The 1954 Tennessee A&I Tigers football team represented Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State College as a member of the Midwest Athletic Association (MAA) during the 1954 college football season. In their fourth and final season under head coach Henry Kean, the Tigers compiled a 10–1 record, won the MAA championship, lost to North Carolina Central in the National Classic, and outscored all opponents by a total of 330 to 70.[2]
| 1954 Tennessee A&I Tigers football | |
|---|---|
Black college national co-champion MAA champion | |
National Classic, L 6–19 vs. North Carolina College | |
| Conference | Midwest Athletic Association |
| Record | 10–1 (4–0 MAA) |
| Head coach |
|
| Home stadium | Hale Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1 Tennessee A&I $ | 4 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 22 Grambling | 1 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 3 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 13 Texas Southern | 2 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 16 Lincoln (MO) | 3 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 19 Central State (OH) | 1 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 20 Kentucky State | 1 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jackson | 0 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The team was selected by the "Pigskin Huddle" as the 1954 black college national champion.[3] The Pittsburgh Courier selected the Tigers as black college national co-champion in a five-way tie with four other teams.[4]
Coach Kean suffered a double heart attack following the team's December 4 game with North Carolina Central.[5] He did not return as the team's coach and died one year later in December 1955.
Schedule
edit| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 18 | vs. Lincoln (MO) |
| W 33–13 | 8,500 | [6] | ||
| September 25 | at Virginia State* |
| W 18–0 | [7] | |||
| October 1 | Langston* | Nashville, TN | W 14–0 | [8] | |||
| October 9 | at Allen* | Columbia, SC | W 21–2 | ||||
| October 16 | Paul Quinn* |
| W 74–6 | [9] | |||
| October 23 | at Central State (OH) | Wilberforce, OH | W 40–0 | ||||
| October 30 | North Carolina College* |
| W 13–3 | [10] | |||
| November 6 | at Texas Southern | Houston, TX | W 18–15 | [11][12] | |||
| November 20 | at Kentucky State | Frankfort, KY | W 34–12 | [13] | |||
| November 25 | Bluefield State* |
| W 59–0 | 6,500 | [14] | ||
| December 4 | vs. North Carolina College* | Greensboro, NC (National Classic) | L 6–19 | 2,500 | [15][16] | ||
| |||||||
References
edit- ^ "Pigskin Huddle". Baltimore Afro-American. December 25, 1954. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tennessee State Yearly Results (1950-1954)". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- ^ Luix Virgil Overbea (December 25, 1954). "Pigskin Huddle". The Afro-American. p. 16.
- ^ "Five Teams Claim Nat'l Grid Crown After Gala Season". The Pittsburgh Courier. December 25, 1954. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Coach Kean resting after heart attack". The Afro-American. December 25, 1954. p. 9.
- ^ "Tennessee A&I Wins Bluff City Classic, 33-13". The Commercial Appeal. September 19, 1954. p. III-6 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tennessee State Tops Virginia State, 18-0". Richmond Times-Dispatch. September 26, 1954. p. 4D – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tennessee A&I Whips Langston". The Nashville Tennessean. October 3, 1954. p. 9C – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tennessee A&I Crushes Quinn". The Nashville Tennessean. October 17, 1954. p. 2C – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tigers, Eagles Play Tonight". The Nashville Tennessean. October 30, 1954. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tennessee State Trips Southern". The Nashville Tennessean. November 7, 1954. p. 7C – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tennessee State Trips Southern". The Nashville Tennessean. November 7, 1954. p. 7C – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tigers Cop Loop title, 34-12". The Nashville Tennessean. November 21, 1954. p. 5C – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Harold Goodrum (November 26, 1954). "Tennessee State Gallops To 10th Straight Victory". Nashville Banner. p. 32 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tigers Suffer First Defeat". The Nashville Tennessean. December 5, 1954. p. 5C – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tennessee State Defeated 19 To 6". Bristol Herald Courier. Bristol, Virginia. December 5, 1954. p. 1C. Retrieved December 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com
.
- ^ "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
