Florida State women’s soccer punctuated 2025 with an emphatic statement – its fifth national championship that reverberated across Tallahassee’s sports scene.
The year also brought major milestones, including the retirement of FSU men’s basketball coach Leonard Hamilton, who closed out a storied 23-year tenure as the winningest coach in school history and among the top five in ACC victories.
Familiar faces returned to the sidelines. Former Seminole standout Luke Loucks stepped in to replace Hamilton, while FSU legend, Heisman Trophy winner, and NBA veteran Charlie Ward was named Florida A&M’s new men’s basketball coach. Adding to the shake-up, FAMU Hall of Famer and record-setting quarterback Quinn Gray took over as the Rattlers’ football coach on Dec. 22.
Brick-and-mortar progress made headlines too. The massive $265 million ‘Transformation of Doak Campbell Stadium’ was completed in time for FSU’s season-opening win over nationally ranked Alabama. Yet, football faced major challenges, as both FSU and FAMU finished 5-7. While Seminoles coach Mike Norvell earned another year, James Colzie III was dismissed and replaced by Gray.
At the high school level, Chiles volleyball and girls’ cross country delivered state championships. And adding to a year rich in milestones, Tallahassee-Leon Babe Ruth captured World Series titles at the 13- and 14-year-old age brackets.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Special edition: The year in photos: Sports highlights from 2025
Reporting by Alicia Devine, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
