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Florida State plans tribute for Burt Reynolds at Saturday’s game

Posted at 5:51 PM, Sep 07, 2018
and last updated 2018-09-07 18:51:39-04

During a short football career at Florida State, Burt Reynolds battled injuries and never got much of a chance to play.

Reynolds went on to bigger and better things. And he eventually became a member of the school’s Hall of Fame.

An athletic dormitory was once named after him and he played in 1954-55 before a series of injuries derailed his football career.

Reynolds went on to bigger and better things during his iconic acting career. He died at the age of 82 Thursday of lingering heart problems.

It’s not surprising his old school is fondly remembering a player once known as “Buddy” by his Seminole teammates.

They will wear a special helmet decal honoring Reynolds during their Saturday game against Samford.

The most notable one might have been his old roommate Lee Corso, who remained lifelong friends with Reynolds.

Reynolds’ career was cut short after operations on both knees and removal of his spleen during an injury-plagued career in the Garnet and Gold.

 

Reynolds then went to Hollywood to pursue an acting career at the urging of Corso. He landed his breakthrough role in Deliverance in 1972 after a long career on television with regular gigs on programs like Gunsmoke and Dan August.

But Corso apparently had a lot to do with launching Reynolds’ acting career. After his long career studded with memorable performances, Corso had a big part in steering his friend that way.

Reynolds remained a huge Florida State fan over the years. He could often be found roaming the Seminoles sidelines up until several years ago.

Corso and Reynolds remained close over the years.

“I was famous for one thing at Florida State,” Corso told Seminole Boosters in a 2014 interview. “I was Burt Reynolds’ roommate. With his looks and my car, we’d kill ’em in Tallahassee.”

Reynolds was a part owner of the USFL’s Tampa Bay Bandits, who took their name from his most famous role in Smokey and the Bandit.