| 1956 Florida A&M Rattlers football | |
|---|---|
SIAC champion | |
Orange Blossom Classic, L 39–41 vs. Tennessee A&I | |
| Conference | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference |
| Record | 8–1 (5–0 SIAC) |
| Head coach |
|
| Home stadium | Bragg Stadium |
The 1956 Florida A&M Rattlers football team was an American football team that represented Florida A&M University as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) during the 1956 NCAA College Division football season. In their 12th season under head coach Jake Gaither, the Rattlers compiled an 8–1 record, won the SIAC championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 406 to 98. The team played its home games at Bragg Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida.
The Rattlers' sole loss was by two points to undefeated black college national champion Tennessee A&I before a crowd of 41,808 in the Orange Blossom Classic. Florida A&M was stopped six inches from a game-winning touchdown in the final minute of the game. Willie Galimore rushed for 127 yards and three touchdowns in the game, but also fumbled three times. [1]
The team's statistical leaders included Galimore with 820 rushing yards, Dennis Jefferson with 708 passing yards, and Al Frazier with 405 receiving yards. [2] Gallimore and Frazier each scored 16 touchdowns. Frazier tallied 116 points, a single-season team scoring record that still stands. [3] Galimore later played seven years with the Chicago Bears and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 22 | at North Carolina Central * | Durham, NC | W 25–0 | ||||
| October 6 | Fort Valley State | W 33–6 | |||||
| October 13 | at Morris Brown | W 46–14 | 6,000 | [4] | |||
| October 20 | vs. Bethune–Cookman | W 54–6 | 17,000 | [5] | |||
| October 27 | Xavier (LA) |
| W 68–6 | ||||
| November 3 | North Carolina A&T * |
| W 49–13 | 7,500 | [6] | ||
| November 10 | Allen |
| W 58–6 | ||||
| November 17 | at Southern * | W 34–6 | [7] | ||||
| December 1 | vs. Tennessee A&I * | L 39–41 | 41,808 | [1] | |||
| |||||||
The Florida A&M Rattlers football team represents Florida A&M University in the sport of American football. The Rattlers compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Starting with the fall 2021 season, the Rattlers will compete in the East Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), after a long tenure in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). They play their home games at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee. The Rattlers have won 15 black college football national championship, 29 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) titles, eight MEAC titles, and one I-AA national title in the history of their football program. During the 2004 season, the Rattlers briefly attempted to move up to Division I-A and become the only HBCU at college football's highest level, but the team was forced to abort its bid.
The 1978 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Florida A&M Rattlers and the UMass Minutemen. The game was played on December 16, 1978, at Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas. The culminating game of the 1978 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Florida A&M, 35–28.
The 1978 Florida A&M Rattlers football team represented Florida A&M University in the 1978 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Rattlers had an overall record of 12–1 and were the Division I-AA national champions.
The 1962 Florida A&M Rattlers football team was an American football team that represented Florida A&M University as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) in the 1962 NCAA College Division football season. In their 18th season under head coach Jake Gaither, the Rattlers compiled a 9–1 record, were ranked No. 1 in the final 1962 AP small college poll and No. 2 in the final UPI coaches poll, and suffered its sole loss to Jackson State in the Orange Blossom Classic. Florida A&M shared the SIAC title with Alabama A&M.
The 1961 Florida A&M Rattlers football team was an American football team that represented Florida A&M University as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) during the 1961 NCAA College Division football season. In their 17th season under head coach Jake Gaither, the Rattlers compiled a perfect 10–0 record, including a victory over Jackson State in the Orange Blossom Classic for the black college football national championship, and shut out six of ten opponents. The team was ranked No. 4 in the final 1961 AP small college poll and No. 6 in the final UPI coaches poll. The team played its home games at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida.
The 1959 Florida A&M Rattlers football team was an American football team that represented Florida A&M University as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) during the 1959 NCAA College Division football season. In their 15th season under head coach Jake Gaither, the Rattlers compiled a perfect 10–0 record, including a victory over Prairie View A&M in the Orange Blossom Classic for the black college football national championship. The team was ranked No. 14 in the final UPI coaches small colleges poll. The team played its home games at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida.
The 1957 Florida A&M Rattlers football team was an American football team that represented Florida A&M University as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) during the 1957 NCAA College Division football season. In their 13th season under head coach Jake Gaither, the Rattlers compiled a perfect 9–0 record, including a victory over Maryland State in the Orange Blossom Classic for the black college football national championship. The team played its home games at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida.
