The 1962 Jackson State Tigers football team was an American football team that represented Jackson State College for Negroes—now known as Jackson State University as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) during the 1962 NCAA College Division football season. In their 11th season under head coach John Merritt, the Eagles compiled an overall record of 10–1 record with a mark of 6–1 against conference opponents, won the SWAC title, defeated Florida A&M in the Orange Blossom Classic, and outscored all opponents by a total of 411 to 101.[1]
| 1962 Jackson State Tigers football | |
|---|---|
Black college national champion SWAC champion | |
Orange Blossom Classic, W 22–6 vs. Florida A&M | |
| Conference | Southwestern Athletic Conference |
| Record | 10–1 (6–1 SWAC) |
| Head coach |
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| Home stadium | Alumni Field |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jackson State $ | 6 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas Southern | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Grambling | 3 | – | 2 | – | 2 | 6 | – | 2 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prairie View A&M | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arkansas AM&N | 2 | – | 4 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alcorn A&M | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wiley | 1 | – | 5 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Tigers were recognized by the Pittsburgh Courier as the 1962 black college national champion. Another source selected Florida A&M as the national champion despite Jackson State's 22–6 victory over Florida A&M in the Orange Blossom Classic.[2]
Key players for Jackson State included quarterback Roy Curry and end Willie Richardson. Richardson was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
At the start of the fall 1962 semester, James Meredith drew national attention when he transferred from Jackson State to the previously all-white University of Mississippi.[3]
Schedule
edit| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 15 | at Mississippi Industrial* | Clarksdale, MS | W 56–6 | [4] | |||
| September 22 | Prairie View A&M |
| W 41–7 | [5] | |||
| September 29 | Mississippi Vocational* |
| W 50–0 | [6] | |||
| October 6 | Arkansas AM&N |
| W 51–0 | [7] | |||
| October 13 | at Alcorn A&M | W 34–0 | [8] | ||||
| October 20 | at Southern | L 14–19 | [9] | ||||
| October 27 | at Grambling | W 45–31 | [10] | ||||
| November 3 | at Wiley |
| W 36–13 | [11] | |||
| November 10 | vs. Texas Southern | W 26–13 | [12][13] | ||||
| December 1 | Tennessee A&I |
| W 36–6 | > 7,000 | [14] | ||
| December 8 | vs. Florida A&M | W 22–6 | 43,461 | [15][16] | |||
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References
edit- ^ "Jackson State Yearly Results". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
- ^ "Rattlers To Receive W.A. Scott Trophy". Florida Star. January 19, 1963. p. 6.
- ^ "South: Mississippi Raises Rebel Flag, Defies Supreme Court on Integration". New York Daily News. September 23, 1962. p. C9 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Jackson State Tigers Open Season, Sept. 15". Alabama Tribune. September 14, 1962. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "P.V. No Match for Jackson: Jackson U. Rolls To Easy Win". The Pittsburgh Courier. September 29, 1962. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Richardson's Three TDs Pace Jackson". The Pittsburgh Courier. October 6, 1962. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Jackson State Gets 51-0 Win". The Shreveport Times. October 7, 1962. p. 4D – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Jackson Tears Up Alcorn A&M 34-0". The Clarion-Leger and Jackson Daily News. October 14, 1962. p. 4C – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Southern Removes Jackson From Unsullied Ranks". The Pittsburgh Courier. October 27, 1962. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Jackson State Romps Over Grambling 45-31". The Clarion-Ledger and Jackson Daily News. October 28, 1962. p. 5C – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Jackson Cats Rip Wiley Cats, 36-13". The Pittsburgh Courier. November 10, 1962. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Jackson State Tigers In Battle With Texas Team". The Clarion-Ledger. November 10, 1962. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Jackson State Wins Championship 26-13". The Clarion-Ledger and Jackson Daily News. November 11, 1962. p. 5C – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Classic-Bound Jackson State Rips Tennessee State, 36-6". Alabama Tribune. December 7, 1962. p. 7.
- ^ "Jackson Ends FAMU Victory Streak 22-6". Tallahassee Democrat. December 9, 1962 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Jackson State Stuns FAMU, 22-6 Before 43,461 Fans". The Pittsburgh Courier. December 15, 1962. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.