Contest History
1992
In 1992, Chuck Bauer and Dave Berry, with a total disregard for
one another's ability to predict a football game's score, first
created the FSU Football Prediction Contest. Unlike other prediction
contests, where the contestants make their predictions right before
the game, this new contest was unique since all predictions for the
entire season are made before the first game. The predictions are
sealed in envelopes and dramatically opened and read before the
kickoff of each game.
The prize for the first two seasons was for the loser to pay for
the winner's bowl game ticket. The standings were kept on a piece
of paper taped to a kitchen cabinet.
1994
Things were stirred up a bit in 1994, when two new contestants were
added to the game. Eric Shaw and Mark Friedemann brought a new
style to the contest: a bit more bold, though perhaps a bit less
scholarly. Eric, for example, is known for a prediction of "66-0"
at least once almost every year.
For the next six seasons, the four contestants competed amongst
each other one-on-one for various prizes. However, there was no
grand prize or other recognition for the overall winner. Around
the middle of the 1997 season, the standings were e-mailed to
all the contestants rather than kept on a paper chart.
1999
Then the 1999 season heralded two major changes for the contest.
First, a fifth prognosticator was added in the person of Greg Zarcone.
Back in FSU's championship season of 1993, Greg won a pool for the
Miami game. His prediction was 27-12, and FSU beat Miami 28-10.
Ever since then, Greg has unwaveringly picked 27-12 as his score
in any pool or prediction contest, and has had an annoying amount
of success with it. So, unlike the other contestants who seal
their predictions in envelopes, Greg simply announced at the
start of the season that he chooses "27-12" for each game.
This technique only lasted two seasons, however, and starting
in the 2001 season, Greg began making separate picks for each
game in an attempt to improve his results.
The other major change begun in 1999 was recognition for the
contest winner. The winner's name is engraved on a championship
Plaque -- or as it is sometimes affectionately known -- the Plague.
Dave Berry won the honor the first year and held the Plaque in
his home, while all the others competed to take it away from him.
Then, early in the 2000 season, the contest standings were
moved to a web page for easy access and update.
2005-2008
Things were relatively unchanged until the 2005 season, when
we once again welcomed a new contestant. Long time FSU fan
Kevin Convery was added to the mix. The following year, the
roll of Contestants expanded again when Scott Yarbrough was
voted into the group. And then two years later, in 2008,
Tom Lawery was added as the eighth member of the contest.
2011
After the 2010 season, all the plates on the Plaque had been
engraved. After an exhaustive worldwide search, the Humble
Scorekeeper has chosen a Trophy to be the new annual prize for
the Contest, starting with the 2011 season.
FSU Football Prediction Contest