The 1960 Florida A&M Rattlers football team was an American football team that represented Florida A&M University as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) during the 1960 NCAA College Division football season. In their 16th season under head coach Jake Gaither, the Rattlers compiled a 9–1 record, including a victory over Langston in the Orange Blossom Classic. The team was ranked No. 5 in the final 1960 UPI coaches small college poll. The team played its home games at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida.
The 1954 Florida A&M Rattlers football team was an American football team that represented Florida A&M University as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) during the 1954 college football season. In their 10th season under head coach Jake Gaither, the Rattlers compiled an 8–1 record, including a victory over Maryland State in the Orange Blossom Classic. The team played its home games at Bragg Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida.
The 1951 Florida A&M Rattlers football team was an American football team that represented Florida A&M University as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) during the 1951 college football season. In their seventh season under head coach Jake Gaither, the Rattlers compiled a 7–1–1 record. The team's sole loss was to Morris Brown. In the Orange Blossom Classic, the Rattlers defeated North Carolina College. The team played its home games at Bragg Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida.
The 1964 Florida A&M Rattlers football team was an American football team that represented Florida A&M University as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) during the 1964 NCAA College Division football season. In their 20th season under head coach Jake Gaither, the Rattlers compiled a 9–1 record, were ranked No. 9 in the final 1964 AP small college poll and No. 12 in the final UPI coaches poll, and suffered its sole loss to Southern. In the post-season, the Rattlers defeated Grambling in the Orange Blossom Classic.
The 1963 Florida A&M Rattlers football team was an American football team that represented Florida A&M University as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) during the 1963 NCAA College Division football season. In their 19th season under head coach Jake Gaither, the Rattlers compiled an 8–2 record, including a victory over Morgan State in the Orange Blossom Classic. The team played its home games at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida.
The 1945 Florida A&M Rattlers football team was an American football team that represented Florida A&M College as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) during the 1945 college football season. In their first season under head coach Jake Gaither, the Rattlers compiled a 9–1 record and won the SIAC championship. The team's sole loss was to undefeated black college national champion Wiley in the Orange Blossom Classic. The Rattlers played their home games at Sampson-Bragg Field in Tallahassee, Florida.
The 1947 Florida A&M Rattlers football team was an American football team that represented Florida A&M College as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) during the 1947 college football season. In their third season under head coach Jake Gaither, the Rattlers compiled a 9–1 record, including a victory over Hampton in the Orange Blossom Classic. The Rattlers played their home games at Sampson-Bragg Field in Tallahassee, Florida.
The 1938 Florida A&M Rattlers football team was an American football team that represented Florida A&M College as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) during the 1938 college football season. In their third season under head coach William "Big Bill" Bell, the Rattlers compiled a perfect 8–0 record, defeated Kentucky State in the Orange Blossom Classic, outscored opponents by a total of 189 to 7, and were recognized as the black college national championship. The Rattlers played their home games at College Field in Tallahassee, Florida.
The 1941 Florida A&M Rattlers football team was an American football team that represented Florida A&M College as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) during the 1941 college football season. In their sixth season under head coach William M. Bell, the Rattlers compiled an 8–1 record, shut out six of nine opponents, and defeated Tuskegee in the Orange Blossom Classic. The Rattlers played their home games at Sampson-Bragg Field in Tallahassee, Florida.
The 1937 Florida A&M Rattlers football team was an American football team that represented Florida A&M College as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) during the 1937 college football season. In their second season under head coach William "Big Bill" Bell, the Rattlers compiled a 7–1–1 record and outscored opponents by a total of 132 to 74. In post-season play, the Rattlers defeated Hampton in the Orange Blossom Classic and then lost to Prairie View A&M in the Prairie View Bowl on New Year's Day. The Rattlers played their home games at College Field in Tallahassee, Florida.
The 1955 Florida A&M Rattlers football team was an American football team that represented Florida A&M University as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) during the 1955 college football season. In their 11th season under head coach Jake Gaither, the Rattlers compiled a 7–1–1 record, won the SIAC championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 369 to 94. The team played its home games at Bragg Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida.
The 1958 Florida A&M Rattlers football team was an American football team that represented Florida A&M University as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) during the 1958 NCAA College Division football season. In their 14th season under head coach Jake Gaither, the Rattlers compiled a 7–2 record, won the SIAC championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 263 to 135. The team played its home games at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida.
The 1946 Florida A&M Rattlers football team was an American football team that represented Florida A&M College as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) during the 1946 college football season. In their second season under head coach Jake Gaither, the Rattlers compiled a 6–3–1 record, and won the SIAC championship, and appeared in two post-season games, losing to Lincoln (PA) in the Orange Blossom Classic and tying Wiley in the Angel Bowl.