1985 Tennessee State Tigers football team

1985 Tennessee State Tigers football
1985 Tennessee State Tigers football
Conference	Independent
Record	7–4
Head coach	William A. Thomas (2nd season);
Home stadium	Hale Stadium; Vanderbilt Stadium
	Seasons ← 1984 1986 →

1985 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings
v t e	Conf			Overall
Team	W	L	T	W		L		T
No. 9 Georgia Southern ^		–		13	–	2	–	0
No. 11 Eastern Washington ^		–		9	–	3	–	0
No. 18 Richmond		–		8	–	3	–	0
Colgate		–		7	–	3	–	1
Delaware		–		7	–	4	–	0
Tennessee State		–		7	–	4	–	0
No. 16 William & Mary		–		7	–	4	–	0
Lafayette		–		6	–	5	–	0
James Madison		–		5	–	6	–	0
Lehigh		–		5	–	6	–	0
Holy Cross		–		4	–	6	–	1
Florida A&M		–		4	–	7	–	0
Western Kentucky		–		4	–	7	–	0
Bucknell		–		3	–	7	–	0
Northeastern		–		2	–	8	–	0

^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

The 1985 Tennessee State Tigers football team represented Tennessee State University as an independent during the 1985 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by second-year head coach William A. Thomas, the Tigers compiled an overall record of 7–4.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
August 31	North Carolina A&T	Hale Stadium Nashville, TN	W 31–15	15,000	^[1]
September 7	at Western Kentucky	L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	L 17–22	17,600	^[2]
September 14	at Jackson State	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	W 44–31	25,417	^[3]
September 28	at Florida A&M	Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	W 12–0	21,666	^[4]
October 5	vs. No. T–8 Mississippi Valley State	Hoosier Dome Indianapolis, IN (Circle City Classic)	L 13–28	40,000	^[5]
October 11	No. 2 Grambling State	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	L 24–31	22,000	^[6]
October 19	Tennessee Tech	Hale Stadium Nashville, TN	W 26–13	8,000	^[7]
October 26	Morgan State	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	W 21–0	30,000	^[8]
November 2	vs. Southern	Tiger Stadium Detroit, MI (Coleman A. Young Foundation Football Classic)	L 10–13	18,539	^[9]
November 9	Bethune–Cookman	Hale Stadium Nashville, TN	W 24–17	2,000	^[10]
November 23	at Alabama A&M	Milton Frank Stadium Huntsville, AL	W 24–14		^[11]
Homecoming Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

^ "Tennessee St. downs Aggies". Greensboro News and Record. September 1, 1985. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Western pays respect to foe, then pulls out 22–17 victory". The Courier-Journal. September 8, 1985. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "TSU awakens to post 44–31 win". The Tennessean. September 15, 1985. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Tennessee State puts down Florida A&M". The Orlando Sentinel. September 29, 1985. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Mississippi Valley State triumphs". The Indianapolis Star. October 6, 1985. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Grambling downs TSU 31–24". The Tennessean. October 12, 1985. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "TSU runs away with victory". The Commercial Appeal. October 20, 1985. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Renfroe lifts TSU to 21–0 homecoming win". The Tennessean. October 27, 1985. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Southern upsets Tennessee State". Detroit Free Press. November 3, 1985. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "TSU halts Bethune surge". The Tennessean. November 10, 1985. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Big Blue's letdown season ends on high note". The Tennessean. November 24, 1985. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

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