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 17 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.

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 (SIAC) 1979–1983: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) 1984–1985: NCAA Division I-AA independent 1986–2003: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference 2004: NCAA Division I-A independent 2005–2020: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference 2021–present: Southwestern Athletic Conference

In 1978, FAMU was a member of SIAC, an NCAA 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.

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 Florida Classic Orange Blossom Classic

Championships National, Black College The Rattlers claim 16 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) championships 15 come from official HBCU championship selectors, while the 2021 claim is the result of an NCAA power ranking of FCS HBCU teams.

National 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 Hubbard11–0 SIAC 1978 Black College National Champions Rudy Hubbard12–1 SIAC 1998 Black College National co-champions Billy Joe11–2 MEAC 2001 Black College National co-champions Billy Joe7–4 MEAC 2019 Black College National co-champions Willie Simmons9–2 MEAC 2023 Black College National Champions Willie Simmons12–1 SWAC

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. 1978 NCAA Division I–AA Rudy Hubbard Playoffs 12–1 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.

1962 NCAA College Division Jake Gaither Poll 9–1

Conference championships Florida A&M has won 38 conference championships, 31 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 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 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.

1938 Prairie View Bowl Houston, Texas Prairie View L 27–14 1946 Angel Bowl Los Angeles, California Wiley T 6–6 1992 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.

1978 SemifinalsNational Championship Game Jackson StateUMass W 15–10W 35–28 1996 First Round Troy State L 25–29 1997 First Round Georgia Southern L 37–52 1998 First RoundQuarterfinals Troy StateWestern Illinois W 27–17L 21–24 1999 First RoundQuarterfinalsSemifinals Appalachian StateTroy StateYoungstown State W 44–29W 17–10L 24–27 2000 First Round Western Kentucky L 0–27 2001 First Round Georgia Southern L 35–60 2021 First Round Southeastern Louisiana L 14–38

College Football Hall of Fame members Jake Gaither Willie Galimore Billy Joe Tyrone McGriff

Alumni in the NFL Over 60 Florida A&M alumni have played in the NFL, including: 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 Riley Morris Jamie Nails Nate Newton Carleton Oats Ken Riley Vernice Smith Wally Williams Robert Wilson Kevin Elliott Markquese Bell Xavier Smith Isaiah Land Terrell Jennings

Future non-conference opponents Announced schedules as of August 11, 2026 Albany State at USF at South Carolina State vs South Carolina StateMiami Gardens, FL at Tennessee State at Miami (FL) at NC Central Tennessee State

References

See also American football in the United States

External links