1961 Florida A&M Rattlers football team

The 1961 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 1961 college football season. In their 17th season under head coach Jake Gaither, the Rattlers compiled a perfect 10–0 record, including a victory over Jackson State in the Orange Blossom Classic for the black college football national championship, and shut out six of ten opponents. The team was ranked No. 4 in the final AP small college poll and No. 6 in the final UPI coaches poll.

1961 Florida A&M Rattlers football
Black college national champion SIAC champion
Orange Blossom Classic, W 14–8 vs. Jackson State
Conference	Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Record	10–0 (5–0 SIAC)
Head coach	Jake Gaither (17th season)
Home stadium	Bragg Memorial Stadium
Seasons ← 1960 1962 →

1961 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 5 Florida A&M $	5	–	0	–	0			10	–	0	–	0
Alabama A&M	5	–	0	–	0			8	–	1	–	0
Allen	4	–	2	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
Bethune–Cookman	5	–	2	–	0			5	–	3	–	0
Morris Brown	4	–	2	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
Fisk	4	–	2	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
Tuskegee	4	–	1	–	1			4	–	4	–	1
Morehouse	3	–	3	–	0			4	–	4	–	0
Clark (GA)	2	–	3	–	1			3	–	3	–	2
Lane	1	–	4	–	0			2	–	5	–	1
Benedict	2	–	4	–	0			2	–	7	–	0
South Carolina State	2	–	5	–	0			2	–	7	–	0
Alabama State	1	–	5	–	0			1	–	7	–	0
Knoxville	1	–	5	–	0			1	–	7	–	0
Fort Valley State	0	–	5	–	0			0	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA poll

Center Curtis Miranda received first-team honors on the 1961 Little All-America college football team.^[1]

The team's statistical leaders included Robert Paremore with 376 rushing yards, 11 touchdowns and 66 points scored, Emory Collier with 742 passing yards, and Al Denson with 395 receiving yards.^[2]

The team played its home games at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 30	at Benedict		Columbia, SC	W 52–0		[3]
October 7	vs. Lincoln (MO)*		Phillips Field Tampa, FL	W 49–6		[4]
October 14	Morris Brown		Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	W 56–0		[5]
October 21	Bethune–Cookman		Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	W 76–0		[6]
October 28	at South Carolina State		Orangeburg, SC	W 60–0		[7]
November 4	at North Carolina A&T*	No. 7	Greensboro, NC	W 32–12		[8]
November 11	Allen	No. 6	Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	W 71–0		[9]
November 18	Southern*	No. 5	Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	W 46–0		[10]
November 25	Texas Southern*	No. 4	Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	W 48–7		[11]
December 9	vs. Jackson State*	No. 4	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL (Orange Blossom Classic)	W 14–8	47,791	[12]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[13]