1976 Tennessee State Tigers football team

American college football season

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

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.

Schedule

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

References

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

v t e Tennessee State Tigers football
Venues	Sulphur Dell Dudley Field/Vanderbilt Stadium (alternate, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1979–1990, 1994, 1996) Hale Stadium (1953–1998, 2012–2020) Nissan Stadium (1999–2019, 2021–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Austin Peay, Tennessee Tech, UT Martin: Sgt. York Trophy Jackson State: Southern Heritage Classic
Culture & lore	Tigre
People	Head coaches NFL draftees
Seasons	1916 1917–1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941–1943 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 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
National championship seasons in bold

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