannels (serving as the MyNetworkTV/ MeTV and CW affiliates for

1242-507: The Georgia side of the market (including Thomasville and Valdosta ). WALB had doubled as the default NBC affiliate for Tallahassee for many years until WTWC signed on in April 1983. In 2004, Gray purchased WSWG in Valdosta, a UPN affiliate for the Albany market. The station dropped UPN in September of that year and joined CBS as a semi-satellite of WCTV (see below). The acquisition created

1288-624: The Golden Glove Award. He was the first Seminole baseball player to be presented with the award in only its second year of being given as an award. The Mike Loynd Tradition Room was built as a part of the nearly $ 12 million, two-year renovation project that ended in 2004 giving rise to the Dick Howser Stadium we see today. The room was built in large part because of a generous donation by former Golden Spikes Award winner Mike Loynd. The Section B Animals of Florida State Seminoles baseball

1334-626: The Yankees between Billy Martin 's and Bob Lemon 's first tours as skipper in the Bronx. In 1980 , he returned from Florida State to become a full-time manager of the Yankees , taking them to the AL Eastern Division championship with a 103–59 record but losing three consecutive games to the Kansas City Royals in the playoffs ; he was the fourth manager to win 100 games in his first full season as

1380-629: The area's Fox affiliate WTWC-DT2 (owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group ): the hour-long Fox 49 Morning News ; and Fox 49 News at 10 - in both cases, the only local newscasts in their time periods. All news programming can be seen in high definition (down-converted to air in WTWC-DT2's 720p format) featuring a different graphics package and music theme than WCTV. The shows originate from this station's primary set at its studios but with unique graphics and branding. WCTV has traditionally been

1426-515: The baseball program throughout the years. On the walls of the tradition room there are tributes to the Seminole teams that made twenty-one appearances to the College World Series, and appeared in seventeen conference championship games. In addition to team awards certain individuals were signaled out and awarded for their excellence. The individual awards are showcased in glass cases; they include

Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium - Misplaced Pages Continue

1472-477: The four Golden Spikes Awards (an award given to the best NCAA division one player in the country) won by, Mike Loynd , Mike Fuentes , J. D. Drew , and Buster Posey . Additionally other individual awards that are on display include the coveted Gold Glove Award, an award that honors the best defensive player in the country at their given position. Buster Posey most notably won both the Golden Spikes Award and

1518-554: The market (the only other VHF stations were PBS members WFSU-TV on channel 11, and Georgia Public Broadcasting 's WXGA-TV on channel 8). It was the only commercial station in the area until WECA-TV (now WTXL-TV ) began operations in 1976 and took the ABC affiliation. The Phipps family sold channel 6 to Gray Communications, now Gray Television, in 1996. Gray's purchase of WCTV forced the company to sell WALB, its flagship station in Albany, because WALB's signal has city-grade quality in most of

1564-419: The market's dominant station in the ratings due in part to the fact that it was the only commercial station in the area until WTXL's launch. WTWC has never been a contender in the market because its two attempts to air local newscasts were both unsuccessful. The second news department operated by that station (lasting from 1997 until 2000) was shuttered due to poor viewership and budget cuts. During its time as

1610-541: The shortstop as "an aggressive, sparkplug type who'd lead both on and off the field...you could tell even then that Dick would make a fine manager." Immediately following his playing career, he was the third base coach with the Yankees for ten seasons (1969–1978). He then spent one year (1979) as head baseball coach at his alma mater, Florida State. As a manager at the major league level, Howser never finished lower than second place during his seven-year managerial career. He made his debut in 1978 , managing one game with

1656-456: The stadium was named. Howser managed both of the big league teams. In 2005, the field itself was dedicated to then-current Florida State head coach Mike Martin . The stadium has played host to 36 NCAA Regional Tournaments since opening in 1983. In 2012, college baseball writer Eric Sorenson ranked the facility as the third best big game atmosphere in Division I baseball and, in 2014, the stadium

