Florida A&M Rattlers football
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 of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the south division of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. 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 titles, eight Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference 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.
History
Classifications
- 1952–1972: NCAA College Division
- 1973–1977: NCAA Division II
- 1978–2003: NCAA Division I–AA
- 2004: NCAA Division I–A
- 2005–present: NCAA Division I–AA/FCS
Conference memberships
- 1907–1925: Independent
- 1926–1978: Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
- 1979–1983: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
- 1984–1985: Division I–AA Independent
- 1986–2003: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
- 2004: Division I–A Independent
- 2005–present: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Annual Classic
- Florida Classic
15 Championships
National, Black College
- 1938
- 1942
- 1950
- 1952
- 1953
- 1954
- 1957
- 1959
- 1961
- 1962
- 1977
- 1978
- 1998
- 2001
National, Division I–AA/FCS
Conference championships
Florida A&M has won 37 conference championships, 30 outright and 7 shared.| 1937 | William M. Bell | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 7–1–1 |
| 1938 | William M. Bell | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 8–0 |
| 1942 | William M. Bell | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 9–0 |
| 1943 | Herman Neilson | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 7–3 |
| 1945 | Jake Gaither | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 9–1 |
| 1946 | Jake Gaither | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 6–4–1 |
| 1947 | Jake Gaither | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 9–1 |
| 1948 | Jake Gaither | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 8–2 |
| 1949 | Jake Gaither | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 7–2 |
| 1950 † | Jake Gaither | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 8–1 |
| 1952 † | Jake Gaither | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 8–2 |
| 1953 | Jake Gaither | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 10–1 |
| 1954 | Jake Gaither | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 8–1 |
| 1955 | Jake Gaither | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 7–1–1 |
| 1956 | Jake Gaither | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 8–1 |
| 1957 | Jake Gaither | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 9–0 |
| 1958 | Jake Gaither | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 7–2 |
| 1959 | Jake Gaither | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 10–0 |
| 1960 | Jake Gaither | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 9–1 |
| 1961 | Jake Gaither | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 10–0 |
| 1962 † | Jake Gaither | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 9–1 |
| 1963 † | Jake Gaither | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 8–2 |
| 1964 | Jake Gaither | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 9–1 |
| 1965 | Jake Gaither | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 7–3 |
| 1967 | Jake Gaither | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 8–2 |
| 1968 | Jake Gaither | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 8–2 |
| 1969 | Jake Gaither | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 8–1 |
| 1977 | Rudy Hubbard | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 11–0 |
| 1978 | Rudy Hubbard | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 12–1 |
| 1988 † | Ken Riley | Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | 6–4–1 |
| 1990 | Ken Riley | Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | 7–4 |
| 1995 | Billy Joe | Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | 9–3 |
| 1996 | Billy Joe | Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | 9–3 |
| 1998 † | Billy Joe | Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | 11–2 |
| 2000 | Billy Joe | Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | 9–2 |
| 2001 | Billy Joe | Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | 7–3 |
| 2010 † | Joe Taylor | Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | 8–3 |
† denotes co-champions
Division I-AA/FCS Playoffs results
The Rattlers have appeared in the I-AA/FCS playoffs seven times with a record of 5–6. They were I-AA National Champions in 1978, the first year of Division I-AA.| 1978 | Semifinals National Championship Game | Jackson State Massachusetts | W 15–10 W 35–28 |
| 1996 | First Round | Troy State | L 25–29 |
| 1997 | First Round | Georgia Southern | L 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 Round | WKU | L 0–27 |
| 2001 | First Round | Georgia Southern | L 35–60 |
College Football Hall of Fame members
- Jake Gaither
- Willie Galimore
- Billy Joe
- Tyrone McGriff
Alumni in the NFL
- Ray Alexander
- Gene Atkins
- Greg Coleman
- Al Denson
- Hewritt Dixon
- Glen Edwards
- Chad Fann
- Roger Finnie
- Derrick Gainer
- Willie Galimore
- Hubert Ginn
- Charles Goodrum
- Quinn Gray
- Bob Hayes
- Earl Holmes
- Henry Lawrence
- Herm Lee
- Frank Marion
- Willie McClung
- Terry Mickens
- Jamie Nails
- Nate Newton
- Carleton Oats
- Ken Riley
- Vernice Smith
- Wally Williams
- Robert Wilson