SECTION 7
THE RATTLER SPORTS TRADITION
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121
Willie
Galimore
Florida A&M’s alltime rushing leader,
this scintillating athlete rushed for 3,596
yards from 1953-56,
earning All-America
honors four times.
He went on to star
with the Chicago
Bears, helping them
win the 1963 NFL title
prior to his untimely
death in 1964.
Galimore was enshrined in the College
Football Hall of Fame
in 1999.
122
2007 Florida A&M Football
The Rattler Sports Tradition
The Florida A&M University Athletic Program is an ongoing
American sports success story featuring singular performers,
championship teams and countless moments of high drama
Established in 1899 with tennis, baseball and football,
Athletics at FAMU has expanded and grown into a Division
One program with 18 sports for men and women.
The school’s sports teams have won a combined 13
national championships and 164 conference championships in various sports since 1937.
•Of the 164 league titles, 85 have come in MidEastern Athletic Conference competition since 1980.
Presently, Florida A&M sponsors baseball, basketball,
cross country, football, golf, indoor and outdoor
track, tennis and swimming for men, while offering
basketball, bowling, cross country, indoor and
outdoor track, tennis, softball, swimming and
volleyball for women..
•The four Rattler baseballers who achieved major league
stardom: McRae (Cincinnati, Kansas City), Dawson
(Montreal, Chicago, Boston and Florida), Vince
Coleman (St. Louis, New York, Seattle) and Marquis
Grissom (Montreal, Atlanta, Cleveland, Los Angeles and
San Francisco).
•The 1978 football team won the first-ever NCAA
Division I-AA national championship.
•The 1979 football team stunned Division 1-A University of Miami, 16-13.
•The NCAA career steals leader in Natalie White
(624 from 1992-95).
•Jacquay Nunnally became Division One’s career pass
receiving leader in 2000, finishing his career with 318
receptions in a four-year span (1997-2000).
FAMU Athletics • Notable Points
•The 2003 women’s volleyball team achieving a Top
•Two American track Olympians in Bob Hayes (1964)
35 national ranking after winning the school’s first-ever
and Rey Robinson (1972), both world-record holders in opening round NCAA Tournament match, was the
the 100 meter dash.
pivotal part of a six-year run by the program, which
•Trailblazing tennis and golf prodigy Althea Gibson, who coming into the 2007 campaign has the nation’s longest
opened doors for minorities in both sports in the 1950s,
conference win streak of 91 matches with six (2001dominating the Grand Slam Tour in 1956 and 1957 on the
06) straight league titles.
courts, before joining the Ladies’ Professional Golf Associa- •The 2004 men’s basketball team’s exciting NCAA
tion Tour in the 1960s.
Tournament run, led by two-time NCAA three-point
•Scintillatng tailback Willie Galimore, the school’s allshooting champion Terrence Woods, who made an
time leading rusher and a four-time All-American (1953incredible 279 long range goals in a two-year
56), is enshrined in the National Football Foundation’s
span (2003, 2004), followed three years later by
College Hall of Fame.
another MEAC Tournament crown won this past winter
•The legendary football coach A.S. “Jake” Gaither, who (2007).
won six national titles, produced more than 30 All-Ameri- •Former head football coach Billy Joe finished his
cans and won 203 games during a magical 25-year span
career in 2004 as the second winningest coach (237) in
(1945-69).
Black College history and was inducted into the College
•The late William “Bill” Lucas, a product of the baseball Football Hall of Fame in July, becoming the fourth
program, who would in 1970 become the first-ever African FAMU football personality (Coach Jake Gaither, 1975;
American executive in major league baseball with the
Tyrone McGriff, 1996 and Willie Galimore, 1999) to be so
Atlanta Braves.
honored.
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123
Althea
Gibson
Winner of 11 major
tennis tournaments
in 1950s including
Wimbledon, French
Open and U.S. Open,
the trailblazing
Gibson was a 1953
graduate of Florida
A&M.
124
2007 Florida A&M Football
Rattler Legends
The “Fantastic Few” - a talented assortment
of great athletes and coaches who performed with
distinction for Florida A&M in sports competition...
Athletes
Albert Chester - A three-time
football Most Valuable Player,
Chester was the Rattler quarterback from 1976 through 1978,
leading FAMU to an undefeated
season (1977) and the NCAA
Division 1-AA national title (1978).
Greg Coleman - A stellar
placekicker and punter for FAMU
from 1972 to 1975, Coleman went
on to the NFL, where he was one of
the league’s first African American
punters with the Minnesota Vikings.
Vince Coleman - An exceptionally gifted athlete, blessed with
world class speed, Coleman was a
star placekicker and punter for
FAMU from 1978 through 1981,
but also starred in
baseball, where he
led the nation in
stolen bases (1981).
He went on to a
standout major
league baseball
Vince Coleman
career beginning in
1985, finishing with nearly 900
career stolen bases. He was National League Rookie of the Year in
1985 and played on two World
Series teams (1985, 1987) with the
St. Louis Cardinals.
