Tennessee State Tigers football

Tennessee State Tigers

2016 Tennessee State Tigers football team

First season

1912

Athletic director

Teresa Phillips

Head coach

Rod Reed
7th year, 41–34 (.547)

Other staff

Mike Jones (OC)
Osita Alaribe (co-DC)
Justin Roberts (co-DC)

Stadium

[[Nissan Stadium and Hale Stadium (TSU Campus)]]

Year built

1999

Seating capacity

69,143

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

Playoff record

3–6

Claimed nat'l titles

11 Black College National Championships, 1973 Division II National Championship

Conference titles

Colors

Reflex Blue and White^[1]

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.

Under Rod Reed

Season	All Games	Regular Season	Conference	Post-Season Play	Sports Network Poll Ranking	Coaches Poll Ranking
2010	3–8	3–8	0–7
2011	5–6	5–6	4–4
2012	8–3	8–3	4–3
2013	10–4	10–4	6–2	1–1	#17	#17
2014	6–6	6–6	3–5
2015	4–6	4–6	1–6

Yearly records

Year	Coach	Overall	Conference	Standing	Bowl/playoffs	Rank^#
Buck Hunt (Independent) (1916)
1916	Buck Hunt	0–0–1
Buck Hunt:		0–0–1
Joe Scruggs (Independent) (1922–1924)
1922	Joe Scruggs	1–1
1923	Joe Scruggs	2–1
1924	Joe Scruggs	4–1–1
Joe Scruggs:		7–3–1
George Davenport (Independent) (1925)
1925	George Davenport	4–1–1
George Davenport (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1926)
1926	George Davenport	1–2–2
George Davenport:		5–3–3
Felton Gale (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1927)
1927	Felton Gale	1–2–3	1–1–2
Felton Gale:		1–2–3	1–1–2
Harry Long (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1928)
1928	Harry Long	0–4–1	0–4–1
Harry Long:		0–4–1	0–4–1
Alton Jackson (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1929)
1929	Alton Jackson	3–2–1	2–1
Alton Jackson:		3–2–1	2–1
T.D. Upshaw (Independent) (1930–1931)
1930	T.D. Upshaw	2–3
1931	T.D. Upshaw	1–1
T.D. Upshaw:		3–4
No Coach (Independent) (1932)
1932	No Coach	0–2
Walter S. Davis (Independent) (1933–1936)
1933	Walter S. Davis	5–0–1
1934	Walter S. Davis	6–1
1935	Walter S. Davis	5–3–1
1936	Walter S. Davis	3–3–2
Walter S. Davis:		19–7–4
Reubin A. Munday (Independent) (1937–1939)
1937	Reubin A. Munday	3–1–1
1938	Reubin A. Munday	6–1
1939	Reubin A. Munday	4–3–1
Reubin A. Munday:		13–5–2
Coach Unknown (Independent) (1940)
1940	unknown	1–0
Coach Unknown:		1–0
Henry A. Kean (Independent) (1944)
1944	Henry A. Kean	8–2–1
Henry A. Kean (Midwestern Conference) (1945–1954)
1945	Henry A. Kean	9–2	3–0	1st	W Tuskegee University Vulcan Bowl
1946	Henry A. Kean	10–1	3–0	1st	W Texas College Vulcan Bowl
1947	Henry A. Kean	10–0	3–0	1st	W Louisville Municipal Vulcan Bowl
1948	Henry A. Kean	5–3–1
1949	Henry A. Kean	9–1	4–0	1st
1950	Henry A. Kean	9–2
1951	Henry A. Kean	8–2
1952	Henry A. Kean	8–2
1953	Henry A. Kean	8–0
1954	Henry A. Kean	10–1	4–0	1st	L North Carolina Central National Classic
Henry A. Kean:		94–16–2
Howard C. Gentry (Midwestern Conference) (1955–1960)
1955	Howard C. Gentry	7–2
1956	Howard C. Gentry	10–0	4–0	1st	W Florida A&M Orange Blossom Classic
1957	Howard C. Gentry	5–0–1	3–0	1st
1958	Howard C. Gentry	4–4
1959	Howard C. Gentry	9–1	3–0	1st
1960	Howard C. Gentry	7–3	3–0	1st
Howard C. Gentry:		42–10–1
Lawrence E. Simmons (Midwestern Conference) (1961–1962)
1961	Lawrence E. Simmons	4–4–1
