1974 Grambling State Tigers football team

The 1974 Grambling Tigers football team represented Grambling State University as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) during the 1974 NCAA Division II football season. In its 32nd season under head coach Eddie Robinson, Grambling compiled an 11–1 record (5–1 against conference opponents), tied for the SWAC championship, defeated South Carolina State in the Pelican Bowl, and outscored opponents by a total of 308 to 120. The team was recognized as the 1974 black college football national co-champion and was ranked No. 7 by the Associated Press in the final 1974 NCAA College Division football rankings.[1]

1974 Grambling State Tigers football
Black national champion SWAC co-champion
Pelican Bowl, W 56–6 vs. South Carolina State
Conference	Southwestern Athletic Conference
1974 record	11–1 (5–1 SWAC)
Head coach	Eddie Robinson (32nd season)
Home stadium	Grambling Stadium

1974 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 14 AP / #13 UPI Alcorn State +^		5	–	1					9	–	2
No. 7 AP / #6 UPI Grambling State +		5	–	1					11	–	1
Jackson State		4	–	2					7	–	3
Southern		3	–	3					8	–	3
Texas Southern		3	–	3					6	–	4
Mississippi Valley State		1	–	5					5	–	5
Prairie View A&M		0	–	6					0	–	10
+ – Conference co-champions ^ – College Division playoff participant Rankings from College Division poll

Key players included freshman quarterback Doug Williams and split end Dwight Scales. Williams later played nine seasons in the National Football League.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 14	vs. Northwestern State*		State Fair Stadium Shreveport, LA	W 14–13	30,000	[2]
September 21	Alcorn State	No. 5	Grambling Stadium Grambling, LA	L 14–19		[3]
September 28	vs. Morgan State*	No. 14	Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Washington, DC	W 14–0		[4]
October 5	at Prairie View A&M	No. 13	Dallas, TX	W 61–0	46,775	[5]
October 12	No. 5 Tennessee State*	No. 12	Grambling Stadium Grambling, LA	W 21–7	15,582	[6]
October 19	at Mississippi Valley State	No. 7	Itta Bena, MS	W 20–14		[7]
October 26	Jackson State	No. 6	Grambling Stadium Grambling, LA	W 26–13		[8]
November 2	at Texas Southern	No. 6	Houston, TX	W 34–21		[9]
November 9	at North Carolina A&T*	No. 6	Greensboro, NC	W 39–16		[10]
November 16	Norfolk State*	No. 6	Grambling Stadium Grambling, LA	W 16–10	7,000	[11]
November 23	vs. Southern	No. 7	Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA (Bayou Classic)	W 21–0	76,753	[12]
December 7	vs. South Carolina State*	No. 7	Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA (Pelican Bowl)	W 28–7	30,120	[13]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

1974 Grambling State Tigers football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB 12 Doug Williams Fr WR 42 Dwight Scales Jr WR 17 Carlos Pennywell Fr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DE   Bob Barber Sr DT 79 Gary Johnson Sr DE   Jessie O'Neal Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Eddie Robinson Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

Game summaries

Jackson State

1 2 3 4 Total Tigers 0 0 7 6 13 • No. 6 Tigers 0 7 12 7 26 Date: October 26 Location: Grambling Stadium, Grambling, LA

Scoring summary 2 GSU Scales 14-yard pass from Williams (Zeno kick) GSU 7–0 3 GSU Williams 1-yard run (kick failed) GSU 13–0 JSU Wadley 41-yard pass from Lewis (Perry kick) GSU 13–7 GSU Pennywell 22-yard pass from Williams (kick failed) GSU 19–7 4 JSU Payton 1-yard run (kick failed) GSU 19–13 GSU Martin 1-yard run (Zeno kick) GSU 26–13

1975 NFL Draft

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL Club
Gary Johnson	Defensive tackle	1	8	San Diego Chargers
Bob Barber	Defensive end	2	51	Pittsburgh Steelers
Jesse O'Neal	Defensive end	6	146	Houston Oilers

[14]

References

1. "Grambling State Yearly Results (1970-1974)". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
2. "Grambling Blocks NSU FG Try to Win 14-13". Alexandria Daily Town Call. September 15, 1974. p. B1 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Grambling Rallies, But Too Late; Alcorn, 19-14". The Shreveport Times. September 22, 1974. p. 3D – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Comeaux Passes Tigers by Morgan". The Shreveport Times. September 29, 1974. p. 3D – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Tigers Have Picnic On Prairie; Ponies Win". The Shreveport Times. October 6, 1974. p. 4D – via Newspapers.com.
6. "It's a Steal: Tigers Shock Tennessee State". The Shreveport Times. October 13, 1974. p. 3D – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Rallying Grambling beat scrappy MVSC". Hattiesburg American. October 20, 1974. p. 4C – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Grambling Raps J-State 26-13". The Clarion-Ledger and Jackson Daily News. October 27, 1974. p. D1 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Grambling wins". The News (Port Arthur, TX). November 3, 1974. p. 2C – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Grambling Roars On". The Atlanta Journal and Constitution. November 10, 1974. p. 4D – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Grambling Rallies to Whip Norfolk State". The Shreveport Times. November 17, 1974. p. 3D – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Grambling Blanks Southern 21-0". Alexandria Daily Town Talk. November 24, 1974 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Grambling Rambling, 28-7". The Shreveport Times. December 8, 1974. p. 4D – via Newspapers.com.
14. "1975 NFL Draft". Sports Reference. Retrieved November 8, 2020.