(Darryl Norenberg-USA TODAY Sports)
His name might not be familiar to the current generation of Florida State football fans, but it’s one forever remembered in Seminole folklore.
Quarterback Steve Tensi, who directed the program to its first win over Florida and its first win in a bowl game – and threw many of his record-setting touchdown passes in the early-1960s to star receiver Fred Biletnikoff – passed away last Friday, March 15, in Boone, North Carolina.
Tenis, who also played in the NFL for six years, was 81.
“Steve Tensi and Freddie Biletnikoff were why I started following the Seminoles as a 13-year-old kid in 1964,” said Gary Huff, a former FSU (1970-72) and NFL quarterback who later worked in pro football administration and with Seminole athletics.
“I have been around some great teammates like (Joe) Montana, (Walter) Payton, (Dick) Butkus and (Reggie) White. I was a player under Bill Walsh and a CFO under Al Davis, but I enjoyed meeting Steve Tensi more than them all.
“He and Freddie started it all for FSU.”
Elder’s Steve Tensi poses for a 1961 yearbook photo. The next year, Tensi accepted a football scholarship where he became an All-American quarterback before going on to play for the Denver Broncos.
Steve Tensi of Ohio signs football scholarship with FSU
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he starred in football and basketball, the lanky, 6-foot-5 Tensi signed with FSU to play football for coach Bill Peterson. The three-year starter completed 252 of 472 passes for 3,384 yards and 28 touchdowns over three seasons (1962-64).
The passing-catching combination of Tensi and Biletnikoff generated plenty of excitement and headlines.
The senior duo helped FSU beat Florida 16-7 at Doak Campbell Stadium in late November 1964. It was the Seminoles’ first win over the Gators in seven games. Tensi, who threw for 190 yards,…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/former-fsu-nfl-quarterback-steve-042928429.html
Author : Tallahassee Democrat
Publish date : 2024-03-20 04:29:28
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