Pikes Win Third Consecutive Triple Crown!

Delta Lambda Chapter reaffirmed its standing as the dominant athletic power of the decade by winning their sixth Overall Intramural Championship (2007-2008) in the past eight years. That record, while impressive, does not match the astonishing achievement of winning three consecutive Triple Crown trophies. Triple Crown refers to a fraternity winning the three major intramural sports - football, basketball and softball - all in the same school year.

In 60 years of Florida State intramural sports competition, it is believed that no fraternity other than Pi Kappa Alpha has ever won the Triple Crown. Delta Lambda has won the award four times.

The first time that feat was achieved, in the 1983-84 school year, it established a standard unmatched by any other fraternity for the next 21 years. Pi Kappa Alpha teams won the Triple Crown during the 2005-2006 school year and now have won three consecutive titles. That is, nine consecutive championships in three years: three each in football, basketball and softball. Pike football teams have won their championship for five consecutive years.

In addition to wining the three major sports in the Large Fraternity Division, Pike also won championships this year in Wrestling and Volleyball, and finished second in Soccer.

Pike won the Overall Title by 137 points over second place Delta Tau Delta. Rounding out the top five in order were Sigma Chi, Lambda Chi and Phi Delt. Twelve fraternities compete in the Large Fraternity (garnet) division, and another dozen fraternities compete in the Small Fraternity (gold) division.

See the layout below from the 1984 Pikeboy detailing that extraordinary year in Pike intramurals, the first time any FSU fraternity ever won the Triple Crown. No other fraternity has ever won it in 60 years of competition.

Pikes Win Fourth Consecutive Football Title

Pi Kappa Alpha crushed the Small Fraternity (Gold) League champion 29-6 to win the All-Greek Championship again for the fourth consecutive year. But the most dramatic game of the season was 20-19 victory over Delta Tau Delta in the heavyweight division title contest. Read the game story here:

November 6, 2007
Pike vs. Delt for the Heavyweight Championship

It was a cold night in November when the campus' most dominant fraternity faced its challenger for the heavyweight division football championship. Pike is the winner of five Overall Intramural Sports Championships in this decade, but Delta Tau Delta took the hardware last year, and now the Delts were determined to break the Pikes' hold on major sports. Pike won the Triple Crown (the football, basketball, softball trifecta) last year, becoming the first FSU fraternity ever to accomplish the feat in consecutive years.

There had been a feeling even before the season began that this Pike team was special. Some three hundred flag football teams compete in intramurals at Florida State. The campus recreation office conducts weekly polls, and Pike had consistently been ranked #2 among the hundreds of men's teams, both Greek and Independent. No other fraternity appeared around the top of the rankings. Toward the end of the season, Pike finally replaced the independent team at #1, and held that top ranking till the end.

The Pike football program has reached near legendary status, with three consecutive championships. This year, destruction of the competition was so complete that no team scored even one point on the Pikes in regular season play!

The unblemished record continued into the playoffs. In the semi-finals game, Pike defeated Sigma Chi 12-0 but the Sigs made the Pikes do something they had not done all season: they were forced to punt. Since the Pikes had not punted this year, they were unsure how to proceed. Play suspended momentarily while game officials explained certain aspects of the play.

Delt scouts had attended every Pike game, charting plays and making notes. Somewhere in the Delt house was hidden a fat notebook stuffed with observations on the greatest sports dynasty Florida State fraternities have ever known, and all devoted to one purpose: defeating the Pikes.

By 9:00 p.m. on Monday night, temperatures dropped into the high 40s. Hundreds of Pikes along with their supporting cast of girls and the Delt Chapter crowded the sidelines to watch the championship contest. Tensions were high. This game had been predestined all summer and fall. There had been lots of talk on campus and in the bars. The Delts were determined, and now it was time to put their preparation to the test.

On their first possession, the purple & gold clad Delts took the ball straight downfield and scored a touchdown! The Pikes were stunned. The referees were stunned. The campus recreation officials were stunned. Pike had never been scored on, and had only punted twice all year.

The Delts were bursting with confidence. Little Delt pledges leapt about on the sidelines, cheering and waving their mechanical noisemakers.

Pike quarterback Josh Jimmerson '05 calmly gathered his team. In just three plays, the former FSU walk-on quarterback struck the endzone and the score was tied. Now, the Pike defenders took over and they were not in a happy mood. Pikes sacked the Delt quarterback on their first play from scrimmage, backing him to his own one-yard-line.

Led by superb defenders Josh White '06 and Kenny Allen '06, Pike pressure was relentless. The befuddled the Delt quarterback fumbled the ball out of the endzone for a safety. The first half of play ended with the score: Pike 8, Delt 6.

As the second half began, Jimmerson again directed his Pike team downfield to a touchdown. After trading punts, the stout Pike defense returned to form forcing the Delts to give up the ball deep in their own territory. The Pike Firemen then marched down the field almost at will, scoring another touchdown and threatening to inflict a crushing defeat on the Delts.

But the determined Delts fought back. Driving the field the Delts scored, and, for the first time in this game, one team made the extra point. In FSU flag football there is no kicked extra point. The extra point is one play from scrimmage from the ten yard line.

The crowd had become huge. The small fraternity championship game had concluded; Theta Chi and Chi Phi fraternity brothers and their dates clustered around the south end of our field. In addition, a hundred or so Sig Ep brothers and their dates flooded into the north end. Sig Ep was suspended last spring and is no longer a recognized fraternity, but they had competed the Independent League. Now, the Sig Eps were lusting for a chance to take on the Pikes for the All-Campus title. One Pike said there were so many people it looked like a college game, "There were hundreds of people jammed all around on all sides of the field. I've never seen anything like it at an intramural game."

With less than two minutes left in the game, Pike fumbled the ball out of bounds. Despite Pike efforts to whittle down the remaining time, Delt got the football back with 40 seconds left. Down by seven points, the Delts started their final drive at mid-field. With only seconds left, the Delt quarterback lofted a toss-up ball into the endzone. A Delt receiver elbowed super athlete and Pike pledge Chris Proctor…and caught the ball for a touchdown.

The entire Delt chapter burst onto the playing field in celebration. It came as a rude shock to the dancing Delts when the official threw his flag indicating a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. The extra point to tie the game would now be tried from ten yards further back.

The crowd let out a sustained roar as the two teams lined up for the extra point play. Delts snapped from a deep shotgun formation. Pike defenders fell back across the goal line; one garnet & gold speedster rushed. The Delt quarterback threw a frozen rope to the middle of the endzone; Pike pledge Chris Proctor leaped into the air and plucked the ball out of the sky!

Pike won the heavyweight championship game 20-19, and order was restored. Each Pike team member wore special under armor uniforms with the word "Dynasty" emblazoned in gold across the back. Football is the first major sport of the school year; Pike is now on its way toward reclaiming the Overall IM Championship trophy that found its home at the Pike house for five of the last seven years since Refounding.