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Hubbard celebrates induction into College Football Hall of Fame

Posted at 11:45 PM, Dec 08, 2021
and last updated 2021-12-08 23:45:34-05

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Legendary Florida A&M football coach Rudy Hubbard has a spot in the College Football Hall of Fame.

Tuesday night in Las Vegas, Hubbard was inducted as part of the Class of 2021. He was among 11 former players and two retired coaches selected in the 2021 Class.

“Each year my name goes on the ballot, then continues to roll over year after year,” Hubbard said when he found out he was selected to this year's class. “You start wondering if this will ever happen. To know I was selected an inductee for the 2021 College Football Hall of Fame was just a complete surprise.”

Hubbard led the Rattlers to a Division I-AA, now FCS, national title in 1978, the only HBCU coach to accomplish such a feat. He posted 83 wins in twelve seasons at FAMU. Another highlight? Topping Miami, something he talked about at the ceremony.

"We had some great players from Miami who had felt they had been snubbed and not been recruited by Miami," he remembered. "We used that and it was a great opportunity for all of us. Beating the University of Miami in 1979 was a great honor. They had a great team, we had a great team. It went down to the very end. We ended up winning by three points. It was a game I'll never forget."

Hubbard is the sixth Rattler inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.