Tennessee State Tigers and Lady Tigers

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Tennessee State Tigers and Lady Tigers
Tennessee State Athletics logo.svg
University Tennessee State University
Conference Ohio Valley Conference (primary)
Horizon League (men's tennis)
NCAA Division I (FCS)
Athletic directorMikki Allen
Location Nashville, Tennessee
Varsity teams16 (8 men's and 8 women's)
Football stadium Nissan Stadium and Hale Stadium
Basketball arena Gentry Complex
Softball stadium Tiger Field
MascotAristocat the Tiger
NicknameTigers
ColorsReflex blue and white [1]
   
Website www.tsutigers.com
Tennessee State is a members of the Ohio Valley Conference Ohio Valley Conference logo in Tennessee State colors.svg
Tennessee State is a members of the Ohio Valley Conference

The Tennessee State Tigers and Lady Tigers are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Tennessee State University (TSU), located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. The Tigers athletic program is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) [2] and competes in the NCAA Division I, including the Football Championship Subdivision. [3] The women's track team is also known as the Tigerbelles. [4] As a member of the Ohio Valley Conference, Tennessee State is one of three HBCUs competing in Division I that is not a member of an athletic conference made up entirely of historically black institutions (MEAC and SWAC), the other two being Hampton University and North Carolina A&T State University of the Colonial Athletic Association. [5] [6] The TSU mascot is Aristocat the Tiger, and the school colors are blue and white. TSU's main rival was historically Kentucky State University, an HBCU located in the capital of Tennessee's northern neighbor, but that rivalry has faded since KSU is now in NCAA Division II.

Contents

Sports sponsored

A member of the Ohio Valley Conference, Tennessee State University sponsors teams in eight men's and eight women's NCAA sanctioned sports. [7]

The only TSU team that competes outside the OVC is the men's tennis team. After the 2021–22 season, the OVC merged its men's tennis league into that of the Horizon League. All OVC men's tennis members, including TSU, became Horizon associates in that sport. [8]

Men's sportsWomen's sports
Basketball Basketball
Cross countryCross country
Football Golf
GolfSoftball
Ice hockeyTennis
TennisTrack and field
Track and fieldVolleyball
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor.

Athletic facilities

Source: [9]

Men's Basketball: Gentry Center

Women's Basketball: Gentry Center

Football: Nissan Stadium & Hale Stadium

Softball: Tiger Stadium

Tennis: TSU Tennis Court Complex

Indoor Track & Field: Gentry Center

Outdoor Track & Field: Edward S. Temple Track

Volleyball: Kean Hall

Highlights

In 1957, coach John McClendon and three-time All-American Dick Barnett led the then-Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State University to become the first historically black college (HBCU) to win a national basketball title, winning the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) championship. The school went on to win the NAIA title again in 1958 and '59. [10]

The women's track and field team won the championship of the Amateur Athletic Union national senior outdoor meet for all athletes 13 times in 1955–1960, 1962, 1963, 1965–1967, 1969 and 1978. The team likewise won the AAU national indoor championship 14 times in 1956–1960, 1962, 1965–1969 and 1978–1980. [11]

By 2009, approximately 100 TSU football players had been drafted by the National Football League. [12]

In 2014, From the Rough was released which is a movie based on a true story about the successes and challenges of the first African-American woman (Dr. Catana Starks) to coach a Division I college men's golf team. Starks helped develop several noteworthy golfers at Tennessee State such as Sean Foley and Robert Dinwiddie. [13]

In 2016, the men's basketball team ranked 17th in the nation for increase in home attendance. During the 2015-2016 basketball season, the men's team tied the school record for the most Division I wins with 20. [14]

The Southern Heritage Classic in Memphis, Tennessee is annually one of the largest and most anticipated HBCU football classics in the nation. [15]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee State University</span> Public HBCU land-grant university located in Nashville, TN, USA

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed Temple</span> American track coach

Edward Stanley Temple was a women's track and field pioneer and coach. Temple was Head Women's Track and Field Coach at Nashville's Tennessee State University for 44 years and was Head Coach of the U.S. Olympic Women's Track and Field Team twice, in 1960 and 1964, and Assistant Coach in 1980. He was also a member of the International Women's Track & Field Committee and a member of the U.S. Olympic Council.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014–15 Tennessee State Tigers basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2014–15 Tennessee State Tigers basketball team represented Tennessee State University during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Tigers, led by first year head coach Dana Ford, played their home games at the Gentry Complex and were members of the East Division of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 5–26, 2–14 in OVC play to finish in last place in the East Division. They failed to qualify for the OVC Tournament.

