Tennessee State Tigers and Lady Tigers explained

Tennessee State Tigers
Name2:Lady Tigers
University:Tennessee State University
Association:NCAA
Conference:Ohio Valley Conference (primary)
Horizon League (men's tennis)
Division:Division I (FCS)
Director:Mikki Allen
Location:Nashville, Tennessee
Teams:16 (8 men's and 8 women's)
Stadium:Nissan Stadium and Hale Stadium
Basketballarena:Gentry Complex
Softballstadium:Tiger Field
Mascot:Aristocat the Tiger
Nickname:Tigers
Pageurl:http://www.tsutigers.com/

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)[1] and competes in the NCAA Division I, including the Football Championship Subdivision.[2] The women's track team is also known as the Tigerbelles.[3] 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.[4] [5] The TSU mascot is Aristocat the Tiger, and the school colors are blue and white. TSU's main rival historically has been Kentucky State University, an HBCU located in the capital of Tennessee's northern neighbor.

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 and have plans for bringing back baseball.[6]

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.[7]

Basketball
Cross country Cross country
Golf
Golf Softball
Tennis
Tennis Track and field
Track and field Volleyball

See also: List of NCAA schools with the most Division I national championships.

Athletic facilities

Source:[8]

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.[9]

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.[10]

By 2009, approximately 100 TSU football players had been drafted by the National Football League.[11]

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.[12]

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.[13]

The Southern Heritage Classic in Memphis, Tennessee is annually one of the largest and most anticipated HBCU football classics in the nation.[14]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: OVC Member Institutions . OVCSports.com . September 19, 2015.
  2. Web site: Tennessee State University . National Collegiate Athletic Association . September 19, 2015.
  3. News: Organ . Mike . June 28, 2015 . Drop history-rich Tigerbelles name? No way, TSU says . . . March 22, 2019 .
  4. CAA Welcomes Hampton University, Monmouth University and Stony Brook University as New Members . Colonial Athletic Association . January 25, 2022 . January 25, 2022.
  5. CAA Welcomes North Carolina A&T as Newest Member of the Conference . Colonial Athletic Association . February 22, 2022 . February 22, 2022.
  6. Web site: TSUTigers.com - Official Site of Tennessee State Athletics. TSUTigers.com. February 18, 2018.
  7. 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 . Horizon League . July 6, 2022 . July 9, 2022.
  8. Web site: Page Not Found. Tennessee State. University. www.tnstate.edu. February 18, 2018.
  9. Web site: DIVISION I MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP RECORDS . National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics . September 19, 2015 .
  10. Book: Tricard, Louise Mead. American Women's Track and Field – A History, 1895 through 1980. McFarland & Co., Inc.. Jefferson, North Carolina, U.S.. 1996.
  11. Book: Insiders' Guide to Nashville, 7th . 2007 . 9780762755677 . November 16, 2010.
  12. Web site: Story - From The Rough. fromtherough.com. December 7, 2016 . February 18, 2018.
  13. Web site: TSU Men's Basketball Ranked 17th Nationally in Home Attendance Increase. February 18, 2018.
  14. Web site: December 27, 2015. Top 5 HBCU Football Classics Ranked by Attendance 2015. September 23, 2021. HBCU Lifestyle – Black College Living. en-US.