Andre Dawson - Affectionately
known as “The Hawk,” Dawson is
considered one of the greatest right
fielders in major league history.
Andre Dawson
Dawson was the
1987 National
League Most
Valuable Player
with the Chicago
Cubs.
He now works in
the front office of
the 2003 World
Series Champion
Florida Marlins.
Willie Galimore - A four-time
All-America halfback who remains
the school’s all-time rushing leader
(3,592 yards), “Gallopin’ Gal” went
on to the Chicago Bears of the NFL,
where he was one of the league’s
finest backs. He helped lead the
Bears to the 1963 NFL Championship, but perished in a training
camp auto accident in 1964. He was
enshrined in the College Football
Hall of Fame in 1999.
Althea Gibson - A multi-talented
athlete who played tennis, basketball and golf at FAMU in the early
1950s, Gibson attained international acclaim in 1956, by winning
the French Open singles title. She
won 11 major tournaments in the
late 1950s, highighted by singles
wins at the French Open (1956),
Wimbledon and the U.S. Open
(1957, 1958), plus three straight
doubles victories at the French
Open (1956, 1957 and 1958).
Gibson, who also became the first
African American on the Ladies
www.TheFAMURattlers.com
Professional Golf Association
(LPGA) Tour in 1962 (competing until 1977), was honored in
1991 by the NCAA with the
Theodore Roosevelt Award the highest honor the organization can bestow.
Leroy “Spike” Gibson - A
standout basketballer for the
Rattlers in the early 1950s,
Gibson became the school’s
first NBA alumnus, signing in
1952 with the Syracuse Nationals.
John D. Glover - A Sports
Hall of Fame football star under
Jake Gaither, Glover embarked
on a career in law enforcement
after graduation, eventually
becoming Assistant Director of
the FBI in the 1970s.
Marquis Grissom - The
youngest member of the Rattlers’ major league quartet,
Grissom is
currently a
starting outfielder for the
San Francisco
Giants. Grissom
played two
seasons at
FAMU as an
outfielder and Marquis Grissom
pitcher, before being drafted by
Montreal in 1988. He reached
the major leagues in 1989,
moving on
125
Bob Hayes
Olympic Gold Medal winner (1964)
and National Football League AllPro receiver with Dallas (1965-72).
126
2007 Florida A&M Football
Rattler Legends
to Atlanta in time for their 1991
World Series win.
He was the MVP of the 1992
American League Championship
Series with the Cleveland Indians and ranks as one of the most
prolific postseason hitters in
major league history.
Robert “Bullet Bob” Hayes
- Perhaps the school’s most wellknown athletic product, Hayes
shattered numerous track and
field records between 1960 and
1964, earning him the title
“World’s Fastest Human.”
He won two Olympic gold
medals in the 1964 Tokyo
Games, highlighted by a now
legendary come-from-behind
win in the 4x100 meter relay.
As a professional football
player, his world class speed is
credited by many with revolutionizing the NFL, as he helped
lead the Dallas Cowboys to a
Super Bowl title in 1972.
Earl Holmes - A two-time
All-America linebacker and the
Black College Defensive Player
of the Year in 1995, Holmes
ranks as the school’s all-time
leader in tackles with 509.
He recorded 30 takedowns in
one game in 1995 against Southern University and helped lead
FAMU to a conference title and a
berth in the Alamo Heritage
Bowl in Atlanta.
Drafted by the Pittsburgh
Steelers in 1996, Holmes has
been among the NFL’s most
feared defenders the past decade. He is presently with the
Detroit Lions.
Jerome “J.J.” James - A
7-1 native of Tampa, Florida,
James blossomed into a dominating presence in the post for
the Rattlers, ranking among the
nation’s leaders (Division One)
in blocked shots. The personable
James was drafted in 1999 by
the Sacramento Kings and
presently is in the midst of a
multi-year contract with the New
York Knicks.
Clemon “C.J.” Johnson The school’s all-time leading
rebounder and second-leading
scorer, Johnson went on to a
lengthy professional career in
both the NBA and in the Italian
League. Drafted in 1980 by
Portland, Johnson also played
with Indiana and Philadelphia in
the NBA. In 1983, he combined
his talents with those of the
legendary Julius Erving and
Moses Malone to bring an NBA
World Championship to the City
of Brotherly Love.
Alfred “Al” Lawson, Jr. - A
talented local product who came
to Florida A&M on a basketball
scholarship, Lawson would
develop into a star forward, who
was drafted by the Indiana
Pacers of the American Basketball Association (ABA) in the
early 1960s. Lawson is presently
serving in the Senate of the
Florida Legislature, after a long
stint as a member of the Florida
House of Representatives.
Henry “Killer” Lawrence This strapping All-America
offensive tackle, would go on to
All-Pro notices as a tackle for the
Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders.
A Tampa, Florida native,
Lawrence had an outstanding
performance in the Senior Bowl
against college rival Ed “Too
Tall” Jones of Tennessee State,
which prompted the Raiders to
select him in the 1974 NFL Draft.
