1976 Tennessee State Tigers football team

The 1976 Tennessee State Tigers football team represented Tennessee State University as an independent during the 1976 NCAA Division II football season. In their 14th year under head coach John Merritt, the team compiled an overall record of 7–2–1.

1976 Tennessee State Tigers football
Conference	Independent
Record	7–2–1
Head coach	John Merritt (14th season)
Home stadium	Hale Stadium
Seasons ← 1975 1977 →

1976 NCAA Division II independents football records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 2 Northern Michigan ^			–					11	–	2	–	0
No. 3 Akron ^			–					10	–	3	–	0
No. 7 UNLV ^			–					9	–	3	–	0
No. 4 Delaware ^			–					8	–	3	–	1
Nevada			–					8	–	3	–	0
Portland State			–					8	–	3	–	0
Tennessee State			–					7	–	2	–	1
American International			–					6	–	3	–	0
Northern Colorado			–					6	–	3	–	0
Madison			–					7	–	4	–	0
Santa Clara			–					7	–	4	–	0
Western Carolina			–					6	–	4	–	0
Chattanooga			–					6	–	4	–	1
Southern Connecticut State			–					5	–	4	–	0
Central State (OH)			–					6	–	5	–	0
Lehigh			–					6	–	5	–	0
Cal State Los Angeles			–					5	–	3	–	1
Arkansas–Pine Bluff			–					5	–	5	–	0
Central Connecticut			–					5	–	5	–	0
Lafayette			–					5	–	5	–	0
Eastern Illinois			–					5	–	6	–	0
Bucknell			–					4	–	5	–	0
Youngstown State			–					4	–	6	–	0
Kentucky State			–					3	–	7	–	1
Nebraska–Omaha			–					3	–	8	–	0
Northeastern			–					2	–	7	–	0
^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from Associated Press poll

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 4		vs. Middle Tennessee		Dudley Field Nashville, TN	W 26–17	18,361	[1][2]
September 11		Jackson State		Hale Stadium Nashville, TN	W 23–20	18,106–18,601	[3]
September 18		Alabama A&M		Hale Stadium Nashville, TN	W 26–0	11,000	[4]
September 25		at Texas Southern	No. 5	Jeppesen Stadium Houston, TX	W 21–8	11,623–11,634	[5]
October 2		at Central State (OH)	No. 3	McPherson Stadium Wilberforce, OH	L 18–24	6,300–6,500	[6]
October 9		at Grambling State		Grambling Stadium Grambling, LA	W 34–20	16,221	[7][8][9]
October 23	6:00 p.m.	at Florida A&M	No. T–10	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	W 21–3	27,500	[10][11][12][13]
October 30		No. T–4 Southern	No. 7	Hale Stadium Nashville, TN	W 21–7	7,703	[14]
November 6		at Tennessee–Martin	No. 4	Graham Stadium Martin, TN	L 21–26	9,500	[15]
November 13		Chattanooga		Hale Stadium Nashville, TN	T 14–14	12,600	[16]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^[17]

References

1. "TSU spills Middle". The Tennessean. September 5, 1976. Retrieved February 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Final 1976 Cumulative Football Statistics Report (Middle Tennessee)". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
3. "TSU avenges humiliation, tops Jackson". The Tennessean. September 12, 1976. Retrieved February 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Tenn. State 26–0 conqueror over Bama A&M". The Selma Times-Journal. September 19, 1976. Retrieved February 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "TSU stays undefeated". The Tennessean. September 26, 1976. Retrieved February 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Marauders shock Tenn. State, 24–18". Dayton Daily News. October 3, 1976. Retrieved February 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Jones, David (October 10, 1976). "Tennessee State Takes Victory from Grambling". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. p. 1D. Retrieved February 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
8. Jones, David (October 10, 1976). "TSU (continued)". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. p. 4D. Retrieved February 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
9. "Tennessee State takes victory over Grambling". The Daily Advertiser. October 10, 1976. Retrieved February 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Mashburn, Robert (October 23, 1976). "A&M set for Tennessee State". Tallahassee Democrat. Tallahassee, Florida. p. 2F. Retrieved July 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
11. Amison, Larry (October 24, 1976). "Rattlers beaten 21-3". Tallahassee Democrat. Tallahassee, Florida. p. 1D. Retrieved July 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
12. Amison, Larry (October 24, 1976). "Tennessee State quarterback strikes A&M Rattlers 21-3 (continued)". Tallahassee Democrat. Tallahassee, Florida. p. 6D. Retrieved July 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
13. "Florida A&M whipped, 21–3". The Miami Herald. October 24, 1976. Retrieved February 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "Thompson leads TSU to victory". The Tennessean. October 31, 1976. Retrieved February 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "Pacers edge out Tennessee State by one foot, 26–21". The Jackson Sun. November 7, 1976. Retrieved February 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
16. "UTC, TSU battle to tie". The Tennessean. November 14, 1976. Retrieved February 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
17. "Final 1976 Cumulative Football Statistics Report". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved February 25, 2024.