COLLEGE TOWN, FL (WTXL) — FAMU's Rattler Recovery Unit returns for its fifth season, offering a model for athlete heat safety at HBCUs and beyond. A partnership between the FAMU Rattler Boosters and the 220 Quarterback Club is making it happen.
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When Florida temperatures climb into the 90s, preparing athletes isn't just about football anymore.
At FAMU, staying ahead of the heat has become part of every preseason practice.
Every August, Rattler football players spend hours practicing in full pads under the Florida sun. Now, another piece of equipment sits just steps from the practice field — not to improve performance, but to protect players.
The "Rattler Recovery Unit" is designed to rapidly lower an athlete's body temperature before heat-related illness becomes something more serious.
The recovery unit has returned for a fifth straight season thanks to a partnership between the FAMU Rattler Boosters and the Eddie Jackson 220 Quarterback Club. Supporters say continuing to fund the unit each year is about giving coaches and athletic trainers another layer of protection during one of the hottest parts of the football calendar.
Zachary Ansley, president of the FAMU Rattler Boosters, said the need for the unit became clear years ago.
"In 2020 our football team, which was doing pretty good under a Coach Willie Simmons suffered at the beginning of the season, some very traumatic illnesses and injuries to our players during this time of year because of the heat in Florida," Ansley said.
FAMU Head Athletic Trainer Kenny Lassiter said the unit has become a regular part of practice.
"The guys love running in there usually 4 to 6 minutes of just getting to sit during practice and then we'll go back down. Go right back into practice Coach Gray's pushing these guys so we can get back to the national championship level and then go to practice maybe 30 or 45 minutes later we come right back up and we do the same thing throughout practice has been a great rejuvenation tool for all of our student-athletes just to be able to beat the heat," Lassiter said.
Jerrilyne Jackson, CEO and president of the 220 Quarterback Club, said the investment is worthwhile no matter how many players it helps.
"If it helps just one athlete, it is worth the effort and the dollars we put into this because you know like you said it's so very hot out here right now, and I can just only imagine what it's like when they're out here with shorts and pads and whatever else they have," Jackson said.
Jackson also noted the significance of the program within the HBCU community.
"And they often say to us how grateful they are that we have done this for them and to be the only HBCU you know with this it makes a difference you know the rats are top notch," Jackson said.
As preseason camp continues, coaches hope the recovery unit stays more of a precaution than a necessity. But with another Florida summer underway, they say having it nearby is one more way to help keep players safe.
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