1987 Tennessee State Tigers football team

1987 Tennessee State Tigers football
Conference	Independent
Record	3–7–1
Head coach	William A. Thomas (4th season)
Home stadium	Hale Stadium Vanderbilt Stadium

1987 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 6 Georgia Southern ^			–					9	–	4	–	0
No. 8 James Madison ^			–					9	–	3	–	0
No. 12 Arkansas State ^			–					8	–	4	–	1
No. 11 Western Kentucky ^			–					7	–	4	–	0
Villanova			–					6	–	4	–	0
Northeastern			–					6	–	5	–	0
Nicholls State			–					5	–	5	–	1
William & Mary			–					5	–	6	–	0
Towson State			–					4	–	6	–	0
Tennessee State			–					3	–	7	–	1
Lamar			–					3	–	8	–	0
Louisiana Tech			–					3	–	8	–	0
^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

The 1987 Tennessee State Tigers football team represented Tennessee State University as an independent during the 1987 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by fourth-year head coach William A. Thomas, the Tigers compiled an overall record of 3–7–1.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 5	Middle Tennessee	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	L 19–55	30,827	[1]
September 12	vs. No. 11 Jackson State	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN (Southern Heritage Classic)	T 17–17	26,853	[2]
September 26	at Florida A&M	Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	W 21–16	16,246	[3]
October 3	vs. Central State (OH)	Hoosier Dome Indianapolis, IN (Circle City Classic)	L 28–31	47,415	[4]
October 10	Grambling State	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	L 9–51	38,000	[5]
October 17	at Morris Brown	Herndon Stadium Atlanta, GA	W 17–7	10,049	[6]
October 24	Morgan State	Hale Stadium Nashville, TN	W 37–17	3,500	[7]
October 31	at Southern	A. W. Mumford Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	L 7–14	16,000	[8]
November 7	Bethune–Cookman	Hale Stadium Nashville, TN	L 13–16	2,700	[9]
November 14	Texas Southern	Hale Stadium Nashville, TN	L 21–30	3,900	[10]
November 21	at Alabama A&M	Milton Frank Stadium Huntsville, AL	L 9–27		[11]
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "Sizzling MTSU rambles 55–19". The Tennessean. September 6, 1987. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Tennessee State, JSU tie". The Commercial Appeal. September 13, 1987. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "FAMU toppled by turnovers, 21–16". The Orlando Sentinel. September 27, 1987. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Central St. nips Tennessee St". The Indianapolis Star. October 4, 1987. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Rose springs for 3 TDs as GSU romps". The Shreveport Times. October 11, 1987. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Morris Brown falls to Tennessee St". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. October 18, 1987. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Hodge, Grear spark TSU's 37–17 victory". The Tennessean. October 25, 1987. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Blocked punt rallies Southern past TSU". The Tennessean. November 1, 1987. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "TSU loss signals end of winning era". The Tennessean. November 8, 1987. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Big Blue loss string reaches 3". The Tennessean. November 15, 1987. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "A&M gets win". The Anniston Star. November 22, 1987. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.