Grambling State Tigers | |
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University | Grambling State University |
Conference | SWAC |
NCAA | Division I (FCS) |
Athletic director | David Ponton |
Location | Grambling, Louisiana |
Football stadium | Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium |
Basketball arena | Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center |
Baseball stadium | Wilbert Ellis Field at Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones Park |
Softball stadium | GSU Softball Complex |
Soccer stadium | GSU Soccer Complex |
Other venues | Memorial Gymnasium |
Mascot | Tiger |
Nickname | Tigers |
Colors | Black, gold, and red [1] |
Website | gsutigers |
The Grambling State Tigers and Lady Tigers represent Grambling State University in NCAA intercollegiate athletics. Grambling's sports teams participate in Division I (I-FCS for football) as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
Men's sports | Women's sports |
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Baseball | Basketball |
Basketball | Bowling |
Cross country | Cross country |
Football | Soccer |
Track and field† | Softball |
Tennis | |
Track and field† | |
Volleyball | |
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor. |
The Grambling State Tigers won the NAIA National championship tournament in 1961, beating Georgetown College (Ky.). The victory made Grambling State the first and only college basketball program in the state to win a national basketball championship. In the following years, the Tigers made it to the NAIA Final Four, and placed 3rd in 1963, and 1966, defeating Fort Hays State (Kan.) and Norfolk State (Va.) respectively. The Tigers appeared in the NAIA National Tournament eight times from 1959 to 1971, with a total NAIA National Tournament record of 19–7. Former NBA star Charles Hardnett played for the National Championship Tiger team. The team reached their first NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 2024 after winning the SWAC Tournament Championship. [2] In 2013, the Tigers went 0–28, with only one single-digit loss (an 8-point loss to Alabama A&M in the SWAC tournament). Grambling State's most popular and highest attended regular season basketball rivalries are against the Southern Jaguars and Prairie View A&M Panthers.
Grambling State plays its arch rival Southern University in the annual Bayou Classic, which is hosted at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana over Thanksgiving weekend and broadcast nationally on NBCSN.
GSU also plays in the annual State Fair Classic against the Prairie View A&M Panthers at the Cotton Bowl, in Fair Park, in Dallas, Texas.
Former football coach Eddie Robinson previously held the NCAA record for most career wins as a head coach at an NCAA division I school. [3]
During Robinson's 55-year coaching career, the university gained a national reputation because of the large number of athletes who joined the professional ranks in football.
After Robinson's retirement in 1997, former GSU standout and NFL Super Bowl XXII MVP Doug Williams took over the reins of the university's football program.
Grambling has won fourteen black college national championships, tied for second most in the country (Robinson's teams won nine of those championships).
The 1981 TV movie Grambling's White Tiger set in 1967, tells the true story of Jim Gregory, the first white Quarterback at Grambling.
In October 2013, citing health hazards within the Grambling State athletic facilities and team mismanagement in a letter to the administration, the Grambling State football team refused to play their October 19 game against Jackson St., forfeiting the match up, resulting in a loss. [4] The NCAA would later go on to announce the ruling on the game was officially declared a no contest. [5] The Tigers would return for their very next game a week later against Texas Southern. [6]
In 2017, Grambling State completed a few million dollars worth of renovations to the field and scoreboard. [7]
Pro Football Hall of Fame members
Grambling State's colors are black and gold, with red as a tertiary color symbolizing the blood of people of African descent. The school's mascot is the Tiger. Grambling State's male athletes are traditionally referred to as "G-Men". [8]
The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is a collegiate athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which is made up of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the Southern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I for most sports; in football, it participates in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly referred to as Division I-AA.
The Jackson State Tigers and Lady Tigers represent Jackson State University, Jackson, Mississippi, in NCAA intercollegiate athletics.
The Southern Jaguars and Lady Jaguars represent Southern University in NCAA intercollegiate athletics. Southern University's 13 athletic teams participate in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) which is a part of the NCAA Division I. Football participates in the Football Championship Subdivision.
The Grambling State Tigers are the college football team representing the Grambling State University. The Tigers play in NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. They were known as Grambling Tigers until 1973, when the university changed its name from Grambling College to the current one.
The 2000 Grambling State Tigers football team represented Grambling State University as a member of the West Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) during the 2000 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by third-year head coach Doug Williams, the Tigers compiled an overall record of 10–2 with a mark of 6–1 in conference play, winning the SWAC West Division title. Grambling State beat Alabama A&M in the SWAC Championship Game to the conference title. The team was also recognized as a black college football national champion. The Tigers offense scored 300 points while the defense allowed 207 points on the season. Grambling State played home games at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium in Grambling, Louisiana.
The Prairie View A&M Panthers football team is the college football team representing the Prairie View A&M University. The Panthers play in NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
The Grambling State Tigers men's basketball team represents Grambling State University in Grambling, Louisiana. The school's team currently competes in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. They currently play their home games at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center. They made their first ever appearance to the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 2024.
