Quinn Gray's 'dream' as FAMU football coach becomes a reality

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“Don’t call it a comeback,” the speakers at the Al Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center blared LL Cool J’s ‘Mama Said Knock You Out.’

Friday, Jan. 9, marked Quinn Gray Sr.’s first public appearance as Florida A&M’s new head football coach in a joint press conference with appointed Vice President and Director of Athletics John F. Davis.

The former Rattlers record-setting quarterback was named the program’s 20th full-time head football coach on Dec. 23, 2025, after three seasons at Albany State, an NCAA Division II Historically Black College and University.

The 46-year-old from Fort Lauderdale signed a five-year contract worth $1.4 million, with a starting salary of $240,000.

“This is a dream come true for me,” Gray told the Lawson Center audience on Friday.

Gray is a name synonymous with FAMU football, starring for the Rattlers from 1997 to 2001 and a member of three Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and two Black College National championship teams.

He played six seasons in the National Football League, primarily as a backup for the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2002 to 2008.

“Coach Gray’s path from standout student-athlete to NFL professional to respected head coach reflects the excellence and resilience that we seek and want to instill in our student-athletes,” FAMU President Marva Johnson said of the FAMU Sports and MEAC Hall of Famer.

Then, he began his coaching career in the high school ranks, including stops as FAMU’s offensive coordinator from 2011 to 2014 and as head coach of Tallahassee’s Lincoln High School from 2017 to 2019.

“I am not the 19-year-old Quinn Gray that played against Youngstown State 30 years ago. I am not the Quinn Gray, who was getting his first coaching role here in 2011,” he said.

The Albany State Golden Rams offered Gray his first head coaching job in 2022, where he went 24-11 overall and 20-4 in Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference games in three years.

The 2025 season was Gray’s best, as the Golden Rams finished with a 12-2 record, the school’s most wins in a year, a SIAC championship, a Division II quarterfinals appearance, and a Black College Football National Championship.

FAMU, competing in the Football Championship Subdivision as part of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, is Gray’s first Division I head coaching job.

“I am Quinn Gray, who’s a Division II national championship coach, who just led a school to 12 wins, the highest wins in the university’s history,” the newly hired FAMU head coach explained.

“And I am a leader of men that is going to take this program back to where it wants, needs, and always should be ― at the top, not only of HBCU football, but FCS football.”

Gray replaces former FAMU head coach James Colzie III, who was relieved of his duties on Dec. 8, 2025. Colzie went 12-12 in two years at the helm, including a 5-7 finish in 2025, the program’s first losing season since 2017.

Gray says he is standing on the shoulders of former coaches, FAMU football giants William Bell, Jake Gaither, Rudy Hubbard, Ken Riley, Billy Joe, his coach during his time as a Rattler player, and Willie Simmons.

All of those coaches brought championships to The Highest of Seven Hills.

Gray has adopted the phrase, ‘Restore the Strike’ and plans to educate current and incoming players about FAMU football history, such as Albert Chester, the Rattler quarterback who led the team to the 1978 Division I-AA national title win over the University of Massachusetts.

“When it comes down to ‘Restoring the Strike,’ it’s all about restoring the pride in Florida A&M football,” Gray said. “Understand, when I say, ‘Restoring the Strike,’ I think we may have lost ourselves. I will help them understand that they need to be understanding of the pride and foundation that they’re standing on.”

New FAMU football coach Quinn Gray calls on fans, supporters to be ‘ALL IN’

Gray’s coaching mantra is ‘ALL IN,’ an acronym that means Attitude, Little things, Love, Intelligence, and Now.

He’s asking Rattler fans to be ‘ALL IN’ by giving financially and offering support. FAMU has launched ‘Restore the Strike’ fundraiser, planning to raise $250,000 for the football program by the end of January.

Gray referenced upgrades to the Galimore-Powell Fieldhouse and stadium lights at the practice field.

“Rattler Nation, I need you all in,” Gray said. “I need your trust and belief that we’re going to pride back to Rattler football that it once had.”

Gray is already at work, notching many transfer portal commitments, including his Albany State quarterback, Isaiah Knowles, the 2024 and 2025 SIAC Offensive Player of the Year.

Gray is actively hosting on-campus recruiting visits this weekend.

His inaugural staff, which Gray says has a combined 125 years of coaching experience, is nearly finalized.

“You’re going to see the love in how we play football around here and how we represent this university in and around the community,” Gray said. “So, please support us. I look forward to bringing a championship back to Tallahassee.”

Gerald Thomas, III is a multi-time award-winning journalist for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat.

Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at GDThomas@Tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Quinn Gray becoming Florida A&M football coach a ‘dream come true’

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