The 10 most memorable HBCU football teams that turned seasons into history

By kickoff, Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium had run out of room. In 1984, about 63,808 fans packed into the Jackson, Mississippi, venue to see Alcorn State face Mississippi Valley State and future Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, and the Braves won 42-28 in a game fans still revisit.

Across generations, HBCU football has produced seasons that live on through championship runs, breakthroughs and games that became part of the culture.

These 10 teams — along with a few bonus mentions — gave Black college football stories that remain essential to telling its rich history.

1. 1978 Florida A&M

Rudy Hubbard’s Rattlers went 12-1, won the Black college national championship and captured the inaugural NCAA Division I-AA title in their first season at that level. Florida A&M defeated Grambling 31-7 in the Orange Blossom Classic, then edged Jackson State 15-10 in the NCAA semifinals.

Rattlers fullback Mike Solomon scored twice in the fourth quarter as Florida A&M defeated Massachusetts 35-28 in the championship game. The Rattlers remain the only HBCU team to win the Division I-AA championship, now contested in the Football Championship Subdivision. Their Black college crown and NCAA playoff title give this season a place in both histories.

2. 1973 Tennessee State

John Merritt’s Tigers went 10-0 and claimed the Black college national championship. They defeated Grambling 19-13 and shut out Florida A&M 45-0, two results that gave their unbeaten record weight well beyond Nashville.

Tennessee State finished No. 1 in the final Associated Press and United Press International small-college polls. Tigers defensive end Ed “Too Tall” Jones and linebacker Waymond Bryant helped define a team that dominated major HBCU opponents. The Tigers did not play in the inaugural NCAA Division II playoff, so their Black college title and wire-service rankings should stand as distinct accomplishments.

3. 2017 North Carolina A&T

Rod Broadway’s Aggies finished 12-0, swept their Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference schedule and won the Black college national championship. They defeated Football Bowl Subdivision opponent Charlotte 35-31 when Franklin McCain III returned an interception for the winning touchdown.

North Carolina A&T closed the season by beating Grambling 21-14 in the Celebration Bowl. Quarterback Lamar Raynard broke the tie with a 1-yard touchdown run with 38 seconds remaining, giving the undefeated season a finish worthy of its record. The Aggies became the first MEAC team to complete an entire season without a loss.

4. 1990 Central State

Billy Joe’s Marauders finished 10-1 and won both the NAIA Division I championship and a Black college national championship. After their only loss, a 43-42 defeat to Northeast Missouri State, they won their final seven games, including three in the NAIA playoffs.

Central State beat Carson-Newman 41-14 in the semifinals after that program had ended its previous three postseason runs. The Marauders then defeated Mesa State 38-16 to bring Central State its first national football title. That breakthrough gives the 1990 team a signature beyond its place in the school’s sustained run of Black college success.

5. 1966 Tennessee A&I

Before they were renamed Tennessee State, the Tigers completed a 10-0 season under Merritt and won the Black college national championship while the university still carried the Tennessee A&I moniker. They also won the Midwestern Conference title and shut out five opponents.

Tennessee A&I capped its season with a 34-7 victory over Muskingum in the Grantland Rice Bowl, an NCAA College Division regional postseason game. Tigers quarterback Eldridge Dickey and defensive tackle Claude Humphrey gave the Tigers stars on both sides of the ball. The bowl victory makes this unbeaten season especially compelling because the team proved itself against an opponent outside Black college football.

6. 1961 Florida A&M

The Rattlers went 10-0, won the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and claimed the Black college national championship under coach Jake Gaither. They outscored their opponents 504-33 and shut out six of them before facing Jackson State in the Orange Blossom Classic.

Florida A&M won that game 14-8 in the schools’ first meeting, giving its perfect season a championship result against another HBCU power. The undefeated record and consequential Classic victory make Gaither’s team difficult to leave out of the history of the sport.

7. 1948 Southern

Ace Mumford’s Jaguars went 12-0, finished 7-0 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and earned Black college national championship recognition from several selectors. They shut out eight opponents during one of the most dominant seasons of the segregation era.

Southern then beat San Francisco State 30-0 in the Fruit Bowl. The game gave a Deep South HBCU a rare postseason meeting with a predominantly white school and placed the Jaguars’ talent before an audience outside their usual competition.

8. 1984 Alcorn State

Marino Casem’s Braves completed a 9-0 regular season, went 7-0 in the SWAC and received major Black college national championship selections. They finished the regular season atop the NCAA Division I-AA poll, a first for a Black college program. An NCAA playoff loss left their final record at 9-1.

Alcorn’s defining game came against unbeaten Mississippi Valley State and Rice before 63,808 fans in Jackson, Mississippi. Perry Qualls scored five touchdowns as the Braves won 42-28, settling a showdown that had drawn attention far beyond the SWAC. Few HBCU seasons have a championship claim, a national No. 1 ranking and a single game remembered so vividly.

9. 1955 Grambling State

The legendary Eddie Robinson helped the Tigers go 10-0 and win Grambling’s first recognized Black college football national championship. They carried their unbeaten record into the Orange Blossom Classic, where they faced Gaither’s FAMU squad.

Grambling won 28-21, giving its championship season a decisive result on one of Black college football’s most visible stages. The victory put Robinson’s emerging program at the center of the national conversation during segregation. That combination of a perfect record, a Black college title and a Classic win explains why the 1955 Tigers remain a defining Grambling team.

10. 1991 Alabama State

Houston Markham led the Hornets to an 11-0-1 record and the SWAC championship. Their only blemish was a 14-14 tie with Texas Southern.

Alabama State then beat North Carolina A&T 36-13 in the inaugural Alamo Heritage Bowl to secure the Black college national championship. The game gave the Hornets a decisive postseason victory over the then MEAC representative, as well as a perfect mark in the win column. As the first Heritage Bowl winner, this team holds a clear place in the story of efforts to settle the Black college title on the field.

Honorable mentions

1993 Howard

Steve Wilson’s Bison went 11-0 in the regular season, earned the program’s first Division I-AA playoff berth and produced memorable wins behind quarterback Jay “Sky” Walker. Howard finished 11-1 after losing to Marshall in the playoffs, and Black college title selectors divided their recognition between the Bison and Southern.