4-Year-Old FSU Fan Sets Up Lemonade Stand To Raise Money So The ‘Noles Can Fire Willie Taggart

FSU Head Coach Willie Taggart

Getty Image / Joe Robbins


The Florida State Seminoles are 1-2 on the season. This is the third season in a row the Seminoles have started their season with 1 win and 2 losses. The Noles have held a lead in all three games they’ve played this season, and they’ve blown that lead in all three games.

In their first game, the Seminoles blew an 18-point lead AT HOME and lost 36-31 to visiting Boise State. In week 2, FSU blew an 18-point lead against Louisiana-Monroe and were forced to overtime where they barely won (44-45).

This past weekend, the ‘Noles were on the road in Charlottesville where they went into halftime with a 14-10 lead over #25-ranked UVA and they extended their lead to 17-10 going into the 4th quarter but ultimately blew that and lost 24-31 after giving up TWENTY ONE POINTS to UVA (?!?!?!!) in the 4th quarter.

‘Noles head coach Willie Taggart was handed a perfect storm of mediocrity and injuries last year after Jimbo Fisher jumped shit for Texas A&M. The Seminoles missed their first bowl game in decades. But Willie was given a pass by a lot of fans because he needed some time to turn the program around after Jimbo Fisher left it in shambles. But with the 1-2 start to this season that was nearly 0-3, many FSU fans are calling for Willie Taggart to go.

One FSU fan (details below) is now trying to raise money to help Florida State fire Head Coach Willie Taggart with a ‘Free Willie’ lemonade stand that is selling lemonade at $20/cup. That’s a lot of $$$ for lemonade but fans were quick to spend money if it meant Willie Taggart would be run out of Tallahassee sooner.

The Tallahassee Democrat reports that Clayton Grant, a 4-year-old Florida State fan who lives in Tallahassee, set up a “Free Willie” lemonade stand in front of his grandmother’s house. He charged $20 per cup and raised $241 in three hours, which his father matched and donated to Seminole Boosters. The Grants sent a letter with the check that explained its purpose.

“I am tired of losing football games and being made fun of at school for being a Seminole fan,” Grant wrote. “At four, I am already starting to gravitate towards the color orange. You don’t want that for an innocent kid like me….” (via)
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“I hope what I did helped because it was really hot,” Grayton said of his fundraising effort that was posted and widely shared on social media.

A local television station also interviewed Grayton, whose lemonade stand was accompanied by two, large white poster boards that featured Taggart’s career marks. The blonde, blue-eyed Grayton sported a Seminoles cap and No. 4 jersey (his favorite player is former FSU tailback Dalvin Cook, now with the Minnesota Vikings). (via Tallahassee)

Unfortunately, for Florida State Football and all of the fans + alumni like myself, the chances of Willie getting axed this season even if he loses his next five games are pretty dismal. This is because he has a contract that requires a massive buyout. If FSU fires Taggart before the end of his contract they owe him 85% of the remaining balance.

Here’s how much FSU would owe Willie Taggart based on the next four seasons and the remaining balance on his contract:

Feb. 1, 2020: $17 million
Feb. 1, 2021: $12.75 million
Feb. 1, 2022: $8.5 million
Feb. 1: 2023: $4.25 million

Taggart’s agent deserves a lifetime achievement award for that one.

For more on this lemonade stand story, you can click here to visit Tallahassee.com.