1985 Grambling State Tigers football team

1985 Grambling State Tigers football
SWAC co-champion
NCAA Division I-AA First Round, L 7–10 at Arkansas State
Conference	Southwestern Athletic Conference
Record	9–3 (6–1 SWAC)
Head coach	Eddie Robinson (43rd season)
Home stadium	Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium

1985 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 8 Grambling State +^	6	–	1	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
No. 15 Jackson State +^	6	–	1	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
Mississippi Valley State	5	–	2	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
No. 20 Alcorn State	5	–	2	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
Southern	3	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Alabama State	2	–	5	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Texas Southern	1	–	6	–	0			1	–	10	–	0
Prairie View A&M	0	–	7	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
+ – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

The 1985 Grambling State Tigers football team represented Grambling State University as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) during the 1985 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by 43rd-year head coach Eddie Robinson, the Tigers compiled an overall record of 9–3 and a mark of 6–1 in conference play, and finished as SWAC co-champion. Grambling State advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, where they were defeated by Arkansas State in the first round.

The Tigers' 27–7 victory over Prairie View A&M was the 324th all-time victory for Robinson, and placed him ahead of Bear Bryant for the most career victories for a college football coach.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 14	vs. Alcorn State		Independence Stadium Shreveport, LA (Red River Classic)	W 30–20	30,000	[1]
September 21	vs. North Carolina Central*		Yankee Stadium Bronx, NY (Whitney Young Memorial Classic)	W 45–14	37,192	[2]
September 28	vs. Oregon State*	No. 4	Independence Stadium Shreveport, LA	W 23–6	13,396	[3]
October 5	vs. Prairie View A&M	No. 2	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX (rivalry)	W 27–7	36,652	[4]
October 11	at Tennessee State*	No. 2	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	W 31–24	22,000	[5]
October 19	No. 6 Mississippi Valley State	No. 2	Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium Grambling, LA	W 31–21		[6]
October 26	at Jackson State	No. 2	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	L 26–35	21,765	[7]
November 2	Texas Southern	No. T–5	Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium Grambling, LA	W 30–6	11,469	[8]
November 9	vs. Alabama State	No. 4	Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium Atlanta, GA (Atlanta Football Classic)	W 28–0	12,000	[9]
November 14	South Carolina State*	No. 4	Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium Grambling, LA	L 10–13		[10]
November 23	vs. Southern	No. T–8	Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, LA (Bayou Classic)	W 29–12	56,742	[11]
November 30	at No. 6 Arkansas State*	No. 8	Indian Stadium Jonesboro, AR (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)	L 7–10		[12]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "Robinson bags this classic battle among old friends". The Shreveport Times. September 15, 1985. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Grambling never lets Eagles get off ground". Durham Morning Herald. September 22, 1985. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Beavers victim No. 323". Corvallis Gazette-Times. September 29, 1985. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Robinson passes Bryant with win". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. October 6, 1985. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Grambling downs TSU 31–24". The Tennessean. October 12, 1985. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "G-Men dump Valley". The Clarion-Ledger. October 20, 1985. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "J-State upsets G-Men". The Clarion-Ledger. October 27, 1985. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "G-Men topple Texans". The Shreveport Times. November 3, 1985. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Grambling streaks past Hornets 28–0". The Atlanta Constitution. November 10, 1985. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "S.C. State upsets Grambling". The Times and Democrat. November 15, 1985. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Allen, Nobahar spark Grambling over Southern". The Shreveport Times. November 24, 1985. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Field goal with 5 seconds left sinks Grambling". The Shreveport Times. December 1, 1985. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.