1964 Florida A&M Rattlers football team

1964 Florida A&M Rattlers football
SIAC champion Orange Blossom Classic champion
Orange Blossom Classic, W 42–15 vs. Grambling
Conference	Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Record	9–1 (3–0 SIAC)
Head coach	Jake Gaither (20th season)
Home stadium	Bragg Memorial Stadium

The 1964 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 1964 NCAA College Division football season. In their 20th season under head coach Jake Gaither, the Rattlers compiled a 9–1 record, were ranked No. 9 in the final AP small college poll and No. 12 in the final UPI coaches poll, and suffered its sole loss to Southern. In the post-season, the Rattlers defeated Grambling in the Orange Blossom Classic.^[1]

The team's statistical leaders included Bobby Felts with 468 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns and Ernie Hart with 1,123 passing yards and 66 points scored.^[2]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
October 3	Lincoln (MO)*		Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	W 14–3
October 10	Central State (OH)*	No. 5	Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	W 56–15
October 17	at Morris Brown	No. 3	Herndon Stadium Atlanta, GA	W 28–0
October 24	Tennessee A&I*	No. 2	Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	W 22–20	11,000	[3]
October 31	at Benedict	No. 3	Tampa, FL	W 54–6
November 7	North Carolina A&T*	No. 3	Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	W 46–24
November 14	at Southern*	No. 3	University Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	L 20–43		[4]
November 21	at Bethune–Cookman		Daytona Beach, FL	W 31–14
November 28	at Texas Southern*	No. 9	Gator Bowl Stadium Jacksonville, FL	W 24–14	17,000	[5]
December 5	vs. Grambling*	No. 9	Orange Bowl Miami, FL (Orange Blossom Classic)	W 42–15	28,127	[6]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "Florida A&M Yearly Results (1960-1964)". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on February 27, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
2. "Florida A&M Rattler Football Media Guide" (PDF). Florida A&M University. 2015.
3. "Rattlers get scare, salvage 22–20 margin". The Miami Herald. October 25, 1964. Retrieved March 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Southern U. dumps Florida A&M". The Bradenton Herald. November 15, 1964. Retrieved September 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Rattlers win final game 24–14". The Tampa Tribune. November 29, 1964. Retrieved July 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Rattlers chill Grambling". The Miami Herald. December 6, 1964. Retrieved March 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.