1959 Florida A&M Rattlers football team

American college football season

1959 Florida A&M Rattlers football
Black college national champion SIAC champion
Orange Blossom Classic, W 28–7 vs. Prairie View A&M
Conference	Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Record	10–0 (5–0 SIAC)
Head coach	Jake Gaither (15th season)
Home stadium	Bragg Memorial Stadium
Seasons← 1958 1960 →

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 college 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 small college poll. The team played its home games at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida.

The team's statistical leaders included Clarence Childs with 537 rushing yards, Theodore Richardson with 354 passing yards, and Williams Barber with 116 receiving yards.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance
October 3	Benedict		Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	W 74–0
October 10	Wiley*		Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	W 64–0
October 17	Morris Brown		Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	W 6–0
October 24	vs. Bethune–Cookman		Jacksonville, FL	W 68–6
October 31	South Carolina State		Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	W 34–12
November 7	at North Carolina A&T*		Greensboro, NC	W 28–16
November 14	Allen	No. 20	Columbia, SC	W 52–8
November 21	Southern*		Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	W 21–14
November 28	at Texas Southern*	No. 14	Jeppesen Stadium Houston, TX	W 36–8
December 5	vs. Prairie View A&M*	No. 14	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL (Orange Blossom Classic)	W 28–7	43,645
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

"Florida A&M Rattler Football Media Guide" (PDF). Florida A&M University. 2015.
"Florida A&M Stomps Benedict, 74-0". Tallahassee Democrat. October 4, 1959. p. 30 – via Newspapers.com.
"Florida A&M Runs Past Wiley, 64-0". Tallahassee Democrat. October 11, 1959. p. 30 – via Newspapers.com.
"Florida A&M Rattlers Whip Stubborn Morris Brown 6-0". Tallahassee Democrat. October 18, 1959. p. 31 – via Newspapers.com.
"Rattlers Whip Bethune 68-6". Tallahassee Democrat. October 25, 1959. p. 26 – via Newspapers.com.
"A&M Powers Past South Carolina State". Tallahassee Democrat. November 1, 1959. p. 30 – via Newspapers.com.
"Rattlers Win Sixth Straight". Tallahassee Democrat. November 8, 1959. p. 27 – via Newspapers.com.
"Florida A&M Wins Over Allen Club". Tallahassee Democrat. November 15, 1959. p. 30 – via Newspapers.com.
"A&M Scores Late For 21-14 Win". Tallahassee Democrat. November 22, 1959. p. 27 – via Newspapers.com.
"Rattlers Finish Strong For Win". Tallahassee Democrat. November 29, 1959. p. 29 – via Newspapers.com.
"A&M Rips Panthers, 28-7". Tallahassee Democrat. December 6, 1959. p. 35 – via Newspapers.com.
"Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved June 18, 2023.

v t e Florida A&M Rattlers football
Venues	Sampson-Bragg Field (1942–1946) Bragg Stadium (1947–1956) Doak Campbell Stadium (1974–1980; entire 1980 season) Bragg Memorial Stadium (1957–1979, 1981–present)
Bowls & rivalries	2023 Celebration Bowl Bethune–Cookman: Florida Classic Jackson State: Orange Blossom Classic
Culture & lore	"Rattler Orange and Green" Marching 100
People	Head coaches NFL draftees
Seasons	1907 1908 1909 1910–1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold

v t e Black college football national champions
1920s	1920: Howard / Talladega 1921: Talladega / Wiley 1922: Hampton 1923: Howard / Lincoln (PA) / Virginia Union 1924: Lincoln (PA) / Paul Quinn / Tuskegee 1925: Howard / Tuskegee 1926: Howard / Tuskegee 1927: Bluefield / Tuskegee 1928: Bluefield / Wiley 1929: Tuskegee
1920s	1930: Tuskegee 1931: Wilberforce 1932: Wiley 1933: Morgan 1934: Kentucky State 1935: Kentucky State / Texas College 1936: Virginia State / West Virginia State 1937: Morgan 1938: Florida A&M 1939: Langston
1940s	1940: Morris Brown 1941: Langston / Morris Brown 1942: Florida A&M 1943: Morgan State 1944: Morgan State 1945: Wiley 1946: Morgan State / Tennessee A&I 1947: Shaw / Tennessee A&I 1948: Wilberforce State / Southern 1949: Morgan State / Southern
1950s	1950: Florida A&M / Southern 1951: Morris Brown / North Carolina A&T 1952: Florida A&M 1953: Florida A&M / Prairie View A&M / Tennessee A&I 1954: Florida A&M / North Carolina College / Prairie View A&M / Southern / Tennessee A&I 1955: Grambling 1956: Tennessee A&I 1957: Florida A&M 1958: Prairie View A&M 1959: Florida A&M
1960s	1960: Southern 1961: Florida A&M 1962: Florida A&M / Jackson State 1963: Prairie View A&M 1964: Prairie View A&M 1965: Tennessee A&I 1966: Tennessee A&I 1967: Grambling / Morgan State 1968: Alcorn A&M / North Carolina A&T 1969: Alcorn A&M
1970s	1970: Tennessee State 1971: Tennessee State 1972: Grambling 1973: Tennessee State 1974: Alcorn State / Grambling State 1975: Grambling State 1976: South Carolina State 1977: Florida A&M / Grambling State / South Carolina State 1978: Florida A&M 1979: Tennessee State
1980s	1980: Grambling State 1981: South Carolina State / Virginia Union 1982: South Carolina State / Tennessee State 1983: Central State / Grambling State / Tennessee State 1984: Alcorn State / Tennessee State 1985: Hampton / Jackson State 1986: Central State 1987: Central State / Howard 1988: Central State 1989: Central State
1990s	1990: Central State / North Carolina A&T 1991: Alabama State 1992: Central State / Grambling State 1993: Howard / Southern 1994: Hampton / South Carolina State 1995: Southern 1996: Howard / Jackson State 1997: Hampton / Southern 1998: Florida A&M / Southern 1999: North Carolina A&T
2000s	2000: Grambling State / Tuskegee 2001: Florida A&M / Grambling State / Tuskegee 2002: Bethune–Cookman / Fayetteville State / Grambling State 2003: Albany State / Southern 2004: Albany State / Hampton 2005: Grambling State / Hampton / North Carolina Central 2006: Hampton / North Carolina Central 2007: Delaware State / Tuskegee 2008: Grambling State 2009: South Carolina State
2010s	2010: Bethune–Cookman 2011: Norfolk State / Winston-Salem State 2012: Arkansas–Pine Bluff / Winston-Salem State 2013: Bethune–Cookman / Tennessee State 2014: Alcorn State 2015: North Carolina A&T 2016: Grambling State 2017: North Carolina A&T 2018: North Carolina A&T 2019: North Carolina A&T
2020s	2020: Alabama A&M 2021: Bowie State / Florida A&M / South Carolina State 2022: North Carolina Central 2023: Florida A&M 2024: Jackson State

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