Tennessee State Tigers football

Tennessee State Tigers football
Tennessee State Tigers football
	2021 Tennessee State Tigers football team
First season	1912
Athletic director	Dr. Mikki Allen
Head coach	Eddie George ; 1st season,
Stadium	Nissan Stadium and Hale Stadium; (capacity: 69,143 and 10,000)
Year built	1999
Field surface	Tifsport Bermuda Sod
Location	Nashville, Tennessee
NCAA division	Division I FCS
Conference	Ohio Valley Conference
Past conferences	Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (1926–1929), Midwestern Conference (1945–1966)
All-time record	555–288–33 (.652)
Bowl record	8–1–1 (.850)
Playoff appearances	6
Playoff record	3–6
Claimed national titles	12 ; (Div. II): 1973 (Poll); (Black College): 1946, 1947, 1954, 1956, 1965, 1966, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1979, 1982, 2013
Unclaimed national titles	4 (Black College):1953, 1983, 1984, 2012
Conference titles	16
Colors	Reflex blue and white;
Website	TSUTigers.com

The Tennessee State Tigers are the college football team representing the Tennessee State University. The Tigers play in NCAA Division I Football Championship as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference.

History[]

Year	Coach	Record	Championship
1946	Henry A. Kean	10–1	Black College National Champions
1947	Henry A. Kean	10–0	Black College National Champions
1954	Henry A. Kean	10–1	Black College National Champions
1956	Howard C. Gentry	10–0	Black College National Champions
1965	John A. Merritt	9–0–1	Black College National Champions
1966	John A. Merritt	10–0	Black College National Champions
1970	John A. Merritt	11–0	Black College National Champions
1971	John A. Merritt	9–1	Black College National Champions
1973	John A. Merritt	10–0	AP & UPI College Division National Champions Black College National Champions
1979	John A. Merritt	8–3	Black College National Champions
1982	John A. Merritt	10–1–1	Black College National Champions
2013	Rod Reed	10–4	Black College National Champions

Year	Coach	Conference	Conference Record
1945	Henry A. Kean	Midwest Athletic Association	3–0
1946	Henry A. Kean	Midwestern Conference	3–0
1947	Henry A. Kean	Midwestern Conference	3–0
1949	Henry A. Kean	Midwestern Conference	4–0
1954	Henry A. Kean	Midwestern Conference	4–0
1956	Howard C. Gentry	Midwestern Conference	4–0
1957	Howard C. Gentry	Midwestern Conference	3–0
1959	Howard C. Gentry	Midwestern Conference	3–0
1960	Howard C. Gentry	Midwestern Conference	3–0
1961	Lawrence E. Simmons	Midwestern Conference	3–0
1963	John A. Merritt	Midwest Conference	3–0
1964	John A. Merritt	Midwestern Conference	3–0
1965	John A. Merritt	Midwestern Conference	2–0
1966	John A. Merritt	Midwestern Conference	2–0
1998	Lawrence C. Cole	Ohio Valley Conference	6–1
1999	Lawrence C. Cole	Ohio Valley Conference	7–0

Date	Bowl	Opponent	Result	Stadium	Location	Head Coach
January 1, 1945	Vulcan Bowl	Tuskegee University	W 12–7	Rickwood Field	Birmingham, Alabama	Henry Kean
January 1, 1946	Vulcan Bowl	Texas College	W 33–6	Rickwood Field	Birmingham, Alabama	Henry Kean
January 1, 1947	Vulcan Bowl	Louisville Municipal College	W 32–0	Rickwood Field	Birmingham, Alabama	Henry Kean
December 4, 1954	National Classic	North Carolina College	L 6–19	War Memorial Stadium	Greensboro, North Carolina	Henry Kean
December 1, 1956	Orange Blossom Classic	Florida A&M	W 41–39	Orange Bowl	Miami, Florida	Howard C. Gentry
December 11, 1965	Grantland Rice Bowl	Ball State	T 14–14	Horace Jones Field	Murfreesboro, Tennessee	John Merritt
December 10, 1966	Grantland Rice Bowl	Muskingum	W 34–7	Horace Jones Field	Murfreesboro, Tennessee	John Merritt
December 12, 1970	Grantland Rice Bowl	Southwestern Louisiana	W 26–25	Memorial Stadium	Baton Rouge, Louisiana	John Merritt
December 11, 1971	Grantland Rice Bowl	McNeese State	W 26–23	Memorial Stadium	Baton Rouge, Louisiana	John Merritt
December 10, 1972	Pioneer Bowl	Drake	W 29–7	Memorial Stadium	Wichita Falls, Texas	John Merritt

The Tigers have appeared in the I-AA/FCS playoffs six times with a record of 3–6.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1981	Quarterfinals	South Carolina State	L 25–26 ^OT
1982	Quarterfinals Semifinals	Eastern Illinois Eastern Kentucky	W 20–19 L 7–13
1986	First Round Quarterfinals	Jackson State Nevada	W 32–23 L 6–33
1998	First Round	Appalachian State	L 31–45
1999	First Round	North Carolina A&T	L 10–24
2013	First Round Second Round	Butler Eastern Illinois	W 31–0 L 10–51

Name	Position	Tenure	Inducted	Ref.
John Merritt	Coach	1963–1983	1994	^[2]

Over 100 Tennessee State alumni have played in the NFL,^[3] including:

^ Tennessee State University Brand Guide (PDF). December 31, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
^ "Inductee John Ayers Merritt 1994 College Football Hall of Fame". www.cfbhall.com.
^ "Tennessee St. Players/Alumni". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 29, 2015.

v t Tennessee State Tigers football
Venues	Hale Stadium (1953–1998, 2012–present) Nissan Stadium (1999–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Southern Heritage Classic (Jackson State) Sgt. York Trophy (Austin Peay, Tennessee Tech, UT Martin)
Culture & lore
People	NFL draftees
Seasons	1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1941 1942 1943 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1965 1966 1970 1971 1973 1979 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
National championship seasons in bold

v t Ohio Valley Conference football
Teams	Austin Peay Governors (leaving in 2022) Eastern Illinois Panthers Murray State Racers Southeast Missouri State Redhawks Tennessee State Tigers Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles UT Martin Skyhawks
Championships & awards	Conference champions All-time standings