1947 Florida A&M Rattlers football team

{{short description|American college football season}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}

{{Infobox college sports team season

| year = 1947

| team = Florida A&M Rattlers

| sport = football

| image =

| image_size =

| conference = Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

| short_conf = SIAC

| record = 9–1

| conf_record = 5–0

| head_coach = Jake Gaither

| hc_year = 3rd

| captain =

| stadium = Bragg Stadium

| champion = SIAC champion

| bowl = Orange Blossom Classic

| bowl_result = W 7–0 vs. Hampton

}}

{{1947 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings}}

The 1947 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 1947 college football season. In their third season under head coach Jake Gaither, the Rattlers compiled a 9–1 record, including a victory over Hampton in the Orange Blossom Classic. The Rattlers played their home games at Sampson-Bragg Field in Tallahassee, Florida.

Florida A&M ranked No. 3 among the nation's black college football teams according to the Pittsburgh Courier and its Dickinson Rating System.{{cite news|title=Tennessee No. 1 in Nat'l Grid Ratings|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Courier|date=December 6, 1947|page=14|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40070100/tennessee_no_1_in_natl_grid_ratings/|via=Newspapers.com}}

Key players included quarterbacks Jim Williams and Leroy Cromartie, fullback Bernie Ingraham, halfback Elman Williams, running back Ulysses Curtis, end Nathaniel Powell, William Rolle, tackle John Burgess, and center Wilbur Gary.

Prior to the team's October 18 game against {{cfb link|year=1947|team=Morris Brown Wolverines|title=Morris Brown}}, the university dedicated Bragg Stadium in honor of Jubie Bragg and his son Eugene Bragg.{{cite news|title=Florida A&M Edges Morris Brown 6-0|newspaper=Alabama Tribune|author=Joel Smith|date=October 24, 1947|page=7|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40834355/florida_am_edges_morris_brown_60/|via=Newspapers.com}}

Schedule

{{CFB schedule

| attend = y

| source = y

|September 27||Bethune–Cookman|Bragg Stadium|Tallahassee, FL (rivalry)|W 6-0||{{cite news|title=Rattlers Win Opener 6-0|newspaper=The Tallahassee News-Democrat|date=September 28, 1947|page=11|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40742499/rattlers_win_opener_60/|via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite news|title=Florida A&M Downs Bethune-Cookman, 6-0|newspaper=Alabama Tribune|date=October 3, 1947|page=6|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40742601/florida_am_downs_bethunecookman_60/|via=Newspapers.com}}

|October 4|at|Shaw||Raleigh, NC|L 0-19||

|October 10|at|{{cfb link|year=1947|team=Alabama State Hornets|title=Alabama State}}|Hornet Stadium|Montgomery, AL|W 58-12||{{cite news|title=Florida Rattlers Swamp Alabama Hornets 58-12|newspaper=Alabama Tribune|date=October 17, 1947|page=7|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40802559/florida_rattlers_swamp_alabama_hornets/|via=Newspapers.com}}

|October 18||{{cfb link|year=1947|team=Morris Brown Wolverines|title=Morris Brown}}|Bragg Stadium|Tallahassee, FL|W 6-0|6,000|{{cite news|title=Famcee Beats Wolverines|newspaper=The Tallahassee News-Democrat|date=October 19, 1947|page=8|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40834286/famcee_beats_wolverines/|via=Newspapers.com}}

|October 25||{{cfb link|year=1947|team=Knoxville Bulldogs|title=Knoxville}}|Centennial Field|Tallahassee, FL|W 26-0|5,000|{{cite news|title=Florida Eleven Bombs Knoxville, 26 to 0|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Courier|author=Calvin Adams|date=November 1, 1947|page=14|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40834411/florida_eleven_bombs_knoxville_26_to_0/}}

|November 1|at|Kentucky State||Frankfort, KY|W 14-12||{{cite news|title=Rattlers Eke Out 14-12 Win|newspaper=The Tallahassee News-Democrat|date=November 2, 1947|page=9|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40834448/rattlers_eke_out_1412_win/|via=Newspapers.com}}

|November 8|at|Tuskegee|Alumni Bowl|Tuskegee, AL|W 19-6||{{cite news|title=Florida Eyes SIAC Title: Rattlers Sting 'Skegee|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Courier|date=November 15, 1947|page=14|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40672074/florida_eyes_siac_title_rattlers_sting/|via=Newspapers.com}}

|November 15|at|Clark (GA)||Atlanta, GA|W 33-6||{{cite news|title=Famcee Tops Clark 33-6|newspaper=The Tallahassee News-Democrat|date=November 16, 1947|page=11|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40834516/famcee_tops_clark_336/|via=Newspapers.com}}

|November 22||Southern|Bragg Stadium|Tallahassee, FL|W 13-9||{{cite news|title=Rattlers Top Southern 13-9|newspaper=The Tallahassee News-Democrat|date=November 23, 1947|page=10|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40834487/rattlers_top_southern_139/|via=Newspapers.com}}

|December 6|vs|No. 4 Hampton|Orange Bowl|Miami, FL (Orange Blossom Classic)|W 7-0|19,000|{{cite news|title=Florida Defeats Hampton In Thriller|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Courier|date=December 13, 1947|page=15|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40446679/florida_defeats_hampton_in_thriller/|via=Newspapers.com}}

}}

References

{{Reflist}}

{{Florida A&M Rattlers football navbox}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1947 Florida AandM Rattlers football team}}

Florida AandM

Category:Florida A&M Rattlers football seasons

Category:Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football champion seasons

Florida AandM Rattlers football