Last Updated on January 4, 2014 4:53 pm by admin
(Eds: APNewsNow. Will be updated. With AP Photos.)
By EDDIE PELLS
AP National Writer
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (AP) – A student sitting atop a speckled Appaloosa and wearing a headdress and war paint will ride to the 30-yard line before the BCS title game and plant a flaming spear into the turf.
Some might cringe at the 35-year-old tradition carried out by ”Osceola” and ”Renegade” – the Florida State mascots that will lead the cheering when the Seminoles play the Auburn Tigers for the national championship Monday night.
But in a football season shadowed by controversy over the Washington Redskins nickname, nary a complaint has been heard out of Tallahassee, Fla., where ”Seminoles” is synonymous with the university, its football team and, of course, winning.
The key reason: The Seminole Tribe of Florida counts itself among the very biggest fans of Florida State, its nickname and all it represents.