William “Bill” Lucas - A
1958 graduate of Florida A&M,
Lucas was a star
infielder for the
Rattlers who was
drafted by the
then-Milwaukee
Braves. After
playing several
seasons in the
Bill Lucas
www.TheFAMURattlers.com
Braves’ farm system, Lucas
became interested in management. By 1970, Lucas became
the first African American to
hold the position of general
manager and director of player
personnel in the major leagues
with the Atlanta Braves. He
served in that role until his
untimely death in the late 1970s.
Tyrone McGriff - A threetime All-America guard for the
Rattler Football team from 1977
to 1979, McGriff was a star
performer on the offensive line
during FAMU’s back-to-back
championship seasons in 1977
and 1978. Named to the NCAA
Division Two All-Quarter Century Team in 1995, McGriff was
a member of the inaugural group
of small college players inducted
into the College Football Hall of
Fame in 1996.
Harold “Hal” McRae - The
school’s all-time single-season
leader in runs batted in (75 in
1965), Hal McRae was the first
Rattler baseball player to reach
the major leagues.
Selected by the Cincinnati
Reds in 1965, McRae would
ascend to All-Star
status, helping
them to World
Series titles in the
1970s.
He would later
move to Kansas
Hal McRae
City, where he
became a consummate performer as one the
American League’s most effective designated hitters in the
1980s.
Presently a member of the
Tampa Bay Devil Rays’ front
office, McRae was a field manager in both Kansas City and
Tampa Bay.
Carrie “Tot” Meek - This
Miami native was a multi-sport
athlete at FAMU, who went on
to
127
Rattler Legends
make her name in the world of
politics. Meek was a noted member of the Florida Legislature for
many years before serving several
terms in Congress.
Curtis Miranda - A threetime All-America center and
defensive lineman during the late
1950s and early 1960s, when the
Rattlers won three national titles,
this Jacksonville, Florida firebrand became the first FAMU
football player to have his number (53) retired last year. During
his playing days, the Rattlers
posted three undefeated seasons
(1957, 1959, 1961).
Nate Newton - A converted
defensive lineman, Newton
emerged as the club’s best offensive line performer between 1980
and 1983. After a brief stint in the
USFL with Tampa Bay, Newton
began a
14-year
NFL
career in
1986
with the
Dallass
Cowboys,
earning
All-Pro
honors
six (6)
times.
Jacquay Nunnally
Jacquay Nunnally - This
standout pass receiver was a
four-time All-America between
1997 and 2000, finishing his
career as the Division One leader
in career receptions with 318.
Factor in his postseason efforts,
Nunnally finished wity 362
career catches, helping lead the
Rattlers to the NCAA Division 1AA playoffs in 1997, 1998, 1999
and 2000. He was also tabbed
Black College Player of the Year
twice (1998, 2000) during his
career.
128
Pam Oliver - A
two-time AllAmerica sprinter for
the Lady Rattler
Track program,
Oliver helped lead
FAMU to a Top 10
finish at the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for
Women national
championships in
1982.
A nationallyPam Oliver
ranked sprinter in
the 200 meters,
Oliver was a member of the 4x400
meter relay team that ran third in
the NCAA Nationals in 1984.
A journalism graduate of FAMU,
Oliver is now a noted sportscaster
for the Fox Network, after breaking
into the national sports scene with
ESPN.
Ken Riley - A star quarterback
for FAMU during the Gaither Era,
Riley fashioned a stellar 15-year
career in the NFL with Cincinnati.
As a cornerback, Riley made 65
pass interceptions - the fourth
highest total in league history. In
1986, he returned to FAMU as head
football coach, then in 1994 was
named athletic director, a role he
served in until November 2002.
Reynaud “Rey” Robinson - The
current Florida A&M Men’s Track
and Field Coach, Robinson was a
world-class sprinter in the 1970s,
tying the world mark in the 100
meter dash in 1972. The Orlando
native
earned a
spot on the
United
States
Olympic
Team in
1972. Since
his return
to coach
the Rattler
track team,
Robinson
Natalie White
has led FAMU to four conference titles (since 2000) and
two league crowns in 2004
alone.
Natalie White - A superb
basketball player, White led the
nation (NCAA Division One) in
steals three times during her
four-year career. The Fort
Valley, Georgia native finished
her career in 1995 as the
Division One career steals
leader with 624. She led the
nation in steals as a freshman
(1992),
junior
(1994) and
senior
(1995). In
1995, she
was a major
factor in
Florida
A&M’s
recordsetting
25-6 finish,
which
featured a
MidEastern
Athletic
Conference
title and
Terrence Woods
the school’s
first-ever NCAA Tournament.
Terrence Woods - This
Memphis, Tennessee native led
the nation (NCAA Division
One) in three-point shooting
during a dizzying two-year run
(2003, 2004). Woods knocked
down 279 three-pointers (139
in 2003, 140 in 2004) during
that span, leading the Florida
A&M Men’s Basketball team
from obscurity to a MidEastern Athletic Conference
Tournament title and a firstround NCAA Tournament
victory in 2004. He also outclassed a field of contestants at
the nationally-televised Capital
One Three-Point Challenge to
win the 2004 title.
