Florida A&M University alumni, supporters and community leaders gathered in Jacksonville this week as the university’s annual Strike Tour made a stop in the city, encouraging continued investment in student-athletes at a time when historically Black colleges and universities are facing increasing financial pressures.
Hosted at the FAMU Northwest Florida Pharmacy Practice Center, the event brought together Rattlers from across Northeast Florida to raise scholarship and revenue-sharing funds while celebrating the university’s athletic tradition and future.
The Jacksonville stop was hosted by Emmitt and Hattie Alexander, Drs. Ephraim and Victoria Riggins, Conastine Morgan, and Wilbert and Joy Gregory and featured remarks from university leaders, coaches and alumni.
Attendees had an opportunity to meet new head football coach Quinn Gray, a Jacksonville native and former NFL quarterback who recently returned to his alma mater to lead the Rattlers football program. Veteran broadcaster Gregory Coleman served as master of ceremonies, conducting interviews and moderating a question-and-answer session with university officials.
Also participating were Heisman Trophy winner and men’s basketball coach Charlie Ward, women’s basketball coach Bridgette Gordon, SWAC championship softball coach Brittany Beall, and Angela Suggs, FAMU’s vice president and director of athletics, who provided updates on their programs and outlined the university’s vision for competing in the rapidly changing landscape of college athletics.
The athletics department has raised over $30k through the Jacksonville tour stop to support student-athlete scholarships and revenue-sharing opportunities, which have become increasingly important as college athletics enters a new era shaped by name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities and athlete compensation.
“The Strike Tour is especially important because a lot of programs have been cut and a lot of funding has been withdrawn from FAMU athletics,” Coleman told attendees, urging alumni and friends of the university to continue investing in the institution’s future.
Founded in 1887, Florida A&M University is the nation’s highest-ranked public historically Black university and one of the country’s leading producers of Black graduates in science, engineering, business, pharmacy, agriculture and journalism. The university has educated generations of leaders who have gone on to serve in government, education, healthcare, business, the military and professional sports.
Jacksonville has long maintained strong ties to the university, with one of the largest concentrations of FAMU alumni in the state. Hundreds of graduates live and work throughout Northeast Florida, serving as educators, physicians, attorneys, entrepreneurs, civic leaders and elected officials while supporting the university through the local alumni chapter and scholarship initiatives.
Speakers emphasized that support from alumni and community partners is especially critical as HBCUs continue navigating financial challenges amid the rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in several states, including Florida. Advocates say those policy changes have heightened the need for private philanthropy and alumni giving to help ensure HBCUs remain competitive in recruiting students, retaining faculty and supporting athletic programs.
For many in attendance, the Strike Tour represented more than an athletic fundraiser. It served as a reminder that investing in HBCUs strengthens institutions that have historically opened doors for African Americans and other underserved students while producing generations of leaders who continue to impact communities across the nation.
As the tour continues across Florida, organizers hope alumni and supporters will answer the call to help ensure Florida A&M’s tradition of excellence extends to future generations of Rattlers, both in the classroom and in competition.