View source for Grambling State Tigers

{{Short description|Collegiate sports club in the United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2018}}
{{Infobox school athletics
| name = Grambling State Tigers
| logo = Grambling State Tigers logo.svg
| logo_width = 200
| university = [[Grambling State University]]
| conference = [[Southwestern Athletic Conference|SWAC]]
| division = [[NCAA Division I|Division I]] ([[NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision|FCS]])
| association = [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]]
| director = David Ponton
| location = [[Grambling, Louisiana]]
| stadium = [[Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium]]
| baseballfield = [[Wilbert Ellis Field at Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones Park]]
| basketballarena = [[Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center]]
| softballstadium = [[GSU Softball Complex (Grambling State)|GSU Softball Complex]]
| soccerstadium = [[GSU Soccer Complex (Grambling State)|GSU Soccer Complex]]
| arena2 = [[Memorial Gymnasium (Grambling State)|Memorial Gymnasium]]
| mascot = Tiger
| nickname = Tigers
| pageurl = http://www.gsutigers.com/
}}
The '''Grambling State Tigers and Lady Tigers''' represent [[Grambling State University]] in [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] intercollegiate athletics. Grambling's sports teams participate in Division I (I-FCS for [[College football|football]]) as a member of the [[Southwestern Athletic Conference]] (SWAC).
==Sports sponsored==
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; clear:right; margin:0 0 1em 1em;"
|-
{{CollegePrimaryHeader|team=Grambling State Tigers|Men's sports|Women's sports}}
|-
| [[Grambling State Tigers baseball|Baseball]] || [[Grambling State Tigers women's basketball|Basketball]]
|-
| [[Grambling State Tigers men's basketball|Basketball]] || Bowling
|-
| Cross country || Cross country
|-
| [[Grambling State Tigers football|Football]] || Soccer
|-
| Track and field<sup>†</sup> || Softball
|-
| || Tennis
|-
| || Track and field<sup>†</sup>
|-
| || Volleyball
|-
| colspan="2" style="{{NCAA secondary color cell|Grambling State Tigers}}" | {{small|† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor.}}
|}
===Baseball===
{{main article|Grambling State Tigers baseball}}
====Notable players====
*[[Tommie Agee]]
*[[Matt Alexander]]
*[[Courtney Duncan]]
*[[Ralph Garr]]
*[[Johnny Jeter (baseball)|Johnny Jeter]]
*[[Lenny Webster]]
*[[Gerald Williams (baseball)|Gerald Williams]]
*[[Gary Eave]]
===Men's basketball===
{{main article|Grambling State Tigers men's basketball}}
The Grambling State Tigers won the [[National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics|NAIA]] National [[NAIA national men's basketball championship|championship tournament]] in [[1961 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament|1961]], beating [[Georgetown College (Kentucky)|Georgetown College (Ky.)]]. The victory made Grambling State the first and only college basketball program in the state to win a national basketball championship. In the following years, the Tigers made it to the NAIA Final Four, and placed 3rd in  [[1963 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament|1963]], and  [[1966 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament|1966]], defeating [[Fort Hays State University|Fort Hays State (Kan.)]] and [[Norfolk State University|Norfolk State (Va.)]] respectively. The Tigers appeared in the NAIA National Tournament eight times from [[1959 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament|1959]] to [[1971 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament|1971]], with a total NAIA National Tournament record of 19–7. Former NBA star [[Charles Hardnett]] played for the National Championship Tiger team.  The team reached their first NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 2024 after winning the SWAC Tournament Championship. <ref>{{cite web | title=Ticket Punched: Grambling State Wins SWAC Men’s Basketball Tournament for First Time in School History | website=Southwestern Athletic Conference | date=12 November 2023 | url=https://swac.org/news/2024/3/17/ticket-punched-grambling-state-wins-swac-mens-basketball-tournament-for-first-time-in-school-history.aspx | access-date=20 March 2024}}</ref>  In 2013, the Tigers went 0–28, with only one single-digit loss (an 8-point loss to [[Alabama A&M University|Alabama A&M]] in the [[2013 SWAC men's basketball tournament|SWAC tournament]]). Grambling State's most popular and highest attended regular season basketball rivalries are against the Southern Jaguars and Prairie View A&M Panthers.
