The man who started all this madness is Warchant founder and owner Gene Williams, a 1988 graduate of FSU and a former Tallahassee attorney. To those Warchant warriors who cant wait for his next post, the 43-year-old Williams is known simply as Dot Com, a nickname that originated early in Williams then-crazy idea of creating a Web site to cover FSU sports.
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Fans could call in to 900 numbers operated by so-called expert analysts such as Rivals.com pioneer Bobby Burton for the latest scoop on football recruiting. FSU was in the midst of its unprecedented run of 14 consecutive seasons of 10 wins and Top 5 finishes in the national polls, so the Seminoles were always a popular subject on the recruiting lines.</p>
<p>Williams, who said he got hooked on FSU football during the 1987 Miami-FSU classic at Doak Campbell Stadium, took notes from the calls and eventually started placing some of the information on the first incarnation of Warchant, which he called FSUNoles.com.</p>
<p>Recruiting is what really got me into it, he said. I was one of those fanatics that would call the 900 numbers, and I would get the newsletters, too.</p>
<p>In the beginning, he added items such as FSUs football schedule, the Seminoles roster and perhaps a couple of thoughts on some of the recruits to feed his latest hobby. Meanwhile, wife Stacy wasnt sure what to make of her husbands new obsession, but with the couples two young daughters still a few years away, she gave it her blessing.</p>
<p>It just happened at a great time of our lives, Stacy Williams said. It was the perfect time for him to go out and give it a shot. I didnt realize how big it could become. Im glad my husband has a job that he is passionate about.</p>
<p>For the rest of the 1990s, Gene Williams continued to practice law and run the Web site on the side. He eventually teamed up with the Rivals.com network, a group of college fan sites that now have hundreds of thousands of subscribers across the nation.</p>
<p>While joining Rivals.com helped the Web site grow, Williams worked constantly to create a living by doing something he loved to do.</p>
<p>But it didnt happen overnight. There were many hurdles to clear, such as convincing FSUs sports information office to grant him media credentials to cover practice and games. FSU first put him on a mailing list, and later allowed him to cover practice, and eventually games, like the mainstream media.</p>
<p>Nobody was doing sports on the Internet full time back then, Williams said. There was some initial hesitancy.