1956 Florida A&M Rattlers football
SIAC champion
ConferenceSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Record8–1 (5–0 SIAC)
Head coach
Home stadiumBragg 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.

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 22at North Carolina Central*Durham, NCW 25–0
October 6Fort Valley State
W 33–6
October 13at Morris Brown
W 46–146,000[4]
October 20vs. Bethune–Cookman
W 54–617,000[5]
October 27Xavier (LA)
  • Bragg Stadium
  • Tallahassee, FL
W 68–6
November 3North Carolina A&T*dagger
  • Bragg Stadium
  • Tallahassee, FL
W 49–137,500[6]
November 10Allen
  • Bragg Stadium
  • Tallahassee, FL
W 58–6
November 17at Southern*
W 34–6[7]
December 1vs. Tennessee A&I*
L 39–4141,808[1]
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming

[8]

References

  1. 1 2 "Fumbling A&M Bows, 41-39 In Orange Blossom Classic". Tallahassee Democrat. December 2, 1956. p. 34 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ "Florida A&M Rattler Football Media Guide" (PDF). Florida A&M University. 2015. pp. 80–81.
  3. ↑ 2015 Media Guide, p. 74.
  4. ↑ "Rattlers Come From Behind To Trounce Morris Brown". Tallahassee Democrat. October 14, 1956. p. 25 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Galimore, Frazier Spark A&M Romp". Tallahassee Democrat. October 21, 1956. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Rattlers Romp Over Aggies, 49-13". Tallahassee Democrat. November 4, 1956. p. 26 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Rattlers sting Southern U, 34–6". The Miami Herald. November 18, 1956. Retrieved September 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
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