Marvin "Snoop" Minnis might not be the first player who comes to mind when you think of college football greats, but the man is a legend. Ask any real Florida State Seminoles fan. They will gladly tell you all about the Consensus All-American wide receiver and how he terrorized defenses for years in Tallahassee.
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While FSU quarterback Chris Weinke received most of the hype and headlines back in 2000, it was players like wide receiver Snoop Minnis and Anquan Boldin who helped him win the Heisman Trophy and help the Seminoles reach the BCS National Championship Game.
A consensus first-team All-American. A national champion. A Seminole Legend. @Snoop_Minnis #NoleFamily pic.twitter.com/bPcqGGH8Iv
— FSU Football (@FSUFootball) June 26, 2020
Of all the memorable plays from that season, none shook Doak Campbell Stadium quite like Minnis' 98-yard touchdown against the Clemson Tigers.
Snoop Minnis' 98-Yard Touchdown vs. Clemson
The clash between Florida State and Clemson that season was supposed to be one for the ages. Both teams were ranked in the top-10 nationally — FSU at No. 4 and Clemson at No. 10 — and was dubbed "Bowden Bowl II" with FSU head coach Bobby Bowden facing off against his son, Tommy Bowden.
What 80,000 fans witnessed live and on ESPN, however, was a complete beatdown. The Seminoles thrashed the Tigers, 54-7, and the Chris Weinke to Marvin Minnis combination was a big reason why.
Weinke went 27-for-43 with 521 yards and two touchdowns that night. Minnis (163 yards), Atrews Bell (111) and Javon Walker (109) all had over 100 receiving yards, while running back Travis Minor went over the century mark on the ground.
It was a dominant display of offense, and Clemson could do nothing about it. One play summed that up completely.
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Backed up near their own end zone, FSU was looking for a little wiggle room. So Weinke took the snap and pretended to hand the ball off to running back Jeff Chaney. He tucked it away perfectly, though, and found Minnis wide open in middle of the field, who then took it the distance for a 98-yard touchdown.
The play was a Florida State University record, which still stands today.
"When we did it in practice I knew it would work, so when coach called it I said, touchdown," Minnis told Warchant.com years later. "It so happened that it was on the two-yard line. Even when it happened, I never realized I broke a Florida State record. My mom recorded all of my games and was watching the Clemson game, so I watched it with her and that play came on and it showed that it was a record, and I said: 'Wow! I didn't know that.'
"Clemson was in the perfect defense and bit on the run, Chris Weinke did a perfect play fake to Jeff Chaney. I went down like I was going to block and the rest is history."
The 98-yard touchdown became FSU's longest touchdown pass ever.
Snoop Minnis Highlights
During that 2000 season, Minnis, the former Miami Northwestern High School star, was electric. He caught 63 passes for 1,340 yards with 11 touchdowns. He was named First-Team All-ACC, a Consensus All-American, and was a finalist for the Fred Biletnikoff Award.
Unfortunately, FSU football lost to Oklahoma in the title game that year, but Minnis solidified himself as one of the best players to ever don the garnet and gold.
Minnis was a third-round pick in the 2001 NFL Draft. He played four seasons in the NFL and CFL for the Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins, and Toronto Argonauts before hanging up his cleats for good.
So while Marvin Dwyane Minnis might not make many lists for the greatest NCAA football players ever, he's definitely an MVP in eyes of Florida State fans forever for that touchdown against Clemson.
This post was originally published on May 22, 2020.
