American college football season
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 small college rankings .
Key players included freshman quarterback Doug Williams and split end Dwight Scales , who led the team in scoring with 11 touchdowns. Williams later played nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Scales went on to play eight seasons NFL.
Date Opponent Rank Site Result Attendance Source September 14 vs. Northwestern State * W 14–1330,000 [ 1] September 21 Alcorn State No. 5 L 14–1917,200–17,859 [ 2] [ 3] September 28 vs. Morgan State * No. 14 W 14–032,000 [ 4] October 5 vs. Prairie View A&M No. 13 W 61–046,775 [ 5] October 12 No. 5 Tennessee State * No. 12 Grambling Stadium Grambling, LA W 21–715,582–16,000 [ 6] October 19 at Mississippi Valley State No. 7 W 20–146,000 [ 7] October 26 Jackson State No. 6 Grambling Stadium Grambling, LA W 26–1316,000–18,727 [ 8] [ 9] November 2 at Texas Southern No. 6 W 34–2141,867 [ 10] November 9 vs. North Carolina A&T * No. 6 W 39–1630,000–31,000 [ 11] November 16 Norfolk State * No. 6 Grambling Stadium Grambling, LA W 16–107,000 [ 12] November 23 vs. Southern No. 7 W 21–076,700–76,753 [ 13] [ 14] December 7 vs. South Carolina State * No. 7 W 28–730,120 [ 15] *Non-conference game HomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
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1974 Grambling State Tigers football team roster Players Coaches Offense Defense Special teams Head coach Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt
1 2 3 4 Total Tigers 0 0 7 6 13 • No. 6 Tigers 0 7 12 7 26
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
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^ "Grambling Blocks NSU FG Try to Win 14-13" . Alexandria Daily Town Call . September 15, 1974. p. B1 – via Newspapers.com . ^ "Grambling Rallies, But Too Late; Alcorn, 19-14" . The Shreveport Times . September 22, 1974. p. 3D – via Newspapers.com . ^ "College-Division Cumulative Football Statistics Report" . National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved December 22, 2022 . ^ "Comeaux Passes Tigers by Morgan" . The Shreveport Times . September 29, 1974. p. 3D – via Newspapers.com . ^ "Tigers Have Picnic On Prairie; Ponies Win" . The Shreveport Times . October 6, 1974. p. 4D – via Newspapers.com . ^ "It's a Steal: Tigers Shock Tennessee State" . The Shreveport Times . October 13, 1974. p. 3D – via Newspapers.com . ^ "Rallying Grambling beat scrappy MVSC" . Hattiesburg American . October 20, 1974. p. 4C – via Newspapers.com . ^ "Grambling Raps J-State 26-13" . The Clarion-Ledger and Jackson Daily News . October 27, 1974. p. D1 – via Newspapers.com . ^ "Final 1974 Cumulative Football Statistics Report" . National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved December 22, 2022 . ^ "Grambling wins" . The News (Port Arthur, TX) . November 3, 1974. p. 2C – via Newspapers.com . ^ "Grambling Roars On" . The Atlanta Journal and Constitution . November 10, 1974. p. 4D – via Newspapers.com . ^ "Grambling Rallies to Whip Norfolk State" . The Shreveport Times . November 17, 1974. p. 3D – via Newspapers.com . ^ "Grambling Blanks Southern 21-0" . Alexandria Daily Town Talk . November 24, 1974 – via Newspapers.com . ^ "Final 1974 Cumulative Football Statistics Report" . National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved December 22, 2022 . ^ "Grambling Rambling, 28-7" . The Shreveport Times . December 8, 1974. p. 4D – via Newspapers.com . ^ "Final 1974 Cumulative Football Statistics Report" . National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved November 19, 2022 . ^ "1975 NFL Draft" . Sports Reference . Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved November 8, 2020 .
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons National championship seasons in bold
1920s 1920s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
Wiley (1921) Paul Quinn (1922) Wiley (1923) Paul Quinn (1924) Bishop (1925) Samuel Huston (1926) Wiley (1927) Wiley (1928) Wiley (1929) Wiley (1930) Prairie View (1931) Wiley (1932) Langston & Prairie View (1933) Texas College (1934) Texas College (1935) Texas College & Langston (1936) Texas College (1937) Southern & Langston (1938) Langston (1939) Southern & Langston (1940) No champion (1941) Texas College (1942) No champion (1943) Wiley , Texas College , & Langston (1944) Wiley (1945) Southern (1946) Southern (1947) Southern (1948) Southern & Langston (1949) Southern (1950) Prairie View (1951) Prairie View (1952) Prairie View (1953) Prairie View (1954) Southern (1955) Texas Southern & Wiley (1956) Wiley (1957) Prairie View (1958) Southern (1959) Southern , Prairie View , & Grambling (1960) Jackson State (1961) Jackson State (1962) Prairie View (1963) Prairie View (1964) Grambling (1965) Grambling , Southern , & Texas Southern (1966) Grambling (1967) Alcorn A&M , Grambling , & Texas Southern (1968) Alcorn A&M (1969) Alcorn A&M (1970) Grambling (1971) Grambling & Jackson State (1972) Grambling & Jackson State (1973) Grambling State & Alcorn State (1974) Grambling State , Jackson State , & Southern (1975) Alcorn State (1976) Grambling State (1977) Grambling State (1978) Grambling State & Alcorn State (1979) Grambling State & Jackson State (1980) Jackson State (1981) Jackson State (1982) Grambling State (1983) Alcorn State (1984) Jackson State & Grambling State (1985) Jackson State (1986) Jackson State (1987) Jackson State (1988) Grambling State (1989) Jackson State (1990) Alabama State (1991) Alcorn State (1992) Southern (1993) Alcorn State & Grambling State (1994) Jackson State (1995) Jackson State (1996) Southern (1997) Southern (1998) Southern (1999) Grambling State (2000) Grambling State (2001) Grambling State (2002) Southern (2003) Alabama State (2004) Grambling State (2005) Alabama A&M (2006) Jackson State (2007) Grambling State (2008) Prairie View (2009) Texas Southern (2010) vacated Grambling State (2011) Arkansas–Pine Bluff (2012) Southern (2013) Alcorn State (2014) Alcorn State (2015) Grambling State (2016) Grambling State (2017) Alcorn State (2018) Alcorn State (2019) Alabama A&M (2020) Jackson State (2021) Jackson State (2022) Florida A&M (2023)