1962	Lawrence E. Simmons	1–7–1
Lawrence E. Simmons:		5–11–2
John A. Merritt (Midwestern Conference) (1963–1966)
1963	John A. Merritt	6–3	3–0	1st
1964	John A. Merritt	8–2	3–0	1st
1965	John A. Merritt	9–0–1	2–0	1st	T Ball State Grantland Rice Bowl
1966	John A. Merritt	10–0	2–0	1st	W Muskingum University Grantland Rice Bowl
John A. Merritt (Independent) (1967–1972)
1967	John A. Merritt	6–3
1968	John A. Merritt	6–2–1
1969	John A. Merritt	7–1–1
1970	John A. Merritt	11–0			W Southwestern Louisiana Grantland Rice Bowl
1971	John A. Merritt	9–1			W McNeese State Grantland Rice Bowl
1972	John A. Merritt	11–1			W Drake University Pioneer Bowl
John A. Merritt (Division II Independent) (1973–1976)
1973	John A. Merritt	10–0
1974	John A. Merritt	8–2
1975	John A. Merritt	5–4
1976	John A. Merritt	7–2–1
John A. Merritt (Division I Independent) (1977)
1977	John A. Merritt	8–1–1
John A. Merritt (Division I-A Independent) (1978–1980)
1978	John A. Merritt	8–3
1979	John A. Merritt	8–3
1980	John A. Merritt	9–1
John A. Merritt (Division I-AA Independent) (1981–1983)
1981	John A. Merritt	9–3			L South Carolina State NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal
1982	John A. Merritt	10–1–1			L Eastern Kentucky NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal
1983	John A. Merritt	8–2–1
John A. Merritt:		173–35–7	10–0
William A. Thomas (Division I-AA Independent) (1984–1987)
1984	William A. Thomas	11–0
1985	William A. Thomas	7–4
1986	William A. Thomas	10–2–1			L Nevada NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal
1987	William A. Thomas	3–7–1
William A. Thomas (Ohio Valley Conference) (1988)
1988	William A. Thomas	3–7–1	2–4	T–4th
William A. Thomas:		34–20–3	2–4
Joe Gilliam, Sr. (Ohio Valley Conference) (1989–1992)
1989	Joe Gilliam, Sr.	5–5–1	3–3	T–3rd
1990	Joe Gilliam, Sr.	7–4	4–2	3rd
1991	Joe Gilliam, Sr.	3–8	2–5	T–6th
1992	Joe Gilliam, Sr.	5–6	5–3	4th
Joe Gilliam, Sr.:		20–23–1	14–13
Bill Davis (Ohio Valley Conference) (1993–1995)
1993	Bill Davis	4–7	4–4	T–4th
1994	Bill Davis	5–6	4–4	T–4th
1995	Bill Davis	2–9	1–7	T–8th
Bill Davis:		11–22	9–15
L. C. Cole (Ohio Valley Conference) (1996–1999)
1996	L. C. Cole	4–7	3–5	T–6th
1997	L. C. Cole	4–7	4–3	T–4th
1998	L. C. Cole	9–3	6–1	1st	L Appalachian State NCAA Division I-AA First Round	12
1999	L. C. Cole	11–1	7–0	1st	L North Carolina A&T NCAA Division I-AA First Round	11
L. C. Cole:		28–18	20–9
James Reese (Ohio Valley Conference) (2000–2004)
2000	James Reese	3–8	2–5	6th
2001	James Reese	8–3	3–3	4th
2002	James Reese	2–10	1–5	6th
2003	James Reese	7–5	5–3	T–3rd
2004	James Reese	4–7	2–5	8th
James Reese:		24–33	13–21
James Webster (Ohio Valley Conference) (2005–2009)
2005	James Webster	2–9	1–6	8th
2006	James Webster	6–5	5–2	3rd
2007	James Webster	5–6	4–3	5th
2008	James Webster	8–4	5–3	4th
2009	James Webster	4–7	3–4	5th
James Webster:		25–31	18–18
Rod Reed (Ohio Valley Conference) (2010–present)
2010	Rod Reed	3–8	0–7	9th
2011	Rod Reed	5–6	4–4	T–5th
2012	Rod Reed	8–3	4–3	5th
2013	Rod Reed	10–4	6–2	2nd	L Eastern Illinois NCAA FCS Second Round	19
2014	Rod Reed	6–6	3–5	6th
2015	Rod Reed	4–6	1–6	8th
Rod Reed:		36–33	18–27
Total:		544–284–33
National championship Conference title Conference division title
^#Post 1996 rankings from final Sports Network poll.

