FSU Football Making Major Game Day Change After 17 Years

One of Doak Campbell Stadium's most recognizable traditions will sound different this fall. For the first time in 17 seasons, someone other than Woody Hayes will deliver the familiar, "And that's good for another Florida State..." before the crowd roars, "FIRST DOWN!"

According to a report from Fox 49, the Seminoles are replacing the longtime public address announcer after a historic career.

A Familiar Voice

Florida State Seminole fans cheer on the football team as they defeat the Florida Gators at Doak Campbell Stadium on Friday, Nov. 25, 2022. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

For many Florida State fans, Hayes' voice became as much a part of Saturdays in Tallahassee as tailgating, the War Chant, or Chief Osceola's ride onto the field. During his tenure at FSU, Hayes delivered player introductions and helped establish one of Doak Campbell Stadium's most recognizable traditions.

Even if many fans have heard the voice more readily than the name, Hayes has spent more than two decades as the voice of both the women's and the men's basketball teams alongside football.

The report stated that FSU has not publicly explained the decision to move in a different direction, and the university has yet to announce who will replace Hayes ahead of the 2026 season.

“Be yourself, be natural, love the Noles. It's just that simple," Hayes told Fox 49.

Whoever does end up rallying the crowd on Saturdays will inherit a role that has become synonymous with the stadium and gameday experience itself. While the voice may change, the pageantry will remain the same.

Hayes has embodied the role of football's public address announcer since 2010.

A New Voice at Doak Campbell Stadium

Sep 6, 2014; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles mascot Chief Osceola and Renegade spike the spear at Doak Campbell Stadium before the start of the game against the Citadel Bulldogs. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The new public address announcer will become one of the most recognizable voices associated with Florida State football, introducing the Seminoles, delivering in-game announcements, and helping shape the atmosphere inside Doak Campbell Stadium every home Saturday.

Whether it's building anticipation before kickoff or prompting the crowd's familiar roars, the next voice at Doak Campbell will inherit a role that thousands of Florida State fans have come to recognize over the past two decades.

Every home game, the announcements will sound a little different, marking the end of a 17-year era at Doak Campbell Stadium.

Florida State's season opener against New Mexico State will be the first opportunity for fans to hear the program's new public address announcer. Until then, one of the university's longest-standing game-day traditions remains up in the air as the Seminoles prepare for another season.

The voice behind the microphone helped shape the atmosphere that generations of FSU fans have come to expect on Saturdays. This fall, that soundtrack will belong to someone new.

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