1954 Tennessee A&I Tigers football team

1954 Tennessee A&I Tigers football
Black college national co-champion MAA champion
National Classic, L 6–19 vs. North Carolina College
Conference	Midwest Athletic Association
Record	10–1 (4–0 MAA)
Head coach	Henry Kean (4th season)
Home stadium	Hale Stadium

1954 Midwest Athletic Association football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Tennessee A&I $	4	–	0	–	0			10	–	1	–	0
No. 22 Grambling	1	–	0	–	1			4	–	3	–	2
No. 13 Texas Southern	2	–	1	–	1			5	–	4	–	2
No. 16 Lincoln (MO)	3	–	2	–	0			4	–	3	–	1
No. 19 Central State (OH)	1	–	2	–	0			4	–	4	–	0
No. 20 Kentucky State	1	–	3	–	0			5	–	3	–	0
Jackson	0	–	4	–	0			1	–	7	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from Associated Negro Press[1]

The 1954 Tennessee A&I Tigers football team represented Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State College as a member of the Midwest Athletic Association (MAA) during the 1954 college football season. In their fourth and final season under head coach Henry Kean, the Tigers compiled a 10–1 record, won the MAA championship, lost to North Carolina Central in the National Classic, and outscored all opponents by a total of 330 to 70.^[2]

The team was selected by the "Pigskin Huddle" as the 1954 black college national champion.^[3] The Pittsburgh Courier selected the Tigers as black college national co-champion in a five-way tie with four other teams.^[4]

Coach Kean suffered a double heart attack following the team's December 4 game with North Carolina Central.^[5] He did not return as the team's coach and died one year later in December 1955.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 18	vs. Lincoln (MO)	Melrose Stadium Memphis, TN	W 33–13	8,500	[6]
September 25	at Virginia State*	Rogers Stadium Ettrick, VA	W 18–0		[7]
October 1	Langston*	Nashville, TN	W 14–0		[8]
October 9	at Allen*	Columbia, SC	W 21–2
October 16	Paul Quinn*	Hale Stadium Nashville, TN	W 74–6		[9]
October 23	at Central State (OH)	Wilberforce, OH	W 40–0
October 30	North Carolina College*	Hale Stadium Nashville, TN	W 13–3		[10]
November 6	at Texas Southern	Houston, TX	W 18–15		[11][12]
November 20	at Kentucky State	Frankfort, KY	W 34–12		[13]
November 25	Bluefield State*	Hale Stadium Nashville, TN	W 59–0	6,500	[14]
December 4	vs. North Carolina College*	Greensboro, NC (National Classic)	L 6–19	2,500	[15][16]
*Non-conference game

^[17]

References

1. "Pigskin Huddle". Baltimore Afro-American. December 25, 1954. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Tennessee State Yearly Results (1950-1954)". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
3. Luix Virgil Overbea (December 25, 1954). "Pigskin Huddle". The Afro-American. p. 16.
4. "Five Teams Claim Nat'l Grid Crown After Gala Season". The Pittsburgh Courier. December 25, 1954. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Coach Kean resting after heart attack". The Afro-American. December 25, 1954. p. 9.
6. "Tennessee A&I Wins Bluff City Classic, 33-13". The Commercial Appeal. September 19, 1954. p. III-6 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Tennessee State Tops Virginia State, 18-0". Richmond Times-Dispatch. September 26, 1954. p. 4D – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Tennessee A&I Whips Langston". The Nashville Tennessean. October 3, 1954. p. 9C – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Tennessee A&I Crushes Quinn". The Nashville Tennessean. October 17, 1954. p. 2C – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Tigers, Eagles Play Tonight". The Nashville Tennessean. October 30, 1954. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Tennessee State Trips Southern". The Nashville Tennessean. November 7, 1954. p. 7C – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Tennessee State Trips Southern". The Nashville Tennessean. November 7, 1954. p. 7C – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Tigers Cop Loop title, 34-12". The Nashville Tennessean. November 21, 1954. p. 5C – via Newspapers.com.
14. Harold Goodrum (November 26, 1954). "Tennessee State Gallops To 10th Straight Victory". Nashville Banner. p. 32 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "Tigers Suffer First Defeat". The Nashville Tennessean. December 5, 1954. p. 5C – via Newspapers.com.
16. "Tennessee State Defeated 19 To 6". Bristol Herald Courier. Bristol, Virginia. December 5, 1954. p. 1C. Retrieved December 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
17. "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 11, 2022.