Championships

National championships

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 NCAA Division II National Champions
1973	John A. Merritt	10–0	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
Total national championships			13

Conference championships

Year	Coach	Conference	Conference Record
1945	Henry A. Kean	Midwestern Conference	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	Midwestern 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
Total conference championships		16

Bowl games

Bowl	Score	Date	Season	Opponent	Stadium	Location	Attendance	Head Coach
Vulcan Bowl	W 12–7	January 1, 1945	1944	Tuskegee University	Rickwood Field	Birmingham, Alabama		Henry Kean
Vulcan Bowl	W 33–6	January 1, 1946	1945	Texas College	Rickwood Field	Birmingham, Alabama		Henry Kean
Vulcan Bowl	W 32–0	January 1, 1947	1946	Louisville Municipal College	Rickwood Field	Birmingham, Alabama		Henry Kean
National Classic	L 19–6	December 4, 1954	1954	North Carolina College	War Memorial Stadium	Greensboro, North Carolina		Henry Kean
Orange Blossom Classic	W 41–39	December 1, 1956	1956	Florida A&M University	Orange Bowl	Miami, Florida		Howard C. Gentry
Grantland Rice Bowl	T 14–14	December 11, 1965	1965	Ball State University	Horace Jones Field	Murfreesboro, Tennessee	12,000^[2]	John Merritt
Grantland Rice Bowl	W 34–7	December 10, 1966	1966	Muskingum University	Horace Jones Field	Murfreesboro, Tennessee		John Merritt
Grantland Rice Bowl	W 26–25	December 12, 1970	1970	Southwestern Louisiana	Memorial Stadium	Baton Rouge, Louisiana		John Merritt
Grantland Rice Bowl	W 26–23	December 11, 1971	1971	McNeese State University	Memorial Stadium	Baton Rouge, Louisiana		John Merritt
Pioneer Bowl	W 29–7	December 10, 1972	1972	Drake University	Memorial Stadium	Wichita Falls, Texas		John Merritt
Total bowl appearances			10

Division I-AA/FCS Playoffs results

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

College Football Hall of Fame members

John Merritt

Alumni in the NFL

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

Annual Classic

Southern Heritage Classic

References

↑ Tennessee State University Style Guide (PDF). Retrieved 2016-04-03.
↑ "Expired Website". Mmbolding.com. Retrieved 2015-09-29.
↑ "Tennessee St. Players/Alumni". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-09-29.

External links

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	Tigre

People	Head coaches NFL draftees

Seasons	1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

National championship seasons in bold

Ohio Valley Conference football

Teams	Austin Peay Governors Eastern Illinois Panthers Eastern Kentucky Colonels Jacksonville State Gamecocks Murray State Racers Southeast Missouri State Redhawks Tennessee State Tigers Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles UT Martin Skyhawks

Championships & awards	Champions Standings

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