MIAMI — After unveiling its commemorative logo to kick off its 25th Season Celebration, FIU Football rolled out its first moment in its 25 Moments in 25 Seasons chronological series, beginning with the inception of the program, of which was formally announced on May 17, 2000. 

Early Beginnings
The program's start began with an influx of interest communicated by alumni and the Miami community throughout the 1990's, a community that showed a strong desire for a football program and facility at Miami's preeminent public institution. 

In 1997, the first real action was taken towards the launch of a program as then-President Modesto A. Maidique named a task force to further look into the possibility of an FIU Football program. As that process progressed, a canon moment occurred above the historic Orange Bowl on Oct. 10, 1998, putting the idea of FIU Football on a national stage.

As Florida State and Miami battled on the field, an airplane pulling a banner flew above both the pre-game tailgate and the stadium with the words: "FIU Football…Still Undefeated."

Following this display, FIU's alumni offices became flooded with inquiries about how they could help create a football program for their beloved Golden Panthers. The "Still Undefeated" tagline made its way to t-shirts that quickly became hot commodities around campus, signifying that real traction towards the birth of FIU Football had reached its height. 

Officially Official: May 17, 2000
The landmark moment officially marking the beginning of FIU Football took place on May 17, 2000 as the Florida Board of Regents announced its decision to approve the start of a football program at FIU, with its first official season to begin in the Fall of 2002. This decision, which came down from Tallahassee, sent everything in motion that the community and alumni base had been dreaming of for years. 

Now, it was time to find who would be called on to build the Golden Panthers roster and lead FIU into its first official season of competition. 

Our First Leader: Don Strock
On September 1, 1999, FIU called on former Miami Dolphins Quarterback and Super Bowl Champion Don Strock to lead its program, first being named Director of Football Operations. One year later, on September 13, 2000, Strock was announced as the first head coach in program history.

Strock immediately went to work after the Board of Regents approval, changing his clothes to FIU gear in the bathroom of a local restaurant, and traveling straight to Kissimmee to sign the first recruit and eventual first signee: Poinciana High Quarterback David Tabor '05, 07. 

In that moment, Strock became the architect of FIU's first roster and began to build the program for its future. 

25th Season Celebration
The upcoming 2026 season for the Panthers officially marks FIU's 25th season of football competition, dating back to the Panthers' first-ever season in 2002. Over that time period, FIU has qualified for six bowl games, secured six Shula Bowl victories and produced countless NFL players, including Pro Bowlers T.Y Hilton and Jonnu Smith. The program has also seen many legendary coaches and outstanding players pass through the Panther facilities throughout its history, creating a litany of incredible moments experienced by Panther Nation. 

Fans can be expected to be taken on a journey back to the inception of the program all the way up to the present day, recognizing the standard set by the first teams and acknowledging how many past Panthers have helped to build on that legacy. All of this will lead up and continue through the 25th official season in 2026, the second under head coach Willie Simmons, following one of the most historic seasons on record in his first year on the sidelines. 

As the campaign begins with a variety of content in the coming weeks, a one-stop shop for the 25th Season will be housed on fiusports.com. In conjunction with this, fans are encouraged to follow along with the many highly-engaging pieces of content recognizing the past that will be released on FIU Football's social media channels, listed below. 

Social Media
Get all the latest information on the team by following @FIU.Football on Instagram and @FIUFootball on Twitter and Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.