2007 Florida A&M Football
Rattler Coaching Legends
A.S. “Jake” Gaither - Enshrined in three college football Halls of
Fame, Gaither weaved a magical 25-year run from 1945 to 1969 at
FAMU, winning 203 games against 36 losses and four ties.
Jake Gaither
Rudy Hubbard
Billy Joe
His clubs won seven national titles, 23
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference titles, producing 36 AllAmericans and 42 professional players.
Twelve of his teams finished the year
with just one loss, four of his clubs went
unbeaten and untied.
Gaither also ushered FAMU into the
mainstream of college sports, with his
annual spring coaching clinic which
attracted some of the great names in the
coaching ranks.
Alabama legend Paul “Bear” Bryant,
Kentucky’s Adolph “The Baron” Rupp,
Arkansas’ Frank Broyles and Texas’
Darrell Royal were just some of the stellar
names to work Gaither’s clinic.
Rudy Hubbard - This Ohio State
graduate came to FAMU in 1974 and
turned around a struggling program in
short order.
The Rattlers went 9-2 in Hubbard’s first
year, but after retooling during a 6-3-2
campaign in 1976, FAMU would embark
on a scintillating stretch over the next
three years. From 1977 to 1979, the
Rattlers went 30-5, going unbeaten (11-0)
in 1977; winning the first-ever NCAA
Division 1-AA national title in 1978 (12-1),
while pulling off a stunning 16-13 upset of
the University of Miami during an injuryplagued season (7-4).
Hubbard finished his career second in
coaching wins (83) at FAMU behind Jake
Gaither.
William “Billy” Joe - The effervescent
firebrand of Rattler Football, Billy Joe
ended an 11-season run as head coach in
2004, with 86 wins at FAMU since 1994.
Joe is second in career victories all-time
among Black College Coaches with 237
wins in 31 years. His career featured stops
at Cheyney (Pa.) State and Central State
(Ohio) prior to his advent on the scene at
FAMU. The Rattlers put together a stretch
of six consecutive years of nine (9) or
Ed Oglesby
more wins (1995-2000) and seven
straight years of postseason play (1995-2001).
Edward “Rockjaw” or”Rock” Oglesby - A standout quarterback
and halfback for the Rattler Football teamin the 1940s, Oglesby,
known as a stern and demanding taskmaster, served as men’s
basketball coach from 1949 to 1972, winning a dozen Southern
Intercollegiuate Athletic Conference titles, while compiling a 386-132
mark, for a sterling .745 winning percentage.
Oglesby also served on the Rattler Football coaching staff under
www.TheFAMURattlers.com
Jake Gaither from 1947 to 1969.
Costa “Pop” Kittles - Florida A&M’s
legendary baseball coach who patrolled the
sidelines from 1958 to 1981, won 428 games,
winning eight Southern Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference titles.
Three of his players advanced to major
league baseball: Hal McRae, Andre Dawson
and Vince Coleman, while one of his former
stars, Bill Lucas, ascended to the role of
general manager with the Atlanta Braves.
Bobby E. Lang - This Jacksonville, Florida
native took the reins of the track program
from Pete Griffin in 1966 and proceeded to
create a legendary run of his own.
Lang, who retired in 1999, won 38 conference titles between men and women in the
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic and MidEastern Athletic Conferences.
He produced a number of standout
individuals, headlined by 1972 U.S. Olympian
Rey Robinson, a fleet-footed youngster who
tied the world record in the 100 meter dash.
Robert “Pete” Griffin - A Ohio native who
was one of the first All-America football
players (1938), Griffin became a legendary
coach at FAMU during a career spanning four
decades.
An assistant football coach from 1942
through 1975, Griffin served one season
(1970) as head football coach following the
retirement of Jake Gaither.
Griffin, who was known affectionately as
“Coach Pete,” served as head track coach from
the late 1940s until 1966, producing several
world class sprinters including Bob Hayes,
while founding the FAMU Relays in 1950.
Veronica Wiggins - The 2006 FAMU
Sports Hall of Fame electee has fashioned a
dazzling 16-year career as head of the
women’s softball program. She has led the
Lady Rattlers to eight MEAC titles, six
postseason NCAA trips and over 430 victories
during that span. Wiggins’ clubs have posted
two 40-win seasons and 11 30-win seasons
during her tenure.
Tanio “Tony” Trifonov - The Bulgarianborn coach has pushed FAMU Women’s
Volleyball into national prominence with 221
match wins, eight MEAC titles and seven
NCAA Tournament trips since 1997.
The FAMU Women have notable upsets of
national powers such as Nebraska, Long
Beach State and Louisville, plus have won 91
straight MEAC matches coming into 2007 the longest current conference win streak in
the nation among Division One programs.
