Rattler fans are among the most loyal in college football.
Sydne Vigille | The FAMUAN
The positive energy is contagious around Bragg Memorial Stadium right now.
The Florida A&M football program has been revived, restored and renewed under first-year head coach Willie Simmons. The team is off to a hot start, going 2-0 in its first two MEAC games.
The early success has served as a major incentive to draw fans to Bragg Stadium.
It was announced recently that FAMU is currently ranked third in the nation among FCS schools in home game attendance.
Through three home games, the Rattlers have seen a total of 54,549 fans giving them an average of 18,183 fans per contest.
Simmons told the Tallahassee Democrat, “It's no surprise that FAMU is third in the nation in attendance. As long as I can remember, we've had one of the most loyal fan bases in all of college football."
The Rattlers look to continue their climb up the rankings with a homecoming matchup against Norfolk State this Saturday. FAMU’s homecoming festivities draw people from all over which will only bring in more fans to the game.
The University of Montana sits at the No. 1 spot with a whopping 72, 210 total fans while its average stands at 24,070 fans per game. The realistic team for FAMU to surpass is North Dakota State in the second spot with an average of 18,641 fans per game.
The Rattlers are no stranger to being at the top of the rankings. Over the past decade, they have finished in the top 10 four times (2008, 2011, 2016 and 2017) with hopes of this year being the fifth.
It is important to recognize this year that fans are actually staying past the halftime show. The Rattlers currently hold a 3-2 record, making them over 500 entering Week 5 for the first time in five years.
“People are actually staying the entire game again. It’s not just the band, people want to see the team play – they're an exciting ball club to watch,” said FAMU alumn Tony Brown.
FAMU is joined on the attendance list by two of their fellow HBCU counterparts: North Carolina A&T, who the Rattlers will face Oct 13, and Alabama A&M from SWAC.