The era more than 60 years ago under coach Bill Peterson remains widely regarded as the foundation that lifted Florida State football into national relevance. It also produced “The Lane Fenner Play,” still considered the most famous — and controversial — moment in the FSU–Florida rivalry.
With time moving quickly, “Pete’s Boys,” who last gathered in Tallahassee in 2017, agreed they couldn’t afford to wait any longer.
Former FSU and NFL assistant coach Bobby Jackson underscored that urgency with a touch of humor during a phone call with John Crowe, the Tallahassee resident and former FSU defensive back helping organize the mid-June reunion.
More than 80 attendees, including spouses, are expected June 19 – 21 at The Lodge at Wakulla Springs — the same site where the team stayed on the eve of its home games at Doak Campbell Stadium.
“If you guys don’t have a reunion soon,” Jackson told Crowe, “I won’t be able to come.”
The 86-year-old Jackson, who lives on a ranch in Alabama, then leaned on his NFL experience for the punchline.
“They call you into the office about 1:30 in the afternoon and tell you they don’t know how they’d get along without you,” he said, “but about 2 o’clock, they’re going to start trying.”
So, where is Lane Fenner?
The reunion is expected to spark a wave of memories, laughter and emotion as former coaches, players and friends reconnect.
The group — primarily from the 1964 – ’69 teams — plans to celebrate Peterson’s legacy and their shared accomplishments, honor those who have died since their playing days, and experience the modern era of FSU football with visits to the renovated Doak Campbell Stadium and the program’s football operations facility.
“We used to sit in a little aluminum tub with an outboard motor for a whirlpool,” Crowe said with a laugh. “Now they’ve got this whole setup where you can walk into a whirlpool and run in water on a treadmill. And their weight room is 100 yards long.”
Peterson compiled a 62-42-11 record with four bowl appearances during his 10 seasons at FSU from 1960-69, building some of the program’s strongest teams of the decade. His players included standouts such as Fred Biletnikoff, Ron Sellers and Kim Hammond. His staff featured future legends, including Bobby Bowden, who later led the Seminoles to a dynasty and two national championships, as well as future Super Bowl-winning head coaches Joe Gibbs and Bill Parcells.
A centerpiece of the weekend will be a three-hour session devoted to revisiting — and poking fun at — the personalities and stories that defined the era, from “Petersonisms” to grueling practices. Expected attendees include Sellers, Gibbs and Peterson’s son, Bill. The weekend will include guest speakers Gene Deckerhoff and Charlie Barnes.
There is also hope the reunion might help solve a lingering mystery.
The whereabouts of Fenner have been unknown for years, prompting former teammates to wonder whether renewed attention could lead to answers.
“I don’t know if he’s alive or not,” said former receiver Billy Cox, who lives in the Atlanta area. “I probably haven’t seen him in 50-something years. He kind of kept to himself, but he was a decent guy.”
Efforts by the Democrat identified a Lane B. Fenner in New Mexico, but attempts to contact the 80-year-old by phone and email were unsuccessful.
Fenner, who spent one season in the NFL with the San Diego Chargers in 1968, remains forever tied to FSU lore.
On Oct. 9, 1966, at Doak Campbell Stadium, No. 5 Florida led FSU 22-19 with 17 seconds remaining when quarterback Gary Pajcic launched a desperation 45-yard pass into the end zone. Fenner, filling in for the injured Sellers, leaped and made the catch — appearing to land inbounds for a game-winning touchdown.
But SEC field judge Doug Moseley ruled Fenner had stepped out of bounds before securing the catch, nullifying the score. FSU then missed a last-second field goal, sealing a Florida victory.
Cox, lined up to the right alongside Fenner in a two-receiver set, ran an out route while Fenner streaked downfield toward the end zone.
Cox said he never saw how the play ended, his view blocked as sideline personnel, fans and others stepped across the boundary and onto the field, all eyes fixed on the end zone.
“It looked to me like he caught it,” Cox said after later viewing photographs of the play.
The Tallahassee Democrat enshrined the moment on the front page with a photo of Fenner catching the ball in-bounds.
Fenner, a native of Evansville, Indiana, finished his FSU career (1965–67) with 40 receptions for 442 yards and one touchdown. He was selected in the seventh round of the NFL Draft by San Diego, played one season with the Chargers, and then faded from the public spotlight.
“Somebody may know where he is,” Crowe said of Fenner.
For now, the focus remains on those who can attend — and the chance to share one more weekend together. During their telephone conversation, Jackson told Crowe, “This won’t happen again.”
That was reason enough to make sure it happens now.
Who was Bill Peterson?
For 10 seasons, from 1960-1969, Bill Peterson, hired away from LSU for $14,000 annually, served as the head football coach at FSU. “Coach Pete” brought wide-open offensive action in developing some of the decade’s greatest teams and individual players.
His teams compiled a record of 62-42-11 and made four bowl appearances. In 1964, FSU defeated Oklahoma 36-19 in the Gator Bowl. Two years later, FSU lost to Wyoming in the Sun Bowl, and in the 1967 Gator Bowl FSU tied Penn State 17-17 with a great second-half rally.
The final Peterson-FSU bowl appearance came in 1968, when the Seminoles lost a narrow 31-27 decision to LSU in the inaugural Peach Bowl. His teams also defeated Georgia four consecutive times and stunned the nation by tying national powerhouse and No. 1 ranked Alabama 37-37 at Tuscaloosa in 1967.
The rise of FSU football to national prominence is due in large part to the Peterson.
— Nolefan.org.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: An FSU football mystery hangs over reunion: Where is Lane Fenner?
Reporting by Jim Henry, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