Teresa Lawrence Phillips was the athletic director at Tennessee State University, a post she had held since 2001. She was one of the few female athletic directors at a school that sponsors football. She was also the head women's basketball coach at TSU and Fisk University, and led the Tiger men for one game in 2003—becoming the first woman to coach a Division I men's basketball team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015–16 Tennessee State Tigers basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2015–16 Tennessee State Tigers basketball team represented Tennessee State University during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Tigers, led by second year head coach Dana Ford, played their home games at the Gentry Complex and were members of the East Division of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 20–11, 11–5 in OVC play to finish in a three-way tie for second place in the East Division. They lost in the quarterfinals of the OVC tournament to Austin Peay. They were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they lost in the first round to Ball State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016–17 Tennessee State Tigers basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2016–17 Tennessee State Tigers basketball team represented Tennessee State University during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Tigers, led by third-year head coach Dana Ford, played their home games at the Gentry Complex in Nashville, Tennessee as members of the East Division of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 17–13, 8–8 in OVC play to finish in a tie for fourth place in the East Division. As the No. 8 seed in the OVC tournament, they lost to Southeast Missouri State in the first round.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee State Lady Tigers basketball</span>

The Tennessee State Lady Tigers basketball team represents Tennessee State University (TSU) in women's basketball in Nashville, Tennessee. The school's team currently competes in the Ohio Valley Conference. They play their home games at the Gentry Complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017–18 Tennessee State Tigers basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2017–18 Tennessee State Tigers basketball team represented Tennessee State University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Tigers, led by fourth-year head coach Dana Ford, played their home games at the Gentry Complex in Nashville, Tennessee as members of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 15–15, 10–8 in OVC play to finish in a tie for fifth place. They lost in the first round of the OVC tournament to Eastern Illinois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018–19 Tennessee State Tigers basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2018–19 Tennessee State Tigers basketball team represented Tennessee State University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Tigers, led by first-year head coach Brian Collins, played their home games at the Gentry Complex in Nashville, Tennessee as members of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 9–21 overall, 6–12 during OVC play, and finishing in a four-way tie for seventh place. Since only the top eight teams in the conference qualify for the OVC tournament, tiebreakers left Tennessee State as the No. 9 seed, preventing them from participating.

References

  1. Tennessee State University Brand Guide (PDF). December 31, 2020. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  2. "OVC Member Institutions". OVCSports.com. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  3. "Tennessee State University". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  4. Organ, Mike (June 28, 2015). "Drop history-rich Tigerbelles name? No way, TSU says". The Tennessean . USA Today Network . Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  5. "CAA Welcomes Hampton University, Monmouth University and Stony Brook University as New Members" (Press release). Colonial Athletic Association. January 25, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  6. "CAA Welcomes North Carolina A&T as Newest Member of the Conference" (Press release). Colonial Athletic Association. February 22, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  7. "TSUTigers.com - Official Site of Tennessee State Athletics". TSUTigers.com. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  8. "Horizon League Announces Innovative Partnership with Ohio Valley Conference and Men's Tennis Programs, Adds Chicago State as an Affiliate Member for Men's and Women's Tennis" (Press release). Horizon League. July 6, 2022. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  9. University, Tennessee State. "Page Not Found" (PDF). www.tnstate.edu. Retrieved February 18, 2018.{{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  10. "DIVISION I MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP RECORDS" (PDF). National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  11. Tricard, Louise Mead (1996). American Women's Track and Field – A History, 1895 through 1980. Jefferson, North Carolina, U.S.: McFarland & Co., Inc.
  12. Insiders' Guide to Nashville, 7th. 2007. ISBN   9780762755677 . Retrieved November 16, 2010.
  13. "Story - From The Rough". fromtherough.com. December 7, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  14. "TSU Men's Basketball Ranked 17th Nationally in Home Attendance Increase" . Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  15. "Top 5 HBCU Football Classics Ranked by Attendance 2015". HBCU Lifestyle – Black College Living. December 27, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2021.