1955 Florida A&M Rattlers football team

{{short description|American college football season}}

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

{{Infobox college sports team season

| year = 1955

| team = Florida A&M Rattlers

| sport = football

| image =

| image_size =

| conference = Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

| short_conf = SIAC

| record = 7–1–1

| conf_record = 6–0

| head_coach = Jake Gaither

| hc_year = 11th

| captain =

| stadium = Bragg Stadium

| champion = SIAC champion

| bowl = Orange Blossom Classic

| bowl_result = L 21–28 vs. {{cfb link|year=1955|team=Grambling State Tigers|title=Grambling}}

}}

{{1955 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings}}

The 1955 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 1955 college football season. In their 11th season under head coach Jake Gaither, the Rattlers compiled a 7–1–1 record, won the SIAC championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 369 to 94. The team played its home games at Bragg Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida.

The Rattlers' sole loss was to undefeated {{cfb link|year=1955|team=Grambling State Tigers|title=Grambling}} in the Orange Blossom Classic. Florida A&M had been favored prior to the game, but Grambling upset the Rattlers to win the black college football national championship.{{cite news|title=Grambling's Eddie Murray Rattles Florida A&M 28-21|newspaper=The Miami Daily News|date=December 4, 1955|pages=1D, 2D|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39528340/gramblings_eddie_murray_rattles/|via=Newspapers.com}} Florida A&M was ranked No. 3 in the final rankings of black college football teams issued by the Pittsburgh Courier.{{cite news|title=Final National Football Rating|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Courier|date=December 10, 1955|page=30|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/12200069/the_pittsburgh_courier/|via=Newspapers.com}}

The team's statistical leaders included Willie Galimore with 780 rushing yards, Lawrence Williams with 299 passing yards, and Al Frazier with 258 receiving yards and 78 points scored.{{cite web|title=Florida A&M Rattler Football Media Guide|year=2015|publisher=Florida A&M University|pages=80–81|url=http://www.famuathletics.com/attachments1/433934.pdf}} Galimore later played seven years with the Chicago Bears and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.