Costa Kittles
Bobby Lang
Pete Griffin
Veronica Wiggins
Tony Trifonov
129
THE FLORIDA A&M SPORTS HALL OF FAME
FAMU’S Hallowed Hall
Speak of Florida A&M and you call to
mind an institution of academic excellence
whose tradition in athletics has been
equally superb.
Florida A&M University has a firm and
admirable reputation and tradition in
athletics - molded over many years by many,
many people.
People on gridiron, diamond, track and
field. People, some who received plaudits;
others who were unsung. Yet all determined,
all gifted, all creative, and all strong in their
ability and willingness to contribute
individually and in union to their school,
their contest, their sport.
When he took over as athletic director in
1973, Hansel E. Tookes became aware of a
void in the recognition of the many fine
people whose contributions to FAMU
Athletics and the world of sports, generally,
have been remarkably noteworthy. It was
this awareness that led Tookes to conceive
the Florida A&M Sports Hall of Fame.
“We have produced, or have been touched
by, many great athletes and contributors to
sports,” said Tookes.
“Our sportsmen have been honored in the
state, the nation and internationally,” he
added. “Now it is time we recognize these
individuals in a manner of permanence.”
Tookes felt that the creation of a FAMU
Sports Hall of Fame would give the
University means of recognizing her sons
and daughters in the pattern of other
established methods of enshrinement.
Then FAMU President Benjamin L. Perry,
Jr., was intrigued by this opportunity for the
University to recognize its’ own, and gave his
130
HANSEL E. TOOKES
Athletic Director (1973-80)
Founder of Florida A&M
University Sports Hall
of Fame in 1976
F
2007
Sports Hall
of Fame Class
David Best
Baseball
Leroy Charlton
Football
Fred Goldsmith
Coach
Sarah Hill-Yates
Supporter
Gifford Ramsey
Football
Ted Richardson
Football
blessing and approval for pursuant action.
Tookes decided to form a committee, one
whose makeup encompassed as full
awareness of FAMU and her traditions as
well as broad knowledge of athletics. The
committee would also represent the various
eras of FAMU’s history, Tookes perceived,
and each member should be easily
accessible.
That original committee in 1976 was
comprised of Sylvester L. Beasley, George
Brown, Harold Clack, Rudolph Givens,
Robert P. Griffin, Alfred Lawson, Phillip J.
Nelson, Robert L. Rollins and Ezekiel Sims.
Their task of selecting the first persons for
induction into the Florida A&M Sports Hall
Fame was not an easy one.
But from the start, each member agreed
on one basic criterion that each inductee
represent the best that is recognizable in their
area of contribution and that enshrinement
would cover three elements of athletic
endeavor - the coach, the athlete, and the
supporter.
Many names received mention and
consideration in the Committee’s selection
deliberations,which consumed much thought
and time. The results of those deliberations
was universally recognizable as the summit
of athletic excellence.
Since then, over 200 persons have been
inducted into the Hall.
The Sports Hall of Fame Committee,
presently chaired by Dr. Joseph P. Ramsey,
II will hold enshrinement ceremonies for the
2007 class on Friday, September 14 at the
Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center at
7:00 p.m.
2007 Florida A&M Football
THE FLORIDA A&M SPORTS HALL OF FAME
Sports Hall of Famers • 1976 - 2006
A
Alexander, Ray, 1994;
Arnold, John “Bo,” 1999;
Ashcroft, Jimmy, 1990;
Atkins, Gene, 1994;
Austin, Alfred, 1999;
B
Barber, Antonio “Tony,” 1995;
Barber, William, 1997;
Barnes, William “Billy,” 1988;
Bartley, Lua S. “Flash,” 1984;
Beasley, Sylvester “Jap,” 1983;
Bell, Arnold, 2003;
