Florida State football is moving on from Woody Hayes, the stadium voice fans knew as the “Voice of Doak,” after 16 seasons. His famous call, “And that’s good for another Florida State… FIRST DOWN!” will not return in 2026. Reports claim FSU looked past his 16-year tenure and cut him off abruptly as they are ‘heading into a new direction’, which left Hayes dumbfounded.

“I’m hurt. I’m deeply hurt,” Woody Hayes said of FSU’s out-of-nowhere decision to fire him in his exclusive interview with WCTV. He found out his time was up during a quick, impersonal phone call that lasted less than two minutes.

“(They) called me into the athletics office, you know. Let’s talk about it. Tell me to my face. It was just a phone call from someone who sounded like they were in their car headed to lunch, and it was over.”

When Hayes tried to get some real answers about why he was being let go, he was completely shut down. Every time he asked a question or brought up a new topic, he was simply told that the university was “going in a new direction.” Hayes mentioned that he has always been open to constructive criticism, but claims to have never received any feedback whatsoever or any hints.

Hayes compared the sudden finality of the phone call to getting dumped over a text message. To put the longevity of his tenure into perspective, Hayes succeeded the late Nick Menacof and was apparently only the third person to hold the stadium’s PA microphone over the last 42 years.

Although the university’s moving on from him for football, Hayes isn’t leaving the school entirely just yet. He still plans to keep his other major gig as the public address voice for both the men’s and women’s basketball teams, a role he has proudly held for 25 years. However, he admitted that he has to always keep his guard up.

“I’m always going to be professional in what I do, but awkward is probably a good word. Probably looking over my shoulder, wondering if the hammer’s going to fall on basketball too,” Hayes said.

Hayes said the reaction from FSU fans has been overwhelming. He received messages and calls from supporters after news of the move spread. WCTV contacted Florida State athletics for comment. The department said it had nothing to share and has not named a replacement.

Even with all this, Hayes made it pretty clear that his love for the school hasn’t changed one bit. He admitted that if FSU offered him his football job back, he would take it in a heartbeat, because no matter what happens, he will always be a Seminole.