The 1938 Florida A&M Rattlers football team was an American football team that represented Florida A&M College as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) during the 1938 college football season. In their third season under head coach William "Big Bill" Bell, the Rattlers compiled a perfect 8–0 record, defeated Kentucky State in the Orange Blossom Classic, outscored opponents by a total of 189 to 7, and were recognized as the black college national championship.[1] The Rattlers played their home games at College Field in Tallahassee, Florida.[2][3]
| 1938 Florida A&M Rattlers football | |
|---|---|
Black college national champion SIAC champion | |
Orange Blossom Classic, W 9–7 vs. Kentucky State | |
| Conference | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference |
| Record | 8–0 (6–0 SIAC) |
| Head coach |
|
| Home stadium | College Field |
The team gained acclaim for not allowing a single point by opponents during the regular season. In seven regular season games, the Rattlers outscored opponents by a total of 180 to 0. Hailing the team as the pride of Florida, one sports writer observed: "The brand of football these colored lads have been turning out is so good that 'white folks' have been flocking to their games this year throughout the south."[4]
The team's acclaimed backfield, made up of quarterback Henry Butler, fullback Stanley Strachan, and halfbacks John D. Harris and Tom "Tank" Jones, was known as the "Four Ghosts".[5][6]
The line, known as the "Seven Rocks",[7] did not allow a first down against Tuskegee.[8] Defensively, the team still holds school records for both fewest yards allowed (951 yards in eight games) and fewest first downs allowed (53 in eight games).[9]
Jake Gaither, who later led the Rattlers from 1945 to 1969, was an assistant coach for the 1938 team.[10][7][11]
Schedule
edit| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 30 | at North Carolina A&T* | Greensboro, NC | W 13–0 | |||
| October 15 | Alabama State |
| W 17–0 | [12] | ||
| October 22 | Clark (GA) |
| W 33–0 | [13] | ||
| October 29 | at Morris Brown | W 16–0 | [14] | |||
| November 5 | Tuskegee |
| W 40–0 | [8] | ||
| November 12 | South Carolina State |
| W 41–0 | |||
| November 19 | at Knoxville | Knoxville, TN | W 20–0 | [11] | ||
| December 3 | vs. Kentucky State* | W 9–7 | [15] | |||
| ||||||
References
edit- ^ "Florida A&M Yearly Results (1935-1939)". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on May 12, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
- ^ "A.&M., Tuskegee To Play Saturday". The Tallahassee Daily Democrat. November 3, 1938. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Rattlers Play Here Saturday". The Tallahassee Daily Democrat. November 11, 1938. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Rattlers Unknown In Own Backyard Gain High Honors". The Tallahassee Daily Democrat. November 23, 1938. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Florida Rattlers To Play Kentucky In Final Battle". The Tallahassee Daily Democrat. November 27, 1938. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Rattlers Leave For Big Battle With Kentucky". The Tallahassee Daily Democrat. December 2, 1938. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Rattlers Ready For Tuskegee Go". The Tallahassee Daily Democrat. November 4, 1938. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Florida Rattlers Smother Tuskegee Under 40-0 Score". The Tallahassee Daily Democrat. November 6, 1938. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Florida A&M Rattler Football Media Guide" (PDF). Florida A&M University. 2015. p. 75.
- ^ "Rattlers Play Clark Saturday". The Tallahassee Daily Democrat. October 21, 1938. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Rattlers Retain Southern Crown; Beat Knoxville". The Tallahassee Daily Democrat. November 20, 1938. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Rattlers Smother 'Bama State, 17-0". The Tallahassee Daily Democrat. October 16, 1938. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Rattlers Crush Clark Team, 33-0". The Tallahassee Daily Democrat. October 23, 1938. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Morris Brown Defeated, 16 to 0". The Atlanta Constitution. October 30, 1938. p. 5B – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Florida Rattlers Beat Kentucky, 9-7, For National Title". The Tallahassee Daily Democrat. December 4, 1938. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.