1987 Tennessee State Tigers football team

1987 Tennessee State Tigers football
1987 Tennessee State Tigers football
Conference	Independent
Record	3–7–1
Head coach	William A. Thomas (4th season);
Home stadium	Hale Stadium; Vanderbilt Stadium
	Seasons ← 1986 1988 →

The 1987 Tennessee State Tigers football team represented Tennessee State University as an independent during the 1987 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by fourth-year head coach William A. Thomas, the Tigers compiled an overall record of 3–7–1.

1987 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings
v t e	Conf			Overall
Team	W	L	T	W		L		T
No. 6 Georgia Southern ^		–		9	–	4	–	0
No. 8 James Madison ^		–		9	–	3	–	0
No. 12 Arkansas State ^		–		8	–	4	–	1
No. 11 Western Kentucky ^		–		7	–	4	–	0
Villanova		–		6	–	4	–	0
Northeastern		–		6	–	5	–	0
Nicholls State		–		5	–	5	–	1
William & Mary		–		5	–	6	–	0
Towson State		–		4	–	6	–	0
Tennessee State		–		3	–	7	–	1
Lamar		–		3	–	8	–	0
Louisiana Tech		–		3	–	8	–	0

^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 5	Middle Tennessee	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	L 19–55	30,827	^[1]
September 12	vs. No. 11 Jackson State	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN (Southern Heritage Classic)	T 17–17	26,853	^[2]
September 26	at Florida A&M	Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	W 21–16	16,246	^[3]
October 3	vs. Central State (OH)	Hoosier Dome Indianapolis, IN (Circle City Classic)	L 28–31	47,415	^[4]
October 10	Grambling State	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	L 9–51	38,000	^[5]
October 17	at Morris Brown	Herndon Stadium Atlanta, GA	W 17–7	10,049	^[6]
October 24	Morgan State	Hale Stadium Nashville, TN	W 37–17	3,500	^[7]
October 31	at Southern	A. W. Mumford Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	L 7–14	16,000	^[8]
November 7	Bethune–Cookman	Hale Stadium Nashville, TN	L 13–16	2,700	^[9]
November 14	Texas Southern	Hale Stadium Nashville, TN	L 21–30	3,900	^[10]
November 21	at Alabama A&M	Milton Frank Stadium Huntsville, AL	L 9–27		^[11]
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

^ "Sizzling MTSU rambles 55–19". The Tennessean. September 6, 1987. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Tennessee State, JSU tie". The Commercial Appeal. September 13, 1987. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "FAMU toppled by turnovers, 21–16". The Orlando Sentinel. September 27, 1987. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Central St. nips Tennessee St". The Indianapolis Star. October 4, 1987. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Rose springs for 3 TDs as GSU romps". The Shreveport Times. October 11, 1987. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Morris Brown falls to Tennessee St". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. October 18, 1987. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Hodge, Grear spark TSU's 37–17 victory". The Tennessean. October 25, 1987. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Blocked punt rallies Southern past TSU". The Tennessean. November 1, 1987. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "TSU loss signals end of winning era". The Tennessean. November 8, 1987. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Big Blue loss string reaches 3". The Tennessean. November 15, 1987. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "A&M gets win". The Anniston Star. November 22, 1987. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

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