1989 Tennessee State Tigers football team

1989 Tennessee State Tigers football
Conference	Ohio Valley Conference
Record	5–5–1 (3–3 OVC)
Head coach	Joe Gilliam Sr. (1st season)
Home stadium	Hale Stadium Vanderbilt Stadium

1989 Ohio Valley Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. T–10 Middle Tennessee $^	6	–	0	–	0			9	–	4	–	0
No. 12 Eastern Kentucky ^	5	–	1	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
Murray State	3	–	3	–	0			6	–	4	–	1
Tennessee State	3	–	3	–	0			5	–	5	–	1
Tennessee Tech	3	–	3	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Austin Peay	1	–	5	–	0			1	–	10	–	0
Morehead State	0	–	6	–	0			1	–	10	–	0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Records adjusted for Morehead State forfeit of conference victories over Austin Peay and Tennessee Tech, and non-conference victories over Kentucky State and Samford Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

The 1989 Tennessee State Tigers football team represented Tennessee State University as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) during the 1989 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by first-year head coach Joe Gilliam Sr., the Tigers compiled an overall record of 5–5–1, with a conference record of 3–3, and finished tied for third in the OVC.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 2	No. 18 Middle Tennessee	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	L 7–36	29,500	[1]
September 9	at Jackson State*	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	L 7–33		[2]
September 15	vs. Central State (OH)*	Municipal Stadium Cleveland, OH (Cosby Cleveland Classic)	W 14–13	8,078	[3]
September 23	vs. Florida A&M*	Bobby Dodd Stadium Atlanta, GA (Ebony Classic)	L 9–21	47,373	[4]
September 30	No. T–1 Eastern Kentucky	Hale Stadium Nashville, TN	L 9–21		[5]
October 7	Grambling State*	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	W 15–14	23,353	[6]
October 14	vs. Murray State	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN	L 24–27	8,879	[7]
October 21	Morehead State	Hale Stadium Nashville, TN	W 23–14	4,187	[8]
October 28	at Tennessee Tech	Tucker Stadium Cookeville, TN	W 21–19	7,654	[9]
November 4	Austin Peay	Hale Stadium Nashville, TN	W 38–10	8,679	[10]
November 11	at Southern*	A. W. Mumford Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	T 7–7		[11]
*Non-conference game Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "Alert Middle races past TSU, 36–7". The Tennessean. September 3, 1989. Retrieved March 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Jackson State Tigers break free of TSU's 6-year grip, roll 33–7". The Clarion-Ledger. September 10, 1989. Retrieved March 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "TSU's victory 1st for Gilliam". The Tennessean. September 16, 1989. Retrieved March 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Rattlers outslug Tenn. St". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. September 24, 1989. Retrieved March 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Eastern beats Tenn. State 21–9". Lexington Herald-Leader. October 1, 1989. Retrieved March 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "TSU puts Grambling in place". The Tennessean. October 8, 1989. Retrieved March 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Proctor's magic seals Tennessee State's fate". The Commercial Appeal. October 15, 1989. Retrieved March 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Tennessee State thwarts Morehead's comeback". The Courier-Journal. October 22, 1989. Retrieved March 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Robinson's grab ices TSU win over Tech". The Tennessean. October 29, 1989. Retrieved March 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Tigers stop Austin Peay". The Leaf-Chronicle. November 5, 1989. Retrieved March 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Tennessee State ties Southern U." The Commercial Appeal. November 12, 1989. Retrieved March 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.