Bell, William “Big Bill”, 1976;
Bellamy, Waite, 1987;
Bing, Charles, 2006
Bostic, Charles “Jubie,” 1979;
Bogan, Allen “Al,” 2003;
Boston, Shelly, 2000;
Bragg, Eugene “Jubie,” 1978;
Bragg, Jubie B. Sr., 1976;
Bragg, Robert L., 1991;
Brown, Abraham, 1994;
Britt, Thomas, E., 1992;
Broxton, Eugene F., 1992;
Bruton, James L. Sr., 1987;
Burgess, Calvin G., 1991;
Burgess, Lymus, 1987;
Burns, Ralph, 2002;
Butler, Henry J. “Hank,” 1977;
C
Calhoun, Solomon, 1977;
Chambers, Nehemiah, 2001;
Champion, Carl, 2000;
Champion, Gene, 1998;
Champion, John, 1999;
Chandler, Tommy, 2003;
Chester, Albert 1985;
Childs, Clarence “Poppa,” 1978;
Coffee, Bennie, 2003;
Coleman, Abbie Carr, 1980;
Coleman, Gregory, 1985;
Coleman, Vince, 1994;
Coleman, Roosevelt, 1997;
Collier, Emory, 2002;
Collier, Otis, 1998;
Coverson, Arthur Lee, 1987;
Clack, Harold “Poppa,” 1985;
Clarington, Willie, 2003;
Clark, Edward “Zip,” 1980;
Clayton, Mack, 2004;
Clayton, Mickey, 1996;
Cromartie, Leroy “Crow,” 1984;
Crowell, Carl E., 1994;
Curtis, Ulysses “Crazy Legs,” 1980;
D
DaValt, Clarence “Pop,” 1978;
Daniels, David, Sr., 1992;
Davis, Alfred “Al”, 2005
Davis, Reggie, 2002;
Dawson, Andre, 1981;
Denson, Alfred “Al,” 1981;
DeShields, Charles, 1988;
Drew, Darryl, 1998;
Donald, Harold “T-Model,” 2000;
Dixon, Hewritt, 1981;
E
Eason, John, 1984;
Eason, R.C., 1995;
Edmonds, Harry “Choker,” 1989;
Edwards, Glen “Knotty Pine,” 1989;
Engram, Archie Bennett, 1990;
Evans, L.R., 1996;
Everett, James “Dean Blue,” 1976;
F
FAMU’s “Famed Final Four of
1952”*;
Farmer, Claudette L., 1991;
Fears, Earnest D. “Junior,” 1977;
Felts, Bobby, 1985;
Ferguson, Donyale, 2005
Fillyau, Earnest, 2004;
Finnie. Roger Lewis, 1990;
Floyd, Vernon, 1998;
Foote, L.H.B., 1977;
Foster, William P. “Pat,” 1985;
Frazier, Aldolphus “Al,” 1979;
Funchess, Kimberly, 2000;
G
Gaiter, Salathiel W., 1986;
Gaither, Alonzo S. “Jake,” 1976;
Galimore, Willie, 1976;
Gant, James “Jack,” 1985;
Gant, Roy, 1989;
Gary, Wilbur “Bulldog,” 1981;
Gentry, Howard “Tubby,” 1977;
Givens, Rudy, 2001;
www.TheFAMURattlers.com
Glover, John D., 1982;
Gibson, Althea, 1976;
Gibson, Leroy “Spike,” 1983;
Ginn, Hubert, 1989;
Gladden, Callivan “Iron Man,”
1989;
Gomez, John J., 1998;
Goodrum, Charles, 1993;
Gore, George W. Jr., 1986;
Gregory, Beulah B., 1982;
Griffin, Robert P. “Pete,” 1979;
Grissom, Marquis, 1994;
H
Hagins, Lillian W., 1992;
Hardee, Leroy, 1999;
Harley, Ulysses, 1990;
Hamilton, John, 2006
Harris, John D. “Straw,” 1980;
Harris, Robert F., 1987;
Harrison, Ida Robinson, 1993;
Harrison, Leo, 1992;
Hayes, Robert “Bullet Bob,” 1976;
Hawkins, Wallace “Hawk,” 2000;
Hazelton, Major Floyd, 1990;
Heard, Jesse, 2004;
Hearns, Samuel “Red Hot,” 1988;
Hepburn, Alkin, 1987;
Highsmith, Walter, 1994;
Hill, Mary, 2004;
Holley, Arthur, 1997;
Hollins, Alvin, Jr., 2005
Holmes, Earl, 2005
Howard, John A., 1990;
Hubbard, Rudy, 1990;
Hudgins-Browning, Rosa, 1994;
Hughes, Perry, 2003;
Humphries, Frederick S., 1995;
I
Ingraham, Bernard “Bookie,” 1991;
Innerarity, Polly, 2002;
Irvin, Oliver, 2004;
Irvin, Willie, 1995;
J
James, Alonzo “Babe,” 1983;
James, Bertha, 1977;
James, Montez N., 1988;
James, Nathaniel, 1990;
James, Shaylor, 2006;
Jefferson, Dennis, 2004;
131
THE FLORIDA A&M SPORTS HALL OF FAME
Jefferson, Robert L. Sr., 1991;
Johnson, Clemon, 1986;
Johnson, Jimmie, 2003;
Johnson, Reuben “Bubba,” 1982;
Jones, Carlmon, 1990;
Jones, Lewis, 1991;
Jones, Thomas “Snorky,” 1983;
Joyce, Oliver, 1984;
K
Kaigler-Coleman, Dana, 2003;
Kelley, John “Big John,” 1984;
Kelly, Floyd, 2001;
Kelly, Howard G., 1993;
Kenchon, William, 1996;
Kennedy, Walter, 2005
Kidd, Arthur L., 1981;
Killings, Allen F., 1986;
Kirksey, Leander A. Jr., 1980;
Kitchings, Earl, Sr., 1997;
Kittles, Costa “Pop,” 1982;
