The 1978 Florida A&M Rattlers football team represented Florida A&M University in the 1978 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Rattlers had an overall record of 12–1 and were the Division I-AA national champions.^[1]

The Rattlers were led by fifth year head coach Rudy Hubbard; they played some home games at Bragg Memorial Stadium on their own campus, and other home games at the larger Doak Campbell Stadium on the campus of Florida State University. They finished their regular season with a 9–1 record, including a win over Bethune–Cookman in the Florida Classic rivalry game. The Rattlers then beat Grambling State in the Orange Blossom Classic to secure a spot in the I-AA playoffs. In the playoffs, the Rattlers won on the road against Jackson State, then beat UMass in the championship game, the Pioneer Bowl played in Wichita Falls, Texas.

In 1978, Florida A&M was a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), a Division II conference. The university had successfully petitioned the NCAA for Division I classification (Division I-AA in football), which took effect on September 1, 1978.^[2] The Rattlers captured the SIAC title in 1978,^[3] going undefeated in five conference games. This was the Rattlers' last season as a member of SIAC, as they would join the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) the following year.^[4]

Statistical leaders for the season included Ike Williams (1274 yards rushing), Albert Chester (1088 yards passing), Chris Douglas (228 yards receiving), and Mike Solomon (12 touchdowns).^[5] A notable member of the team was placekicker Vince Coleman, who would go on to play 13 seasons in Major League Baseball, well known for his time with the St. Louis Cardinals.^[6]

More information Date, Time ...

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 16	1:30 p.m.	at Albany State		Mills Memorial Stadium Albany, GA		W 21–7	11,501	[7][8][9]
September 23	7:00 p.m.	Delaware State*	No. 7	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL		W 37–0	17,532	[10][11]
September 30	7:00 p.m.	Howard*	No. 7	Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL		W 28–7	11,882	[12][13]
October 7	7:30 p.m.	Maryland Eastern*	No. 7	Gator Bowl Stadium Jacksonville, FL		W 45–0	30,100	[14][15]
October 14	1:30 p.m.	at Morris Brown	No. 7	Herndon Stadium Atlanta, GA		W 56–0	12,776	[16]
October 21	7:00 p.m.	Tennessee State*	No. 4	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL		L 21–24	29,820	[17][18]
October 28	7:00 p.m.	Tuskegee	No. 5	Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL		W 41–13	11,793	[19][20]
November 4	1:30 p.m.	Alabama A&M	No. 3	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL		W 42–0	21,637	[21]
November 18	4:10 p.m.	at Southern*	No. 3	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	ABC	W 16–12	18,000	[22][23]
November 25	1:30 p.m.	vs. Bethune–Cookman	No. 3	Tampa Stadium Tampa, FL (rivalry)		W 27–17	40,868	[24]
December 2	7:30 p.m.	vs. Grambling State*	No. 3	Orange Bowl Miami, FL (Orange Blossom Classic)		W 31–7	35,499	[25]
December 9	1:30 p.m.	at No. 2 Jackson State*	No. 3	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS (NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal)	ABC	W 15–10	12,000	[26][27]
December 16	1:30 p.m.	vs. No. T–4 UMass*	No. 3	Memorial Stadium Wichita Falls, TX (NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game—Pioneer Bowl)	ABC	W 35–28	13,604	[28][29][30]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from Associated Press Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

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