Florida A&M University (FAMU) Rattlers Hooded Sweatshirt

Raised green chenille spells FAMU across the chest, a Rattler strikes just below it, and 1887 runs big across the back. This Florida A&M University hooded sweatshirt comes in orange and green with a two-tone raglan cut, made for homecoming weekend and every other occasion when you want to rep your school with pride. Whether you graduated from FAMU, raised a Rattler or are sending one off to campus, this FAMU hoodie says so coming and going.

Design Details

The front reads FAMU in arched collegiate block letters of green chenille, each edged in white so the letters stand off the orange body. Beneath them the Rattler head turns to strike, jaws open and white fangs showing, stitched in green with orange detailing. Across the upper back, 1887 marks the year the university opened, in matching green chenille trimmed in white and orange. Green covers the hood, raglan sleeves and ribbed cuffs; orange carries the body, front kangaroo pocket and ribbed waistband. Green drawstrings with metal tips finish the hood.

FAMU History and Famous Alumni

Florida A&M opened on October 3, 1887, as the State Normal College for Colored Students, with 15 students and two instructors: President Thomas DeSaille Tucker, a Pensacola attorney, and Thomas Van Renssalaer Gibbs, the Duval County legislator who championed the bill that created the school. It became Florida's land-grant college for Black students in 1891, was renamed Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College in 1909 and gained university status in 1953. FAMU students also helped write the state's civil rights history. Roommates Wilhelmina Jakes and Carrie Patterson were arrested on a Tallahassee city bus in May 1956, sparking a seven-month boycott, and in 1960 sisters Patricia and Priscilla Stephens led lunch counter sit-ins that ended in the movement's first jail-in.

The Rattler roll call runs from the operating room to the courtroom. Dr. LaSalle D. Leffall Jr. graduated summa cum laude in 1948 at age 18 and became the first African American president of the American Cancer Society and the American College of Surgeons. Carrie P. Meek earned her degree in biology and physical education in 1946 and in 1993 became one of the first Black Floridians to serve in Congress since Reconstruction. Joseph W. Hatchett became the first Black justice on the Florida Supreme Court in 1975, and Tallahassee's federal courthouse now bears his name. Bernard Kinsey, class of 1967, rose to vice president at Xerox, and with his wife Shirley, also a Rattler, built one of the largest private collections of African American art and history. Julian "Cannonball" Adderley (1948) played on Miles Davis's Kind of Blue, Althea Gibson (1953) became the first Black player to win a Grand Slam title, and sprinter Bob Hayes carried Olympic gold all the way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Fit and Care

Soft fleece in a 60% cotton and 40% polyester blend, in unisex sizes Small through 4X-Large. Machine wash warm with like colors and tumble dry low. Do not bleach, soak or dry clean; cool iron if needed.

Complete the Look

Top it off with the Florida A&M University Rattlers Sequin Baseball Cap, browse the full Florida A&M University Rattlers Collection, or explore more HBCU gifts and collectibles.