Quinn Gray revives 'old-school' FAMU football training camp tradition

Instead, he dishes on his experiences as a student-athlete at The Highest of Seven Hills in building a successful program, much like the way the Rattlers won two Black College Football National Championships during Gray’s college football career from 1997 to 2001.

As head coach, Gray’s team is living in an on-campus residence hall during preseason training camp.

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“We went old school with the way we approached camp,” said Gray, who’s entering his first season at the helm.

“We put everybody out of their apartments, we brought everybody to the dorms ― to Sampson Hall, where we stayed during camp when I was in school here.”

Housing over 500 students, the all-male Sampson Hall is named after George Sampson, a FAMU athletics pioneer and math professor who helped organize the college’s sports teams and co-founded the Rattler football team with Jubie Bragg in 1899.

Dorm life is a bonding mechanism Gray adopted from his head coach, Billy Joe. It builds chemistry in the mind before even touching the gridiron.

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“Just making sure that everybody got a chance to know each other on a deeper level instead of surface level,” the FAMU head coach explained. “For us, we’ve got to know how each other reacts in pressure situations. You’ve got to know how your brother reacts when things go sideways.”

The Rattlers reported to training camp on July 29 and started practicing on July 31. The team is four practices in as of Monday, Aug. 3, and approaching a week since the team report date.

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“Every day, we share stories from every player. To get to know each other and help each other, where we understand who we are and what we’ve been through, will definitely help us on Saturdays when adversity strikes.”

So far, so good in the dorm room and on the practice fields.

FAMU’s identity “is starting to form,” Gray revealed.

“As coaches, we help foster that with things that we do outside of the dorm,” he added. “Activities we have in meetings, activities we do before meetings. Bringing these guys together so we can understand that this is a family.”

Gray said the team will be in Sampson Hall “for the next week and a half” before FAMU students begin moving in for classes on Aug. 24.

Aug. 22 is the final day of training camp.
football 2026 schedule

• Saturday, Aug. 29: vs. Albany State, 7 p.m., SWAC TV

• Sunday, Sept. 6: vs. South Carolina State, Orange Blossom Classic at Miami Gardens’ Hard Rock Stadium, 3 p.m., ESPNU

• Thursday, Sept. 10: at Miami, 8 p.m., ACC Network

• Saturday, Sept. 19: vs. Tennessee State, 7 p.m., HBCU GO

• Saturday, Sept. 26: vs. Alabama A&M (SWAC), 7 p.m., SWAC TV

• Saturday, Oct. 3: BYE

• Saturday, Oct. 10: at Alabama State (SWAC), 3 p.m., HBCU GO

• Saturday, Oct. 17: at Jackson State (SWAC), 3 p.m., ESPN Network

• Saturday, Oct. 24: vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (SWAC/Homecoming), 3 p.m., HBCU GO

• Saturday, Oct. 31: vs. Southern (SWAC), 3 p.m., HBCU GO

• Saturday, Nov. 7: at Alcorn State (SWAC), 3 p.m., SWAC TV

• Saturday, Nov. 14: vs. Mississippi Valley State (SWAC), 3 p.m., SWAC TV

• Saturday, Nov. 21: vs. Bethune-Cookman (SWAC/Florida Classic), 3:30 p.m., ESPN+

Saturday, Aug. 29: vs. Albany State, 7 p.m., SWAC TV

Sunday, Sept. 6: vs. South Carolina State, Orange Blossom Classic at Miami Gardens’ Hard Rock Stadium, 3 p.m., ESPNU

Thursday, Sept. 10: at Miami, 8 p.m., ACC Network

Saturday, Sept. 19: vs. Tennessee State, 7 p.m., HBCU GO

Saturday, Sept. 26: vs. Alabama A&M (SWAC), 7 p.m., SWAC TV

Saturday, Oct. 10: at Alabama State (SWAC), 3 p.m., HBCU GO

Saturday, Oct. 17: at Jackson State (SWAC), 3 p.m., ESPN Network

Saturday, Oct. 24: vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (SWAC/Homecoming), 3 p.m., HBCU GO

Saturday, Oct. 31: vs. Southern (SWAC), 3 p.m., HBCU GO

Saturday, Nov. 7: at Alcorn State (SWAC), 3 p.m., SWAC TV

Saturday, Nov. 14: vs. Mississippi Valley State (SWAC), 3 p.m., SWAC TV

Saturday, Nov. 21: vs. Bethune-Cookman (SWAC/Florida Classic), 3:30 p.m., ESPN+

Gerald Thomas, III, is a multi-time national award-winning reporter for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat under the USA TODAY Network.

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 revives ‘old-school’ FAMU football training camp tradition