Former MTSU head coach Rick Stockstill comes home, joins FSU support staff
He was the starting quarterback for the Florida State Seminoles over 40 years ago. Now, Rick Stockstill is coming back home.
The veteran college coach, who spent the last 18 years as the head coach at Middle Tennessee State, has been hired by Mike Norvell as the Director of Scouting for offense, the school announced Monday afternoon.
Stockstill, who was inducted into the Florida State Sports Hall of Fame in 2019, has been a coach for 41 years. He spent 14 years as an assistant at Clemson and two years at both East Carolina and South Carolina before taking over at Middle Tennessee State, where he compiled a 113-111 record with 10 bowl appearances.
““I’m very appreciative and humbled for this opportunity to join Coach Norvell and his staff,” Stockstill said in a release from Florida State. “Watching him build this program and getting to know him as a person has been rewarding for me and many other former players. My time at Florida State University was crucial to my development as a person and a professional, and I’m excited to be back at a place that means so much to me. I’m looking forward to contributing to the cycle of impacting others as part of an already successful staff.”
Stockstill was there for the beginning of Florida State’s rise to prominence.
He was a part of Bobby Bowden’s second-ever recruiting class and was the starting QB for the Seminoles in 1980, a season in which they went 10-2 and lost both games by one point.
Stockstill was the quarterback opposite Dan Marino in Florida State’s memorable 36-22 win over No. 3 Pitt at Doak Campbell Stadium. Which came exactly one week after FSU beat then-No. 3 Nebraska 18-14 in Lincoln.
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He threw for 26 touchdowns and almost 3,000 yards in his Florida State career.
“I am fired up to add Rick Stockstill to our coaching staff,” Norvell said in that same release. “He brings a tremendous amount of football knowledge and experience to this position and will serve a vital role in our preparation as a staff. Rick’s perspective as a former player here under Coach Bowden, as well as a head coach for nearly two decades, will be valuable as he helps us continue our program’s climb. It’s clear how much Florida State means to Rick, and I’m excited we had this opportunity to bring him back to the ‘Nole Family.”
Arguably the most notable win of Stockstill’s tenure at Middle Tennessee State occurred during the 2022 season, when he and the Blue Raiders knocked off No. 25 Miami 45-31 at Hard Rock Stadium. It was the first win over a ranked team in program history.
Afterward, the former Florida State star had some choice words for the Hurricanes.
“They ran for 68 (yards) against us. They averaged 1.6 yards per carry,” Stockstill said. “They gave $1.5 million. We gave them 1.6 yards per carry.”
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He also said: “It’s always fun to do stuff that nobody thinks you can do. Coming down here 26-point dogs and kicking their butt … like we said, ‘cause it was a butt-kicking. There was no fluke to this. Just really proud of our team. We were the tougher team.”
The Seminoles play at Miami on Oct. 26.
Talk about this story with other die-hard Florida State football fans on the Tribal Council.
