TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Aug. 13) - The Alfred Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center and Teaching Gymnasium is home to Rattlers basketball and volleyball; but for this day, it was taken over by the Florida A&M Rattlers football team. Today was Media Day and Fan Appreciation Day.
The Rattler football players started off at 1:30 p.m. with team photos and individual headshots. The players also took photos both by position with their position coach and separately with head coach Joe Taylor.
Following the photos, several members of the media descended on the building, getting print, video and audio interviews from key members of the coaching staff and team. With the Rattlers' success in 2010, there was a premium placed on getting information from the players and coaches, from media sources from as far away as Palm Beach. Players from every position were picked and prodded for facts about what to expect from the 2011 Rattlers.
At 3:30 p.m., the affair moved from the floor of the Lawson Center, to the atrium level. There, players were spread around the entire level, as FAMU Athletic staff distributed posters, toy megaphones, helmet-shaped fans, Rattler bags and squeeze bottles to the many fans who showed up early and in great numbers, to meet the 2011 edition of the Rattlers.
DJ Laila Jade, a nine-year-old DJ from Tallahassee, played music and made announcements to the hundreds in attendance about the day's activities. This year, a fan photo booth was added. Starting with head coach Joe Taylor, and followed by starting quarterback Austin Trainor, coaches and players took turns taking pictures in front of the official FAMU backdrop with the fans. This new feature was a big hit as lines grew as former greats Quinn Gray and Earl Homes and current stars Jerry Willis, Kevin Elliot and Alvis Graham, took photos with the FAMU faithful.
Around 5 p.m., the FAMU Athletic staff began a series of give-a-ways that included t-shirts, official coaches shirts and ending with a pair of tickets to the FAMU vs. Ft. Valley State game on Sept. 3.
The Rattler fans and players capped the evening dancing to the tunes of DJ Laila Jade, as she played line dances such as the "Cupid Shuffle" and "The Wobble."
Finally, the entire group of hundreds of Rattler fans, young and old, gathered around the front entrance to hear coach Joe Taylor address the audience. An obviously impressed Taylor thanked all who attended the affair. "I see from this turnout that not only are the guys, who have been getting up at 5:45 a.m. since January, ready for this season to start. From this gathering, I see our fans are ready to get things started. We need each of you to be out 12th man this season," Taylor concluded.
In addition to the activities inside the Lawson Center, the FAMU ticket office was open and selling tickets. Several attendees took the opportunity to purchase their tickets to various games.
