Mike Norvell is learning, as did Bobby Bowden, that turning around Florida State football fortunes doesn't happen overnight. In 1976, Bowden’s first season, fans stayed skeptical — until he turned to a core group of true freshmen. It was a gutsy move for a coach with much to prove. Especially since it came against Oklahoma, a team that went on to finish no. 5 in the final Coaches poll. The lineup change paid instant dividends. FSU’s raw rookies energized the Noles and played “a remarkably poised game,” as Bill McGrotha wrote in The Democrat.
One of those freshmen was Kurt Unglaub, a sure-handed receiver who played far bigger than his size and speed might suggest.