Seminole mascot wore pantyhose

First chief hails grand traditionOne of college football's greatest traditions was born on Sept. 16, 1978, when Jim Kidder, Florida State's first Chief Osceola, mounted his horse, Renegade, then charged down the field at Doak Campbell Stadium and planted a flaming spear at midfield before a game against Oklahoma State.How did this mascot "honor" Indians?So what is the most memorable experience as Chief Osceola?

The 1979 Orange Bowl [on Jan. 1, 1980] when we played Oklahoma. ... We did a routine where I was going to chase the Sooner wagon twice around the middle of the field. They were going to go to their side of the field, and I was going to my side, then we were going to come up to the center of the field. I was going to throw the spear, and they were going to fire the little gun they have. ...How authentic was this mascot?Do you like the recent changes to the routine, including the more authentic Chief Osceola costume?

I view them all as positives. It's been 30 years. When we started with me, the first costume wasn't ready. The Seminole Tribe was actually making it, and it wasn't ready for the game. We had to put a costume together. It was a lady's bathrobe. First, we started out with a pair of brown Danskin pantyhose, and I had some moccasin bedroom slippers that I had to tie onto my feet with a red cloth because they were too big. We ended up doing away with the Danskin pantyhose, and I just wore brown corduroys for a while.Comment:  So Jim Kidder "honored" the Seminoles by dressing up in a woman's bathrobe, pantyhose, and slippers? And pretending to savagely attack a wagon in Oklahoma, 1,000 miles from any genuine Florida Seminole culture? If that was an honor, I'd hate to see what Kidder would've done to mock or insult Indians.

Nice of Kidder to acknowledge what we already knew. All the talk of honoring Indians' bravery or spirit is just that...talk. As the Oklahoma bit proves, what people are really "honoring" is Indians' savagery. Chasing the wagon, threatening the "Sooners" inside, tossing a spear at them--all these are marks of how cruel and barbaric we perceive Indians to be.

For more on how phony and stereotypical "Chief Osceola" is, see Why FSU's Seminoles Aren't Okay.

Below:  "My pantyhose is so tight it's driving me crazy. I can't think straight, so I'll try to kill everyone in that Sooner wagon. After I skewer the white man, you'll probably praise me for my noble spirit."