1961 Florida A&M Rattlers football team

1961 Florida A&M Rattlers football
Black college national champion SIAC champion
Orange Blossom Classic, W 14–8 vs. Jackson State
Conference	Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Record	10–0 (5–0 SIAC)
Head coach	Jake Gaither (17th season)
Home stadium	Bragg Memorial Stadium

1961 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 5 Florida A&M $	5	–	0	–	0			10	–	0	–	0
Alabama A&M	5	–	0	–	0			8	–	1	–	0
Allen	4	–	2	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
Bethune–Cookman	5	–	2	–	0			5	–	3	–	0
Morris Brown	4	–	2	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
Fisk	4	–	2	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
Tuskegee	4	–	1	–	1			4	–	4	–	1
Morehouse	3	–	3	–	0			4	–	4	–	0
[[{{{school}}}|Clark (GA)]]	2	–	3	–	1			3	–	3	–	2
Lane	1	–	4	–	0			2	–	5	–	1
Benedict	2	–	4	–	0			2	–	7	–	0
South Carolina State	2	–	5	–	0			2	–	7	–	0
Alabama State	1	–	5	–	0			1	–	7	–	0
Knoxville	1	–	5	–	0			1	–	7	–	0
Fort Valley State	0	–	5	–	0			0	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA poll

The 1961 Florida A&M Rattlers football team was an American football team that represented Florida A&M University as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) during the 1961 NCAA College Division football season. In their 17th season under head coach Jake Gaither, the Rattlers compiled a perfect 10–0 record, including a victory over Jackson State in the Orange Blossom Classic for the black college football national championship, and shut out six of ten opponents. The team was ranked No. 4 in the final 1961 AP small college poll and No. 6 in the final UPI coaches poll. The team played its home games at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida.

The team's statistical leaders included Robert Paremore with 376 rushing yards, 11 touchdowns and 66 points scored, Emory Collier with 742 passing yards, and Al Denson with 395 receiving yards.