The 8–2 Rattlers were National Negro Football Champions in 1952, but had suffered the loss of 15 players to graduation and 10 more to the military draft, leaving the cupboard bare for 1953.

[2] One of the 19 returning players coach Gaither placed his hopes upon was sophomore Willie Galimore, who did not letter in 1952 but who was regarded as a "sure comer" and penciled in as the starter at the critical left halfback position.

[2] Gaither's assessment proved astute, with the Rattlers finishing the 1953 season undefeated at 9–0, having administered five straight shutouts to opponents to start the year.

[5] Galimore was one of the lettermen taking the field for Florida A&M in the 1954 season — part of a 70 man veteran and freshman contingent as fall football practice opened.

[5] The Rattlers' excellent starting backfield returned complete for Galimore's junior season, and expectations were high, despite the loss of three starters on the line to graduation or the draft.

Blessed with incredible speed and impressive lateral mobility, the difficulty suffered by defenders attempting to contain Galimore earned him the nickname "Willie the Wisp".

[12] He ran with a slightly gangly upright style comparable to Lenny Moore of the Baltimore Colts and was at his best beating defenders to the edge.

Galimore's last visit to his hometown of St. Augustine, Florida came just weeks before his death, and he participated in the St. Augustine movement during the Civil Rights Movement, becoming the first black person who was able to register as a guest at the previously all-white Ponce de Leon Motor Lodge,[13] where the arrest of the 72-year-old mother of the governor of Massachusetts for trying to be served in a racially integrated group had made national headlines a few months before.