Former FSU, NFL quarterback Steve Tensi passes away, rewrote history book with Seminoles
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."
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, connected on a 55-yard touchdown pass to Biletnikoff in the second quarter to give FSU a 7-0 lead.
Six weeks later in the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville against Oklahoma, Tensi threw four of his record five touchdown passes to Biletnikoff in the 36-19 win. Tensi completed 23 of 36 passes for 303 yards; Biletnikoff had 13 receptions for 192 yards; and the Seminoles finished the season 9-1-1.
Tensi signed an NFL contract with the San Diego Chargers and was traded in 1967 to the Denver Broncos, where he started more than 30 games across four seasons from 1967-70. Following retirement, he served as quarterbacks coach at Wichita State and was a wide receivers coach for the Chicago Fire of the World Football League.
"I met Steve when I was playing for the Bears," Huff said. "He was coaching in the WFL. He was working out to get ready for a tryout with the Broncos. He came back after the tryout and said they didn't offer enough to make it worthwhile. He could still throw better than most quarterbacks in the NFL."
Tensi enjoyed a successful career in construction and carpentry, living in Miami before relocating his family in 1988 to North Carolina. Tensi and his wife were married for 61 years. They met during the first day of freshman orientation at FSU and eloped in 1963.
Tensi was inducted into the FSU Hall of Fame in 1981. He was also a fan of Elvis Presley.
"Steve was a huge Elvis fan and could sing like Elvis," Huff said. "Combed his hair back like Elvis."
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Former FSU, NFL quarterback Steve Tensi passes away at age 81
