It Was A Pride Thing: Southern, FAMU and the battle for 90s HBCU Football supremacy

By Steven J. Gaither

Posted on September 19, 2019

1997: An Unexpected Easy Homecoming Win

Usually a homecoming opponent is someone you expect to beat rather easily, or at least that’s what many people think it should be. Florida A&M decided to take the opposite route, inviting SU to Bragg for its big game.

“No coach likes to play a tough homecoming game,” Billy Joe told the Tallahassee Democrat. “I don’t know one coach that would love that situation. I’m in that class as well. I would love to have an easy homecoming game.”

The Jaguars came into the game a perfect 8-0 thanks to its run offense (280 yards per game) and run defense (78 yards allowed per game). It was rated as the fifth best team in Division I-AA football. FAMU was a solid 6-2, but again the home team found itself to be the underdog.

And once again, the home team pulled off a suprising win, and this time it wasn’t even close. FAMU gripped the game from the start and never let go, coming up with a 33-3 win. Sampson stepped up big time with a 370 yard, three touchdown performance to take down the previously unbeaten Jags in front of 33,441 fans. Freshman Jaquay Nunnally caught all three TDs.

It Was A Pride Thing: Southern, FAMU and the battle for 90s HBCU Football supremacy