F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
HR 8013 2024
1 House Resolution
2 A resolution commending the Florida A&M University
3 Rattlers football team for winning the 2023 HBCU
4 National Championship.
5
6 WHEREAS, on December 16, 2023, the Florida A&M University
7 Rattlers football team clinched the 2023 Historically Black
8 College and University (HBCU) National Championship with a 30 -26
9 victory over the Howard University Bison in the Celebration
10 Bowl, held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, and
11 WHEREAS, Head Coach Willie Simmons led the Rattlers to
12 their best season since 1999, winning 10 regular season games,
13 the Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship, and
14 ultimately the HBCU National Championship in the Rattlers'
15 first-ever appearance in the Celebration Bowl, and
16 WHEREAS, in 1978, the Rattlers became the first and only
17 HBCU team to win the national championship in Division I -AA, now
18 called the Football Championship Subdivision, and
19 WHEREAS, 45 years later, the Rattlers achieved another
20 historic victory by beating Howard University in the Celebration
21 Bowl, winning the HBCU National Championship in front of more
22 than 41,000 fans, and over 1.5 million viewers watching from
23 home, and
24 WHEREAS, the young men in orange and green have
25 demonstrated sportsmanship, perseverance, and excellence, NOW,
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
HR 8013 2024
26 THEREFORE,
27
28 Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of
29 Florida:
30
31 That the Florida A&M University Rattlers football team is
32 recognized and congratulated for winning the 2023 HBCU National
33 Championship as part of a remarkable 12-1 season.
34 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be
35 presented to Florida A&M University President Larry Robinson,
36 Ph.D., Director of Athletics Tiffani-Dawn Sykes, Head Coach
37 Willie Simmons, the Rattlers coaching staff, and the members of
38 the Florida A&M University Rattlers football team as a tangible
39 token of the sentiments of the Florida House of Representatives.
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