1702-483: The top of the eighth inning and the Yankees down 3–2. Randolph was thrown out at the plate on a relay throw by George Brett , prompting Steinbrenner to jump out of his seat and shout what appeared to be profanities on live national television. Steinbrenner wanted Ferraro fired on the spot after the game, but Howser refused. The Yankees lost the ALCS in three games, and Howser submitted his resignation on November 21, although it

1748-603: The venue's history, as of the 2024 season. Dick Howser As manager As coach Richard Dalton Howser (May 14, 1936 – June 17, 1987) was an American Major League Baseball shortstop , coach , and manager who was best known as the manager of the Kansas City Royals during the 1980s and for guiding them to the franchise's first World Series title in 1985 . A native of Miami, Florida , Howser grew up in West Palm Beach, Florida ; graduated from Palm Beach High School; and attended Florida State University . He

1794-478: Was Tallahassee and southwest Georgia's first television station. On October 13, 1954, the Tallahassee Democrat first reported on plans for the new station. On August 29, 1955, the station began airing a test pattern. It signed on for the first time on September 15, 1955, from studios on North Monroe Street in Tallahassee. WCTV was originally owned by John H. Phipps. Although it has always considered itself

1840-593: Was Toronto's first postseason appearance. The Royals then went on to defeat the heavily favored St. Louis Cardinals . In both the ALCS (the first year the League Championship Series was best-of-7) and World Series, the Royals won each series by overcoming a 3–1 deficit. As manager of the defending AL champion Royals , Howser managed the 1986 All-Star Game at the Astrodome in Houston . The AL won 3–2, starting

1886-518: Was a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity. At Florida State, he received honors twice as an All-American shortstop and set a school record with a batting average of .422 in 1956. He signed with the Kansas City Athletics on June 13, 1958. He hit .280, stole 37 bases, scored 108 runs , and led American League shortstops in putouts and errors in his rookie season. For this he was selected to

Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium - Misplaced Pages Continue

1932-447: Was portrayed by actor Max Casella . The next year, Kansas City —his postseason rival on multiple occasions in previous seasons—hired Howser to manage the last 33 games of the strike -shortened 1981 season. Under Howser, the Royals finished second in 1982 and 1983 . Prior to the 1984 season, with their clubhouse ravaged by drug problems, the Royals started disassembling their team and starting over. Kansas City expected 1984 to be

1978-466: Was rated as one of the top 100 best stadium experiences across all sports in the United States and Canada. Florida State's baseball program has had many outstanding players and has enjoyed much success throughout the decades. To commemorate their storied baseball program, they have built a large tradition room to honor players, coaches, and the university program as a whole. The Mike Loynd Tradition Room

2024-419: Was set on April 19, 2008, when Florida State defeated then-No. 1 Miami 9–5. During the week of April 14–20, 2008, 30,179 fans watched Florida State play a total of five games against intrastate competition, the ( Florida Gators , North Florida Ospreys , and Miami Hurricanes ). The series record is 19,157, set in 2024 against Miami. The following is a list of the ten highest single-game attendance figures in

2070-687: Was survived by his wife Nancy and twin daughters from a previous marriage. On July 3, 1987, Howser's number 10 became the first number retired by the Kansas City Royals. Also that year, the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce established the Dick Howser Trophy , college baseball's equivalent of college football's Heisman Trophy , in Howser's honor. Florida State University 's baseball team plays on Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium , named in his honor, and he

2116-489: Was unimportant given the year Jackson was having; however, Jackson later relented and shaved out of respect for Howser. For the most part, though, Howser was stricter in enforcing team rules, more so than Martin and Lemon had been, in Tommy John 's opinion. In Game 2 of the 1980 American League Championship Series , Yankee third base coach Mike Ferraro waved Willie Randolph home on a double by Bob Watson with two outs in

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