1956 Tennessee A&I Tigers football team

Last updated

1956 Tennessee A&I Tigers football
Conference Midwest Athletic Association
Record10–0 (4–0 MAA)
Head coach
Home stadium Hale Stadium
Seasons
  1955
1957  
1956 Midwest Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 1 Tennessee A&I $ 4 0 010 0 0
No. 3 Grambling 1 1 08 1 0
No. 7 Jackson State 1 1 06 2 2
No. 14 Central State (OH) 1 1 14 3 1
Lincoln (MO) 1 2 05 4 0
Kentucky State 0 3 13 5 1
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from Pittsburgh Courier [1]

The 1956 Tennessee A&I Tigers football team represented Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State College as a member of the Midwest Athletic Association (MAA) during the 1956 NCAA College Division football season. In their second season under head coach Howard C. Gentry, the Tigers compiled a perfect 10–0 record, won the MAA championship, shut out five of ten opponents, and outscored all opponents by a total of 394 to 64. The team was also recognized as black college national champion.

The team was led by halfbacks Jesse Wilburn and Ray Mitchell, quarterback Robert Crawford, ends Don Taylor and Leon Jamison, and tackle Charles Gavin. Allowing only 25 points in nine regular season games, the team had the best scoring defense in the country. [2]

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 29 Langston *W 46–7
October 6 Grambling
  • Hale Stadium
  • Nashville, TN
W 33–0 [3]
October 15vs. Prairie View A&M *W 45–05,000 [4]
October 20at Central State (OH) Wilberforce, OH W 32–6
October 27vs. Maryland State * Washington, DC W 6–012,000 [5]
November 3 Southern *
  • Hale Stadium
  • Nashville, TN
W 52–6 [6]
November 10vs. Alcorn A&M * Memphis, TN W 52–6 [7]
November 17at Kentucky State Frankfort, KY W 40–0
November 22 Lincoln (MO)
  • Hale Stadium
  • Nashville, TN
W 47–0
December 1vs. Florida A&M *W 41–3941,808 [8]
  • *Non-conference game

[9]

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The 1946 Lincoln Blue Tigers football team was an American football team that represented Lincoln University of Missouri in the Midwest Athletic Association (MAA) during the 1946 college football season. In their second year under head coach David D. Rains, the Tigers compiled a 5–3–1 record, defeated Lane in the Mule Bowl on Armistice Day, lost to Prairie View A&M in the Prairie View Bowl on New Year's Day, and outscored all opponents by a total of 60 to 57.

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The 1964 Tennessee A&I Tigers football team represented Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State College as a member of the Midwest Athletic Association (MAA) during the 1964 NCAA College Division football season. Led by second-year head coach John Merritt, the Tigers compiled an overall record of 8–2, with a 3–0 conference record, and finished as MAA champion.

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The 1958 Tennessee A&I Tigers football team represented Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State College as a member of the Midwest Athletic Association (MAA) during the 1958 NCAA College Division football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Howard C. Gentry, the Tigers compiled an overall record of 4–4, with a 2–2 conference record, and finished third in the MAA.

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References

  1. "Courier Rates Top Football Teams". The Pittsburgh Courier . December 15, 1956. p. 27 via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Nation's Best Defense, Offense Clash At Miami". The Nashville Banner. November 29, 1956. p. 47 via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Tenn. State dumps Grambling 33-to-0". Alabama Tribune. October 12, 1956. Retrieved April 21, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  4. "A&I Rolls Up 45-0 Victory At Dallas". The Nashville Banner. October 16, 1956. p. 17 via Newspapers.com.
  5. "A&I Tigers Plod to 6-0 Win". The Nashville Tennessean. October 28, 1956. p. 5C via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Tennessee State mauls Southern". The Nashville Tennessean. November 4, 1956. Retrieved September 23, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  7. "A&I Tigers Romp, 52 to 6, Over Alcorn". The Nashville Tennessean. November 11, 1956. p. 2C via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Fumbling A&M Bows, 41-39 In Orange Blossom Classic". Tallahassee Democrat. December 2, 1956. p. 34 via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics". National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved December 11, 2022.