1980 Tennessee State Tigers football team

1980 Tennessee State Tigers football
Conference	Independent
Record	9–1
Head coach	John Merritt (18th season)
Home stadium	Hale Stadium Dudley Field

1980 NCAA Division I-A independents football records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 2 Pittsburgh		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
Tennessee State		–		–				9	–	1	–	0
No. 5 Florida State		–		–				10	–	2	–	0
No. 8 Penn State		–		–				10	–	2	–	0
No. 9 Notre Dame		–		–				9	–	2	–	1
No. 18 Miami (FL)		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
Navy		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
South Carolina		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
Virginia Tech		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
Boston College		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Northeast Louisiana		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Rutgers		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
UNLV		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Tulane		–		–				7	–	5	–	0
Colgate		–		–				5	–	4	–	1
North Texas State		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Villanova		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
West Virginia		–		–				6	–	6	–	0
Louisville		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Richmond		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Syracuse		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
East Carolina		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Illinois State		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Temple		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Army		–		–				3	–	7	–	1
Holy Cross		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Cincinnati		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Memphis State		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
William & Mary		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Georgia Tech		–		–				1	–	9	–	1
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1980 Tennessee State Tigers football team were an American college football team. They represented Tennessee State University as an independent during the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by 18th-year head coach John Merritt, the Tigers compiled a record of 9–1.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 13	Jackson State	Dudley Field Nashville, TN	W 20–0		[1]
September 27	vs. Texas Southern	Farrington Field Fort Worth, TX	W 13–3	2,000	[2]
October 4	Long Beach State	Hale Stadium Nashville, TN	W 35–18	15,203	[3]
October 11	at Grambling State	Grambling Stadium Grambling, LA	L 27–52	13,571	[4]
October 18	vs. Alabama State	Legion Field Birmingham, AL	W 35–17	8,000	[5]
October 25	at Nicholls State	John L. Guidry Stadium Thibodaux, LA	W 40–15	10,050	[6]
November 1	Southern	Dudley Field Nashville, TN	W 49–9	28,000	[7]
November 8	at Central State (OH)	McPherson Stadium Wilberforce, OH	W 30–8		[8]
November 15	North Carolina A&T	Hale Stadium Nashville, TN	W 25–16	10,000	[9]
November 22	Kentucky State	Hale Stadium Nashville, TN	W 38–13	10,000	[10]

References

1. "Adams to rescue, TSU posts victory". The Tennessean. September 14, 1980. Retrieved February 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "TSU rambles 13–3". The Tennessean. September 28, 1980. Retrieved February 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Tennessee St. beats Long Beach, 35–18". The Los Angeles Times. October 5, 1980. Retrieved February 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "'747' is grounded by G-Men defense". The Shreveport Times. October 12, 1980. Retrieved February 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "'747' piolts Tennessee State by Alabama State". The Montgomery Advertiser. October 19, 1980. Retrieved February 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Tenn. State downs Nicholls". The Daily Advertiser. October 26, 1980. Retrieved February 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "TSU romps by Southern". The Tennessean. November 2, 1980. Retrieved February 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Tennessee State's Adams bombs Central State, 30–8". Dayton Daily News. November 9, 1980. Retrieved February 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Mistakes put end to A&T upset hopes". Greensboro News and Record. November 16, 1980. Retrieved February 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Air attack by '747' fells Kentucky State". The Courier-Journal. November 23, 1980. Retrieved February 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.