Story 5

FSU statue showcases the true spirit of the Seminole

On a cool Wednesday night in January, the Florida State University parking lot is desolate. Nearly seven months out from football–and subsequently tailgating–season, all entrances to the iconic Doak S. Campbell stadium are locked with the key swiftly stored away.

In the night, the moonlight gleams down on an enormous bronze statue of a horse reared by a Seminole Indian holding a spear. On the base, the word “UNCONQUERED” is etched into the granite pedestal.

This 31 foot tall piece was created by artist Fritz White, a sculptor from Ohio who specializes in Native-American art. It took Fritz nearly 10 years to complete until it was finally unveiled on October 10, 2003.

According to seminoles.com, the sculpture was the brainchild of Tallahassee attorney and FSU alum, Stephen Reilly.

“Reilly imagined a statue, inspired by FSU symbols Renegade and Osceola and patterned after the statue of Andrew Jackson in New Orleans' Jackson Square. In early 1994 he took his concept to new FSU President Sandy D'Alemberte, who shared the vision and threw his support to the project.”

After presenting the piece to George Langford, businessmen, attorney and former FSU booster president, a $1 million dollar endowment was made to budget for the project. It was not until nearly 5 years later that in 1999 Fritz was chosen out of 51 other candidates for the task and construction finally began.

The piece was created as a symbol of the resilient spirit of both the Seminole people and the FSU students who have adopted the spirit of the mascot. With the creation of the statute, a new tradition shortly followed: each night before home games the spear is ignited and burns until sunrise.

The “Unconquered” statue can be found on Williams Family Plaza at the North end of Langford Green at the Doak Stadium entrance.