
History of the Tigers
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) and competes in the NCAA Division I, including the Football Championship Subdivision. The women's track team is also known as the Tigerbelles. 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. The TSU mascot is Aristocat the Tiger, and the school colors are blue and white. TSU's main rival was Kentucky State University, an HBCU located in the capital of Tennessee's northern neighbor, but that rivalry has faded since KSU is now in NCAA Division II.
College Sports Established
1912
Location
Cookeville, Tennessee
College Name
Tennessee State University
Collegiate History
1986 - Present / NCAA Division I
Conference History
1986 - Present / Ohio Valley Conference
Nickname
Tigers and Tigerbelles - "Around 1955 ... we were still the Tigerbelles, but when I talked to the girls it wasn't the Southern belles. I gave them an example of Big Ben over in London," said Temple, who became the head coach in 1953. "I said when Big Ben rings that's a world record and an Olympic first place. And when you get all the way down to the little bells; that means you're not being heard too well. You need to make a louder ring."
NCAA Championships
Baseball 0
Men's Basketball 0
Women's Basketball 0
Football 0
Soccer 0
To qualify as the greatest player for this team, the player must have played one season for this team. If not, we will remove the player.
* verifies that player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.