L
Lang, Bobby E., 1985;
Lang, Calvin, 2000;
Lawrence, Henry “Killer,” 1983;
Lawson, Alfred “Al” Jr., 1988;
Lawson, Edwin “Butch,” 1999;
Lee, Cynthia, 1996;
Lee, John Robert E. Jr., 1976;
Lee, John Robert E. Sr., 1978;
Lee, Willie, 1981;
Leonard, Charles “Lip Jack,” 1988;
Lewis, Aubrey, 1990;
Lewis, Kiser, 1997;
Lewis, Robert, 1998;
Lucas, Robert “Bob,” 1995;
Lucas, William “Bill,” 1976;
M
Maloney, Calvin C. Jr., 1980;
Manning, April, 1999;
Marion, Frank, 2006;
Marshall, Samuel T., 1983;
Mason, Otis, 1988;
Mayes, Jesse J., 1980;
McCaskill, Jimmy, 1989;
McClung, Willie, 1995;
McCoggle, William, 2004;
McCoy, Alfred “Al,” 1992;
McCray, William, 2001;
McElveen, Maggie, 1998;
McGriff, Tyrone, 1989;
McKay, Owen “Butch,” 1985;
McKinney, Forrest, 2000;
McKennie, Bobbie Mitchell, 1987;
McRae, Harold “Hal,” 1977;
Meek, Carrie “Tot,” 1978;
Merchant, Frank, 2005
132
Messina, Tony, 2005
Mills, Vera, 1984;
Milton, Eugene, 1990;
Miranda, Curtis, 1979;
Mitchell, Bradley, 1981;
Mitchell, Thomas L. Sr., 1989;
Mobley, James Otis, 1997;
Montgomery, Theodore, 1985;
Moore, Bennie, 2001;
Moore, Oscar A. “Chief,” 1978;
Moore, Russell “Creep,” 1992;
Mungen, Robert “Bob,” 1986;
James “Bubbling,” 1983; Smith,
Charles U., 1993;
Smith, Herb, 2002;
Smith, Joe Lee, 1986;
Smith Walter L., 1998;
Stanley, James T., 1996;
Stephens, Bernard, 1990;
Strachan, Stanley, 1977;
Sutton, Charles, 1996;
Sykes, Alfreddie, 1993;
N
Neely, Murray A., 1979;
Nelson, Phillip J., 1996;
Newton, Nathaniel “Big Time,” 1994;
Niles, R. Nathaniel, 1993;
Norman, Oscar Frank, Sr., 1987;
Nottage, Samuel G., 1991;
T
Taylor, Curtis, 2006;
Thomas, Maxwell S., 1979;
Thompson, James, 1996;
Thompson, George; “The Godfather,” 1985;
Tookes, Hansel “Tootie,” 1982;
Tullis, James, 1984;
V
Valdez, Virgil, 2000;
Varner, Alphonso “Al,” 1983;
O
Oats, Carleton, 1994;
Ogelsby, Edward “Rock,” 1977;
Oliver, Harold, 1993;
Oliver, Pamela, 1996;
P
Paramore, Robert “China Doll,”
1981;
Perry, Benjamin L. Jr., 1979;
Pittman, Herman “Big Man,” 1978;
Poole, Frankie, 1996;
Poole, Thomas H., 1980;
Powell, Nathaniel “Traz,” 1977;
Primus, Theodore “Ted,” 1992;
R
Ramsey, II, Joseph P., 1995;
Reed, Isadore “Billy,” 1989;
Reinhard, Herbert F. III, 1993;
Renfroe, Othello “Chico,” 1988;
Riley, Kenneth J. “Ken,” 1982;
Rivers, Sybil, 1995;
Robinson, Cathy, 2001;
Robinson, Reynaud “Rey,” 1986;
Rolle, Frankie S., 1979;
Rolle, Rudolph, 1997;
Rolle, William “Billy,” 1989;
Rolle, William “Billy Jr.,” 2003;
Rollins, Robert L. “Trapper,” 1988;
Ross, Vernell “Hoss,” 1984;
S
Sampson, Oteman, 2006;
Sarjeant, Lindsey, 2006;
Schoolfield, Kent, 1989;
Scruggs, Frank Sr., 1992;
Silva, Verneka Stirrup, 1991; Small,
W
Washington, Alfred “Al,” 2004;
Washington, Earl “Bubba,” 1989;
Watts, Leon “Sunshades,” 1979;
White, Alvin, 1990;
White, Andre Moses, 1997;
White, Charles J., 1986;
White, Julian, 2006;
White, Natalie, 2001;
White, Walter & Sophia, 2002;
Wiggins, Veronica, 2006;
Williams, Clara Nixon, 1997;
Williams, Isaiah “Ike,” 1994;
Williams, James “Big Jim,” 1984;
Williams, Johnnie, 1987;
Williams, Macon “Body Builder,”
1980;
Wilson, Roosevelt, 1999;
Wilson, William “Chicken Shack,”
1984;
Woodard, Arthur E. “Art,” 1986;
Woodruff, Claude, 1992;
Wooten, Lonnie, 1979;
Wright, Dorothy, 2004;
Wynn, Walter C. “Suitcase,” 1986
Y
Young, Roy, 1997
[#]-FAMU’S “Famed Final Four of
1952” • John Cuyler, Thomas Hogan,
Willie Irvin, Charles White
2007 Florida A&M Football
RATTLERS IN OTHER HALLS OF FAME
Florida A&M University’s athletic program has had its’ share of
singular success since its’ humble beginnings at the turn of the last
century and many of its’ student-athletes and coaches have been
honored by various national and state halls of fame over the years.