===Women's basketball===
{{main article|Grambling State Tigers women's basketball}}
===Football===
{{main article|Grambling State Tigers football}}
[[File:Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium Grambling, Louisiana.jpg|200px|left|thumb|[[Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium]] at [[Grambling State University]] in [[Grambling, Louisiana|Grambling]], [[Louisiana]]]]
Grambling State plays its arch rival [[Southern University]] in the annual [[Bayou Classic]], which is hosted at the [[Louisiana Superdome]] in [[New Orleans, Louisiana]] over Thanksgiving weekend and broadcast nationally on [[NBCSN]].
GSU also plays in the annual [[State Fair Classic]] against the [[Prairie View A&M Panthers]] at the [[Cotton Bowl (stadium)|Cotton Bowl]], in [[Fair Park]], in [[Dallas]], [[Texas]].
Former football coach [[Eddie Robinson (football coach)|Eddie Robinson]] previously held the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] record for most career wins as a head coach at an NCAA division I school.<ref>[http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/ct-spt-0724-penn-state--20120724,0,6965116.story Penn State penalties: $60 million fine, 4-year bowl ban] ''[[The Chicago Tribune]]''. July 23, 2012</ref>
During Robinson's 55-year coaching career, the university gained a national reputation because of the large number of athletes who joined the professional ranks in football.
After Robinson's retirement in 1997, former GSU standout and NFL [[Super Bowl XXII]] MVP [[Doug Williams (quarterback)|Doug Williams]] took over the reins of the university's football program.
Grambling has won fourteen [[Black college football national championship|black college national championships]], tied for second most in the country (Robinson's teams won nine of those championships).
The 1981 TV movie ''[[Grambling's White Tiger]]'' set in 1967, tells the true story of Jim Gregory, the first white Quarterback at Grambling.
In October 2013, citing health hazards within the Grambling State athletic facilities and team mismanagement in a letter to the administration, the Grambling State football team refused to play their October 19 game against Jackson St., forfeiting the match up, resulting in a loss.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college-football/news/20131018/grambling-football/ |title=The inside story of what caused Grambling football players to revolt|access-date=October 19, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019122714/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college-football/news/20131018/grambling-football/ |archive-date=October 19, 2013 }}</ref> The NCAA would later go on to announce the ruling on the game was officially declared a no contest.<ref>{{cite web|author=Sean Isabella, USA TODAY Sports |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2013/10/30/ncaa-decides-grambling-jackson-state-game-is-a-no-contest/3317935/ |title=NCAA decides Grambling-Jackson State game is a 'no contest' |publisher=Usatoday.com |date=October 30, 2013 |access-date=August 11, 2015}}</ref> The Tigers would return for their very next game a week later against Texas Southern.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/sns-tsn-agn-tsouthern-grambling-20131026,0,2715862.story |title=Grambling State returns to field with loss|website=[[Chicago Tribune]] |access-date=November 1, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103163201/http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/sns-tsn-agn-tsouthern-grambling-20131026%2C0%2C2715862.story |archive-date=November 3, 2013 }}</ref>
In 2017, Grambling State completed a few million dollars worth of renovations to the field and scoreboard.<ref>[https://www.gram.edu/news/index.php/2017/05/04/gsu-announces-major-stadium-improvements/ GSU announces major stadium improvements]Grambling State News {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230726182659/https://www.gram.edu/news/index.php/2017/05/04/gsu-announces-major-stadium-improvements/ |date=July 26, 2023 }}</ref>
====Notable players====
'''Pro Football Hall of Fame members'''
*[[Willie Brown (American football)|Willie Brown]]
*[[Buck Buchanan]]
*[[Willie Davis (defensive end)|Willie Davis]]
*[[Charlie Joiner]]
==Traditions==
Grambling State's colors are [[Black (color)|black]] and [[Gold (color)|gold]], with [[Red (color)|red]] as a tertiary color symbolizing the blood of people of African descent. The school's mascot is the Tiger. Grambling State's male athletes are traditionally referred to as "G-Men".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gsutigers.com/news/2010/3/16/MBB_0316104459.aspx|title=Grambling State Athletics - G-Men Season Comes to an End in Heartbreaking Loss |publisher=Gsutigers.com |date=March 14, 2010 |access-date=August 11, 2015}}</ref>
==See also==
*[[List of NCAA Division I institutions]]
*[[Honda Battle of the Bands]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.gsutigers.com}}
{{Grambling State University}}
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[[Category:Grambling State Tigers| ]]
[[Category:Sports in Grambling, Louisiana]]