The SWAC Championship Game, officially the Cricket Wireless SWAC Championship Game, is an American college football game that is held annually on the first Saturday in December by the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) to determine its football champion. The game pits the champion of the Eastern Division against the champion of the Western Division in a game that follows the conclusion of the regular season. From 2015 onward, the winner of the game has represented the SWAC in the Celebration Bowl. Currently, it is the only conference championship game conducted at the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. As of the 2019 season, the game is sponsored by Cricket Wireless.
The 2016 Grambling State Tigers football team represented Grambling State University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Tigers were led by third year head coach Broderick Fobbs. They competed as members of the West Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) and played their home games at Eddie Robinson Stadium in Grambling, Louisiana. They finished the season 12–1, 9–0 in SWAC play to be champions of the West Division. They represented the West Division in the SWAC Championship Game where they defeated Alcorn State. The Tigers also defeated MEAC champion North Carolina Central in the Celebration Bowl, earning their fifteenth black college football national championship.
The 2016–17 Grambling State Tigers men's basketball team represented Grambling State University during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Tigers, led by third-year head coach Shawn Walker, played their home games at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center in Grambling, Louisiana as members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. They finished the season 16–17, 10–8 in SWAC play to finish in a four way tie for third place. As the 5-seed in the SWAC tournament they defeated Prairie View A&M before losing in the semifinals to Texas Southern.
Donte Jackson is an American college basketball coach, currently head coach for the Grambling State Tigers of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). In 2024, he led the Tigers to their first SWAC tournament championship in program history and their first ever NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.
The 2017 Grambling State Tigers football team represented Grambling State University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Tigers were led by fourth-year head coach Broderick Fobbs and played their home games at Eddie Robinson Stadium in Grambling, Louisiana as members of the West Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). The Tigers finished the season 11–2, 7–0 in SWAC play to win the West Division. They defeated Alcorn State in the SWAC Championship Game, receiving the conference's bid to the Celebration Bowl where they lost to North Carolina A&T.
The 2017–18 Grambling State Tigers men's basketball team represented Grambling State University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Tigers, led by first-year head coach Donte Jackson, played their home games at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center in Grambling, Louisiana as members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
The 2019–20 Prairie View A&M Panthers basketball team represented Prairie View A&M University in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Panthers, led by fourth-year head coach Byron Smith, played their home games at the William Nicks Building in Prairie View, Texas as members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. They finished the season 19–13, 14–4 in SWAC play to be regular season SWAC champions. They defeated Alabama A&M in the quarterfinals of the SWAC tournament and were set to take on Jackson State in the semifinal before the tournament was cancelled amid the COVID-19 pandemic. With the SWAC Tournament cancelled, they were awarded the SWAC's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. However, the NCAA Tournament was also cancelled.
The 1975 Grambling Tigers football team represented Grambling State University as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) during the 1975 NCAA Division II football season. In its 33rd season under head coach Eddie Robinson, Grambling compiled a 10–2 record, initially tied for the SWAC championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 324 to 153 on the field. The team was recognized as the 1975 black college football national co-champion and was ranked No. 4 by the Associated Press and No. 2 by the United Press International in the final 1975 NCAA Division II football rankings.
The 2020–21 Texas Southern Tigers basketball team represented Texas Southern University during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Tigers were led by third-year head coach Johnny Jones and played their home games at the Health and Physical Education Arena in Houston, Texas, as members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). They finished the season 17-9, 11-3 in SWAC Play to finish in 3rd place. They defeated Alcorn State, Jackson State, and Prairie View A&M to be champions of the SWAC tournament. They received the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Mount St Mary’s in the First Four before losing in the first round to Michigan.
The 2021–22 Texas Southern Tigers basketball team represented Texas Southern University during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Tigers are led by fourth-year head coach Johnny Jones and played their home games at the Health and Physical Education Arena in Houston, Texas, as members of the West Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). They finished the season 19–13, 13–5 in SWAC play to finish in second place. As the No. 2 seed, they defeated Jackson State, Grambling State, and Alcorn State to win the SWAC tournament. They received the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 16 seed in the Midwest Region, where they defeated Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the First Four before losing in the first round to eventual national champion Kansas.
The 2021–22 Grambling State Tigers men's basketball team represented Grambling State University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Tigers, led by fifth-year head coach Donte Jackson, played their home games at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center in Grambling, Louisiana as members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
The 2022–23 Texas Southern Tigers basketball team represented Texas Southern University in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Tigers, led by fifth-year head coach Johnny Jones, played their home games at the Health and Physical Education Arena in Houston, Texas, as members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
The 2023–24 Grambling State Tigers men's basketball team represented Grambling State University in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Tigers, led by seventh-year head coach Donte Jackson, played their home games at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center in Grambling, Louisiana as members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). They finished the season 21–15, 14–4 in SWAC play, to win the regular-season championship. As the No. 1 seed in the SWAC tournament, they defeated Alabama State, Bethune–Cookman and Texas Southern to win the SWAC tournament championship; as a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. As a No. 16 seed in the Midwest region, they defeated Montana State in the First Four, before losing to Purdue in the first round.