FAMU coaching legend Rudy Hubbard will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame tonight in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the 63rd National Football Foundation Annual Awards Dinner.
The 2021 College Football Hall of Fame press conference will be streamed live on ESPN3 at 1 p.m. Eastern, and the 63rd NFF Annual Awards Dinner will be streamed live on ESPN3 from 9-12 p.m.
Hubbard is the only HBCU head coach to win the Division I-AA (now FCS) national title, he compiled an 83-48-3 overall record at FAMU during his 12 seasons from 1974-85. He was the third winning coach in school history behind Jake Gaither (203) and Billy Joe (86). In his first three seasons, the Rattlers went 6-5, 9-2, and 6-3-2. Hubbard's most successful stretch occurred from 1977-79 as the Rattlers compiled a 30-5 record, including a perfect 11-0 mark in 1977. The team won back-to-back Black College Football National Championships and conference titles in 1977 and 1978.
In 1978, Hubbard guided Florida A&M to a 12-1 record and wrapped up the season, winning the inaugural NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship as the Rattlers defeated UMass, 35-28. Although a member of NCAA Division II's Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, FAMU successfully petitioned the NCAA for Division I-AA classification, which took effect right before the 1978 season began.
One year after winning the national title, Hubbard's Rattlers claimed another milestone when they defeated the University Miami (FL), 16-13.