FAMU fans show big support for football team

Coach Alex Wood had plenty to tell fans on Saturday about his FAMU football team.
Photo by Tyriq Hill

By St. Clair Murraine
Outlook staff writer

Every one of the players had to sign the back of a giant-size poster that Brenda Dixon-Harris rolled out in front of them.

 
She didn’t just want their names, but their jersey numbers and positions as well. She had so many names on the two posters she’d filled out in the span of just over an hour that it resembled a depth chart.
Hundreds of other FAMU football supporters just settled for the normal signature on the poster with a huge photo of running back Devin Bowers. His table obviously was one of the most crowed as he was being sought out at the annual Fan Day in Lawson Center this past Saturday.

 
Dixon-Harris was right there getting all the info she could on the running back. She never stopped smiling, describing herself as a loyal fan of the Rattlers.

 
Even after they had a 1-10 season last year.

 
“Win, lose or whatever it may be I’m going to support them,” she said. “I am a Rattler and they are too. I’m not just a Rattler at home. When they move I move.”

 
Fans got their first look at the Rattlers in spanking new uniforms that they’ll debut this season, as they made the trek around the entry level floor of Lawson Center. They posed for photos and some even held long conversations with the players.

 
Bowers soaked it up, calling the turnout a shot of confidence for him and his teammates.

 
“Our fans are still here and they are going to support us to the end,” Bowers said. “Just knowing that the fans are here for us, I’m going to put on my best every weekend.

 
“We just know that our fans are never going to leave us. They‘ve got our backs. Win or lose we don’t have anything to worry about.”

 
Of course, the players assured their followers that they’ll have a better season. They didn’t have to say much to convince Quentin Cromuel of that, though.

 
He’s seen the Rattlers overcome too many bad seasons since he began supporting the program in 1955.

 
“I’m sure they’ll win more than one game,” he said. “I’m optimistic but I want to be realistic, too.”
But he admitted that enduring a one-win season wasn’t easy.

 
“I sat there,” he said, recalling his Saturdays in Bragg Stadium. “I looked at it just the way it was. Rain or shine I was still here. It was painful to see it but it is what it is. I’m sure we would get better.”