The 1981 Tennessee State Tigers football team were an American college football team. They represented Tennessee State University as an independent during the 1981 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by 19th-year head coach John Merritt, the Tigers compiled a record of 9–3 and were defeated by South Carolina State in the NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal.
| 1981 Tennessee State Tigers football | |
|---|---|
NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal, L 25–26 vs. South Carolina State | |
| Conference | Independent |
| Record | 9–3 |
| Head coach |
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| Home stadium | Hale Stadium Dudley Field |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8 Lafayette | – | 9 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7 Delaware ^ | – | 9 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 6 Tennessee State ^ | – | 9 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southeastern Louisiana | – | 8 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lehigh | – | 8 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nicholls State | – | 5 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern State | – | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bucknell | – | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northeastern | – | 3 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| James Madison | – | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule edit
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 12 | at Jackson State | L 23–31 | [1] | |||
| September 19 | at Southern Illinois | W 17–14 | 12,500 | [2] | ||
| September 26 | Texas Southern | W 48–25 | [3] | |||
| October 3 | vs. Alabama State | W 21–20 | [4] | |||
| October 10 | Grambling State |
| W 14–10 | 34,386 | [5] | |
| October 17 | at Louisville | W 42–30 | 28,136 | [6] | ||
| October 24 | Nicholls State |
| W 49–11 | 7,500 | [7] | |
| October 31 | at Southern | No. T–7 | W 28–18 | [8] | ||
| November 7 | Central State (OH) | No. 5 |
| W 43–0 | 6,000 | [9] |
| November 14 | at Chattanooga | No. 5 | L 9–28 | 12,003 | [10] | |
| November 21 | at North Carolina A&T | No. 7 | W 27–18 | [11] | ||
| December 5 | at No. 3 South Carolina State | No. 6 | L 25–26 OT | 12,000 | [12] | |
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References edit
- ^ "Taylor leads JSU past Tenn. State". The Clarion-Ledger. September 13, 1981. Retrieved February 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Last-second kick beats Southern Illinois, 17–14". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. September 20, 1981. Retrieved February 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tigers crush Texans". The Tennessean. September 27, 1981. Retrieved February 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Alabama St. loses first". The Dothan Eagle. October 4, 1981. Retrieved February 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "TSU wins defensive struggle". The Tennessean. October 11, 1981. Retrieved February 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "It comes to pass: Tennessee State strafes U of L 42–30". The Courier-Journal. October 18, 1981. Retrieved February 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "TSU 'plugs' Nicholls St". The Tennessean. October 25, 1981. Retrieved February 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tennessee State downs Southern". The Commercial Appeal. November 1, 1981. Retrieved February 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "TSU torpedoes Central State". The Tennessean. November 8, 1981. Retrieved February 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "UTC topples Tennessee State". The Tennessean. November 15, 1981. Retrieved February 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Aggies fall despite late rally". Greensboro News and Record. November 22, 1981. Retrieved February 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "TSU loses 26–25 in overtime". The Tennessean. December 6, 1981. Retrieved February 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
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