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 college 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.
| 1956 Tennessee A&I Tigers football | |
|---|---|
Black college national champion MAA champion | |
Orange Blossom Classic, W 41–39 vs. Florida A&M | |
| Conference | Midwest Athletic Association |
| Record | 10–0 (4–0 MAA) |
| Head coach |
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| Home stadium | Hale Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1 Tennessee A&I $ | 4 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3 Grambling | 1 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7 Jackson State | 1 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 2 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 14 Central State (OH) | 1 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lincoln (MO) | 1 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kentucky State | 0 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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
edit| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 29 | Langston* | W 46–7 | |||||
| October 6 | Grambling |
| W 33–0 | [3] | |||
| October 15 | vs. Prairie View A&M* | W 45–0 | 5,000 | [4] | |||
| October 20 | at Central State (OH) | Wilberforce, OH | W 32–6 | ||||
| October 27 | vs. Maryland State* | Washington, DC | W 6–0 | 12,000 | [5] | ||
| November 3 | Southern* |
| W 52–6 | [6] | |||
| November 10 | vs. Alcorn A&M* | Memphis, TN | W 52–6 | [7] | |||
| November 17 | at Kentucky State | Frankfort, KY | W 40–0 | ||||
| November 22 | Lincoln (MO) |
| W 47–0 | ||||
| December 1 | vs. Florida A&M* | W 41–39 | 41,808 | [8] | |||
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References
edit- ^ "Courier Rates Top Football Teams". The Pittsburgh Courier. December 15, 1956. p. 27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Nation's Best Defense, Offense Clash At Miami". The Nashville Banner. November 29, 1956. p. 47 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tenn. State dumps Grambling 33-to-0". Alabama Tribune. October 12, 1956. Retrieved April 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "A&I Rolls Up 45-0 Victory At Dallas". The Nashville Banner. October 16, 1956. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "A&I Tigers Plod to 6-0 Win". The Nashville Tennessean. October 28, 1956. p. 5C – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tennessee State mauls Southern". The Nashville Tennessean. November 4, 1956. Retrieved September 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "A&I Tigers Romp, 52 to 6, Over Alcorn". The Nashville Tennessean. November 11, 1956. p. 2C – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Fumbling A&M Bows, 41-39 In Orange Blossom Classic". Tallahassee Democrat. December 2, 1956. p. 34 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 11, 2022.