Jimmy Dunn And His FSU Chronicles

Posted Nov 26, 2008 by Tom McEwen

Updated Nov 26, 2008 at 10:02 PM

Former Florida football coach Bob Woodruff, though no Patrick Henry of the podium, once described Jimmy Dunn as “pound for pound, the best quarterback in the country.” That was after Woodruff had offered and Dunn accepted a four-year scholarship to take his grit to the Gators instead of Florida State and Coach Tom Nugent, who had only given him an offer of one year. Dunn was a 147-pound quarterback out of Hillsborough High School in Tampa. Dunn proved Woodruff right.

Fifty years ago Saturday, Dunn (above), in his senior year as a Gator, played his best game in a 21-7 win over FSU in their first-ever meeting, at Florida Field. Now this half century later Dunn reminisced about his shining moments - the game in which he ran for two touchdowns, punted, punt-returned, played safety, intercepted a pass, threw passes and booted well enough to be declared the best on the field that afternoon, now so long ago. He logged 48 minutes on offense, defense and special teams.

“Forget that afternoon? How could I?,” Dunn said Thanksgiving Eve.

He thinks Woodruff, not a demonstrative man, slapped him on the back. He knows Dave Hudson did. Hudson was the other Gator hero in that first game of this series, which Saturday afternoon at Bobby Bowden Field in Tallahassee will show off what may be the two fastest teams in the USA.

If Florida wins, the Gators stay in the national championship race. If the Seminoles win, they will crush the Gator hopes and end a painful four-game losing streak to Florida.

“Oh, I remember it all,” said Dunn. “I remember the opening kickoff. I remember Bobby Renn took the kick and ran and ran and ran down the sidelines. I tackled him at about the 15. And we went on to win. It was important, I remember.”

Sure was. The Gators of the Southeastern Conference and long record and Coach Woodruff avoided the Seminoles as long as they could. Finally, Gov. Claude Kirk and the state legislature began suggesting intervention, so the first game in 1958 was scheduled, and played those 50 years ago. Now that both are powers in the game, the matchup has become awaited and billed as a football track meet, which it may well be.

The Gators have a quarterback of considerable craft in Tim Tebow of St. Augustine, but Florida State counters with a comer from these parts, Christian Ponder.

Dunn has ties to both sides. Wife Eleanor finished at FSU and was a member of the celebrated FSU circus. Betsy Youngblood Corso was the maid of honor at the Dunn wedding, and Lee Corso is a pal of Jimmy’s, and a Dunn niece is an FSU cheerleader.

“Only will make a Gator win sweeter to me,” said Jimmy, who stayed at Florida coaching for four years after the last season of his playing, went then to Tennessee to become the offensive coordinator, then eight more seasons under Doug Dickey at Florida, then into real estate and Arena Football.

He has new adventures at work these days, but, for the moment, he’ll do what he can for the Gators in the 50th anniversary game. Of course, when you of some time on the college football trail think of Jimmy Dunn, surely recollection reminds of another great highlight of that other great deed of that 1958 season when at Jacksonville, Florida beat another arch rival, Georgia, on a 70-yard plus run from scrimmage for the 7-6 win by the 147-pound quarterback.

By the way, his late mother, Molly Dunn, confessed she missed the great deed. She had to go powder her nose, as she explained.

Jimmy Dunn has a proud record against Florida State as a player and as a coach - 12-1-1, 12 wins, 1 loss, 1 tie.

“I do not consider 13 unlucky, when it means a win,” pragmatist Dunn added.