The National Football Foundation College Hall of Fame
Four FAMUANS are enshrined in College Football Hall of Fame
Four Rattlers are enshrined in this
hallowed Hall, two coaches - Jake Gaither
(1975) and Billy Joe (2007), along with two
players - Tyrone McGriff (1996) and
Willie Galimore (1999).
@Gaither is the school’s all-time winningest
coach (203 wins in 25 years), who led FAMU to
six (6) Black College National titles, while
producing 36 All-Americans. A graduate of
Knoxville (Tenn.) College, Gaither finished
with an .840 winning percentage one of the
best-ever among all coaches on any level in
college football history.
@Joe is the second winningest coach in
Black College Football History with 237 wins
and six Black College National titles in 31
seasons. At FAMU, Joe won 86 games, one
Black College national title, produced five Black
College Players of the year and led the Rattlers
to seven straight postseason appearances.
@McGriff was part of the first class of
small college players enshrined into the
College Football Hall of Fame in 1996. The
Gifford, Fla. native was a three-time AllAmerican (1977-78-79) at FAMU at right
guard, playing a major role in two national
titles (1977, 11-0; 1978, 12-1) and the firstever NCAA Division 1-AA title (1978). He
was a starter on the 1979 team that upset
Division 1-A Miami, 16-13.
@Galimore was the school’s first
three-time All-America (1954-55-56) and
the school’s all-time leading rusher with
3,592 yards. He scored 16 touchdowns in
1956 and averaged better than eight (8.0)
yards per carry in his career. He also
remains the school’s all-time single-game
rushing king, after a 295-yard effort
against Maryland State in 1954.
The Florida Sports Hall of Fame
Eight FAMUANs have been honored by the FSHOF
Eight (8) former FAMU coaches and studentathletes are a part of the Florida Sports Hall of
Fame, a number which at one time trailed only the
University of Florida.
@Andre “The Hawk” Dawson, was a multitime major league baseball All-Star during a career
which spanned four teams and both leagues.
Drafted in 1975 by Montreal, he earned National
League MVP honors in 1989 after blasting 49 home
runs for the Chicago Cubs..... In May, he was
inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of
Fame....
@James Everett, Sr. was a two-time AllAmerica back for the Rattler football team in 1934
and 1935......
@A.S. “Jake” Gaither, the legendary football
coach (1945-69) and athletic director (1945-73) at
Florida A&M, who is among the all-time
winningest coaches in college football history.....
@Willie Galimore, the All-America halfback who
ranks as the all-time leading rusher in school history.
He went on to professional fame with the Chicago
Bears, before a training camp auto accident cut short
his life in 1964....
@Althea Gibson, the first African-American to
win Grand Slam tennis tournaments, this 1954
graduate was a trailblazer who won the French Open
singles title in 1956 and 1957 and both Wimbledon
and U.S. Open singles titles in 1957....
@Robert “Bullet Bob” Hayes, known as “The
World’s Fastest Human” in the 1960s, he set cinder
tracks on fire with his blazing speed, cruising to two
Olympic Gold Medals in the 1964 Tokyo Games (100,
4x100). He rode his unmatched running skills to the
NFL, where he fashioned an All-Pro career with the
Dallas Cowboys as a wide receiver.....
www.TheFAMURattlers.com
@Harold “Hal” McRae, was a fiery, hardworking baseball performer that became FAMU’s
first major leaguer with Cincinnati in the 1960s.
He was part of the fabled “Big Red Machine” Reds
teams of the 1970s, then with Kansas City, he
helped define the designated hitter position with
the Royals. He managed the Royals in 1992-93 and
the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2000-02).
@Kenneth “Ken” Riley, former athletic
director at FAMU, was a superb four-sport star
athlete at Bartow’s Union Academy, before playing
collegiately at FAMU. A four-year letterwinner at
quarterback and the team’s 1968 MVP, Riley
would fashion a successful 15-year pro career at
cornerback with Cincinnati, during which he
finished fourth all-time in career interceptions
(65).
133
RATTLER CHAMPIONSHIP HONOR ROLL
National Championships
13
Black College National Titles • Football
1938 • 1940 • 1942 • 1947 • 1953
1957 • 1959 • 1961
1964 • 1977 • 1978 • 1998
NCAA National Championship
Football
1978
National Minority College
Golf Championship
2000
Conference Championships
164
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (1925-1980) • 78
New South Women’s Athletic Conference (1985-94) • 1
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (1980-83; 1988-Present) • 85
Sport
No.
Baseball ......................... 20
Basketball (Men) .........
11
Basketball (Women) .....
4
Football ......................... 35
Golf (Men) ..................... 7
Softball ........................... 8
134
Track (Women) .............
Track (Men) ...................
Tennis (Men) .................
Tennis (Women) ...........
Volleyball (Women) ......
16
32
15
5
11
2007 Florida A&M Football