1973 Grambling Tigers football team

The 1973 Grambling Tigers football team was an American football team that represented Grambling College (now known as Grambling State University) as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) during the 1973 NCAA Division II football season. In its 31st season under head coach Eddie Robinson, Grambling compiled a 10–3 record (5–1 against conference opponents), tied for the SWAC championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 339 to 176. In two post-season games, the Tigers defeated Delaware in the Boardwalk Bowl and lost to Western Kentucky in the Grantland Rice Bowl.^[1]

1973 Grambling Tigers football
SWAC co-champion
Grantland Rice Bowl, L 20–28 vs. Western Kentucky
Conference	Southwestern Athletic Conference
Record	10–3 (5–1 SWAC)
Head coach	Eddie Robinson (31st season)
Home stadium	Grambling Stadium
Seasons ← 1972 1974 →

1973 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 5/7 Grambling +^	5	–	1	–	0			10	–	3	–	0
No. 10 Jackson State +	5	–	1	–	0			9	–	2	–	0
No. T–20 Alcorn A&M	3	–	2	–	1			7	–	2	–	1
Southern	3	–	3	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
Texas Southern	2	–	3	–	1			5	–	5	–	1
Mississippi Valley State	2	–	4	–	0			3	–	5	–	0
Prairie View A&M	0	–	6	–	0			2	–	6	–	1
+ – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division I poll and AP small college poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 8	vs. Long Beach State*		Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA (Freedom Classic)	W 29–16	30,884	[2]
September 15	at Alcorn A&M		Henderson Stadium Lorman, MS	W 22–6	12,000–15,900	[3][4]
September 22	vs. Morgan State*	No. 2	Yankee Stadium Bronx, NY (Whitney M. Young Memorial Classic)	W 31–14	64,243	[5]
September 29	Prairie View A&M	No. 2	Grambling Stadium Grambling, LA	W 37–12	14,968	[6]
October 6	at No. 7 Tennessee State*	No. 2	Hale Stadium Nashville, TN	L 13–19	16,000–16,500	[7][8]
October 13	Mississippi Valley State	No. 6	Grambling Stadium Grambling, LA	W 17–0	16,721	[9]
October 20	at Jackson State	No. 5	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	W 19–12	26,745	[10]
October 27	at Texas Southern	No. 9	Houston Astrodome Houston, TX	L 21–35	53,859	[11]
November 3	North Carolina A&T*	No. 13	Grambling Stadium Grambling, LA	W 62–6	3,731–6,000	[12][13]
November 10	at Norfolk State*	No. 8	Foreman Field Norfolk, VA	W 32–6	6,000	[14]
November 17	vs. Southern	No. 5	State Fair Stadium Shreveport, LA (rivalry)	W 19–14	38,000	[15]
December 1	vs. No. 12 Delaware*	No. 5	Atlantic City Convention Center Atlantic City, NJ (NCAA Division II Quarterfinal—Boardwalk Bowl)	W 17–8	12,043	[16]
December 8	vs. No. 2 Western Kentucky*	No. 5	BREC Memorial Stadium Baton Rouge, LA (NCAA Division II Semifinal—Grantland Rice Bowl)	L 20–28	15,000	[17]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[18]

References

1. "Grambling State Yearly Results (1970-1974)". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
2. "Grambling Tigers win Classic, 29–16". The Los Angeles Times. September 9, 1973. Retrieved March 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Grambling pops Alcorn by 22 to 6". Alexandria Daily Town Talk. September 16, 1973. Retrieved March 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Final 1973 Cumulative Football Statistics Report (Alcorn A&M)". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
5. "Grambling struts past Morgan State, 31–14". Newsday. September 23, 1973. Retrieved March 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Grambling beats Prairie View". Longview News-Journal. September 30, 1973. Retrieved March 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Final 1973 Cumulative Football Statistics Report". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
8. "Scripting perfest for Merritt, TSU". The Tennessean. October 7, 1973. Retrieved March 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Grambling homecoming a success". Alexandria Daily Town Talk. October 14, 1973. Retrieved March 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Grambling wins it". The Clarion-Ledger. October 21, 1973. Retrieved March 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "TSU on top". The El Paso Times. October 28, 1973. Retrieved March 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "G-Men come alive in 62–6 rout of A&T". The Shreveport Times. November 4, 1973. Retrieved March 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Final 1973 Cumulative Football Statistics Report (North Carolina A&T)". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
14. "Grambling Tigers shiver past Norfolk State, 32–6". The Shreveport Times. November 11, 1973. Retrieved March 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "GC wins, 19–14, but Jaguars make it interesting". The Shreveport Times. November 18, 1973. Retrieved March 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
16. Finocchiaro, Ray (December 2, 1973). "No Down South Ramble for Hens". The Morning News. Wilmington, Del. p. 25 – via Newspapers.com.
17. "California, here comes Western!". The Courier-Journal. December 9, 1973. Retrieved March 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
18. "College-Division Cumulative Football Statistics Report (Grambling)". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved November 19, 2022.