Florida A&M Rattlers football

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Florida A&M Rattlers football
AmericanFootball current event.svg 2024 Florida A&M Rattlers football team
Florida A&M Rattlers wordmark.svg
First season1907;118 years ago (1907)
Head coach James Colzie III
1st season, 7–5 (.583)
Stadium Bragg Memorial Stadium
(capacity: 19,633)
Field surfaceAstroTurf
Location Tallahassee, Florida
NCAA division Division I FCS
Conference SWAC
All-time record598–343–22 (.632)
Bowl record29–24–2 (.545)
Claimed national titles17
(Div. I FCS): 1978
(Black College): 1938, 1942, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1957, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1977, 1978, 1998, 2001, 2019, 2023
Unclaimed national titles1
(Div. II): 1962
Conference titles38
Rivalries Bethune-Cookman (rivalry)
ColorsGreen and orange [1]
   
Marching band Marching 100
Website FAMUAthletics.com

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). [2] They play their home games at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee.

Contents

The Rattlers have won 16 black college football national championship, 29 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) titles, eight MEAC titles, one SWAC title 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 (now known as the FBS) and become the only HBCU at college football's highest level, but the team was forced to abort its bid. [3]

History

Classifications

Conference memberships

† In 1978, FAMU was a member of SIAC, a Division II conference. FAMU had successfully petitioned the NCAA for Division I classification (Division I-AA in football), which took effect on September 1, 1978. [5]

The Rattlers have been part of a couple controversies in recent years. In 2022, FAMU almost had to forfeit a week 1 game against North Carolina because 20 players were academically ineligible to play. In July 2023, Florida A&M halted all football related activities after a rap video containing explicit lyrics was filmed in their locker room.

Annual Classics

Championships

National, Black College

The Rattlers claim 16 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) championships [6] 15 come from official HBCU championship selectors, while the 2021 claim is the result of an NCAA power ranking of FCS HBCU teams. [7] [8]

National

YearChampionshipCoachOverall recordConference
1938 Black College National Champions William M. Bell 8–0 SIAC
1942 Black College National Champions William M. Bell 9–0 SIAC
1950 Black College National co-champions Jake Gaither 8–1–1 SIAC
1952 Black College National Champions Jake Gaither 8–2 SIAC
1953 Black College National co-champions Jake Gaither 10–1 SIAC
1954 Black College National co-champions Jake Gaither 8–1 SIAC
1957 Black College National Champions Jake Gaither 9–0 SIAC
1959 Black College National Champions Jake Gaither 10–0 SIAC
1961 Black College National Champions Jake Gaither 10–0 SIAC
1962 Black College National co-champions Jake Gaither 9–1 SIAC
1977 Black College National Champions Rudy Hubbard 11–0 SIAC
1978 Black College National Champions Rudy Hubbard 12–1 SIAC
1998 Black College National co-champions Billy Joe 11–2 MEAC
2001 Black College National co-champions Billy Joe 7–4 MEAC
2019 Black College National co-champions Willie Simmons 9–2 MEAC
2023 Black College National Champions Willie Simmons 12–1SWAC

National, Division I–AA/FCS

Florida A&M has one championship in the division formerly known as Division I-AA. They are the only HBCU to play in and win a I-AA/FCS championship game.

YearAssociationDivisionCoachSelectorRecordOpponentScore
1978 NCAADivision I–AA Rudy Hubbard Playoffs12–1 Massachusetts 35–28

National, Division II/College Division

One Florida A&M team has been awarded a national championship from NCAA-designated designated major selector, as they were declared Associated Press (AP) small college national champion for the 1962 season. While the school holds the distinction of being the first HBCU to win an NCAA football title, the championship is not claimed by the university.

YearAssociationDivisionCoachSelectorRecord
1962 NCAACollege Division Jake Gaither Poll9–1

Conference championships

Bragg Memorial Stadium Bragg Memorial Stadium inside 1.jpg
Bragg Memorial Stadium

Florida A&M has won 38 conference championships, 31 outright and 7 shared.

