The Tuskegee Golden Tigers football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the Tuskegee University located in the U.S. state of Alabama. The team competes in the NCAA Division II level and are members of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The school's first football team was fielded in 1894.[2][3][4] The team plays its home games at the 10,000 seat Abbott Memorial Alumni Stadium. They are coached by Aaron James.
| Tuskegee Golden Tigers football | |
|---|---|
| First season | 1894 |
| Head coach | Aaron James 1st season, 7–4 (.636) |
| Stadium | Abbott Memorial Alumni Stadium (capacity: 10,000) |
| Location | Tuskegee, Alabama |
| NCAA division | Division II |
| Conference | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference |
| All-time record | 714–393–49 (.639) |
| Bowl record | 0–0 (–) |
| Claimed national titles | 13 (Black College): 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1929, 1930, 2000, 2001 (Black College Div. II): 2007, 2008, 2009, 2015, 2016 |
| Rivalries | Alabama State Hornets, Morehouse College Maroon Tigers, Florida A&M Rattlers football, Miles College Golden Bears |
| Colors | Crimson and gold[1] |
| Website | www.goldentigersports.com |
Notable former players
editNotable alumni include:
- Drayton Florence NFL 11 seasons
- Ken Woodard NFL 8 seasons
- Anthony Mitchell NFL 8 seasons
- Ricky Jones NFL 7 seasons
- Cecil Leonard NFL 2 seasons
- Dennis Norfleet
- Frank Walker NFL 9 seasons
There have been years where a pair of Tuskegee players were drafted in the same year (1967,1970,1972,2002), but no year was like 1969. In that year, five different players from Tuskegee University were selected in the NFL Draft. It started with George Irby going 195th overall to the New York Giants in the eighth round, followed by Cecil Leonard just 13 picks later at 208th overall to the New York Jets in the eighth round. The Golden Tigers had to wait seven rounds before their next pick as Fritz Latham was selected 383rd overall by the St. Louis Cardinals, while in the 16th round, James Lowe was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the 410th overall pick. The final pick of the year for Tuskegee came in the 17th round as Ralph Jenkins was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs with the 438th overall pick.[5]
All-Time NFL Draft at Tuskegee
edit| Year | Round | Pick | Name | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | 8 | 198 | Walter Johnson | DE | San Francisco 49ers |
| 1967 | 12 | 301 | James Hall | LB | San Francisco 49ers |
| 1969 | 8 | 195 | George Irby | RB | New York Giants |
| 1969 | 8 | 208 | Cecil Leonard | DB | New York Jets |
| 1969 | 15 | 383 | Fritz Latham | OT | St. Louis Cardinals |
| 1969 | 16 | 410 | James Lowe | WR | Cleveland Browns |
| 1969 | 17 | 438 | Ralph Jenkins | DB | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 1970 | 10 | 247 | Maurice Fullerton | DT | Denver Broncos |
| 1970 | 16 | 395 | Otis McDaniel | DE | New England Patriots |
| 1971 | 5 | 110 | Art May | DE | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 1971 | 9 | 215 | Alvin Griffin | WR | Atlanta Falcons |
| 1972 | 15 | 376 | Charles Neugent | DB | San Diego Chargers |
| 1973 | 10 | 257 | Leo Allen | WR | Oakland Raiders |
| 1974 | 17 | 442 | Kenneth Dickerson | DB | Miami Dolphins |
| 1975 | 14 | 341 | Steve Robinson | DT | Atlanta Falcons |
| 1976 | 16 | 436 | Clifford Brown | DT | New England Patriots |
| 1981 | 6 | 165 | Edward O'Neal | RB | New York Giants |
| 1982 | 10 | 274 | Kenneth Woodard | LB | Denver Broncos |
| 1992 | 7 | 190 | Chris Holder | WR | Green Bay Packers |
| 2002 | 3 | 72 | Roosevelt Williams | DB | Chicago Bears |
| 2003 | 2 | 46 | Drayton Florence | DB | San Diego Chargers |
| 2003 | 6 | 207 | Frank Walker | DB | New York Giants |
| 2005 | 7 | 240 | Harry Williams | WR | New York Jets |
Championships
editBlack college football national championship - 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1929, 1930, 2000, 2007, 2015, 2017
Pioneer Bowl Championships
editPioneer Bowl - 2009, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2001, 2000, 1998
Lost 2012, 2004 and 1999
NCAA Division II Football Playoffs
editNCAA Division II Football Championship - 4 appearances
2016 (lost round 2), 2015 (lost round 3), 2014 (lost round 2), 2013 (lost round 1)
References
edit- ^ Visual identity and Communications Policies for Tuskegee University (PDF). August 1, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
- ^ "2015 Tuskegee Football Media Guide by Tuskegee Athletics - Issuu". 16 September 2015.
- ^ "1894".
- ^ "A History of Sports at Tuskgee University" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-06-05.
- ^ "Taking A Look Back … All-Time NFL Draft at Tuskegee". mytuathletics.wordpress.com. 29 July 2015. Retrieved 2015-07-29.