YearCoachConferenceRecord
1937 William M. Bell Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference 7–1–1
1938 William M. BellSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference8–0
1942 William M. BellSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference9–0
1943 Herman NeilsonSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference7–3
1945 Jake Gaither Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference9–1
1946 Jake GaitherSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference6–4–1
1947 Jake GaitherSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference9–1
1948 Jake GaitherSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference8–2
1949 Jake GaitherSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference7–2
1950†Jake GaitherSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference8–1
1952†Jake GaitherSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference8–2
1953 Jake GaitherSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference10–1
1954 Jake GaitherSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference8–1
1955 Jake GaitherSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference7–1–1
1956 Jake GaitherSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference8–1
1957 Jake GaitherSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference9–0
1958 Jake GaitherSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference7–2
1959 Jake GaitherSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference10–0
1960 Jake GaitherSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference9–1
1961 Jake GaitherSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference10–0
1962†Jake GaitherSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference9–1
1963†Jake GaitherSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference8–2
1964 Jake GaitherSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference9–1
1965 Jake GaitherSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference7–3
1967 Jake GaitherSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference8–2
1968 Jake GaitherSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference8–2
1969 Jake GaitherSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference8–1
1977 Rudy Hubbard Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference11–0
1978 Rudy HubbardSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference12–1
1988† Ken Riley Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference 6–4–1
1990 Ken Riley Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference7–4
1995 Billy Joe Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference9–3
1996 Billy JoeMid-Eastern Athletic Conference9–3
1998†Billy JoeMid-Eastern Athletic Conference11–2
2000 Billy JoeMid-Eastern Athletic Conference9–2
2001 Billy JoeMid-Eastern Athletic Conference7–3
2010† Joe Taylor Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference8–3
2023 Willie Simmons Southwestern Athletic Conference 11–1

† Co-champions

Bowl games

This is a partial list. The Rattlers have an overall bowl record of 29–24–2. [9]

YearBowlLocationOpponentResult
1938 Prairie View Bowl Houston, Texas Prairie View L 27–14
1946Angel Bowl Los Angeles, California Wiley T 6–6
1993 Heritage Bowl Tallahassee, Florida Grambling State L 45–15
1995 Heritage Bowl Atlanta, Georgia Southern L 30–25
2023 Celebration Bowl Atlanta, Georgia Howard W 30–26

NCAA Division I-AA/FCS playoff results

The Rattlers have appeared in the I-AA/FCS playoffs eight times with a record of 5–7. They were I-AA National Champions in 1978, the first year of Division I-AA.

YearRoundOpponentResult
1978 Semifinals
National Championship Game 		Jackson State
Massachusetts		W 15–10
W 35–28
1996 First RoundTroy StateL 25–29
1997 First RoundGeorgia SouthernL 37–52
1998 First Round
Quarterfinals		Troy State
Western Illinois		W 27–17
L 21–24
1999 First Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals		Appalachian State
Troy State
Youngstown State		W 44–29
W 17–10
L 24–27
2000 First RoundWestern KentuckyL 0–27
2001 First RoundGeorgia SouthernL 35–60
2021 First Round Southeastern Louisiana L 14–38

College Football Hall of Fame members

Alumni in the NFL

Over 60 Florida A&M alumni have played in the NFL, [10] including:

Future non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of March 1, 2025 [11]

2025202620272028
vs Howard (Miami Gardens, FL)at Miami (FL) at UAB at Georgia
at Florida Atlantic at USF
Albany State at NC Central
NC Central

References

  1. ↑ FAMUAthletics.com Style Guide (PDF). Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  2. ↑ "SWAC Announces Addition of Florida A&M as Full Member" (Press release). Southwestern Athletic Conference. June 4, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  3. ↑ Powell, Robert Andrew (October 9, 2004). "Florida A&M Tries to Recover From Failed Bid". The New York Times. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
  4. ↑ Connelly, Bill (May 4, 2016). "That time FAMU nearly made it in college football's top level, but the timing was all wrong". SB Nation .
  5. ↑ Cooper, Barry (August 31, 1978). "Florida A&M granted Division 1 status". Tallahassee Democrat . Tallahassee, Florida. p. 1B. Retrieved May 13, 2019– via newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "FAMU to join Southwestern Athletic Conference in 2021". June 6, 2020.
  7. ↑ "The final HBCU football power rankings for the 2021 season".
  8. ↑ "Simmons rebuilds FAMU football, Rattlers eye HBCU national championship in Celebration Bowl".
  9. ↑ http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2022/Bowls.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  10. ↑ "Florida A&M Players/Alumni". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  11. ↑ "Future Florida A&M Rattlers Football Schedules". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved March 1, 2025.

See also

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