1996 Tennessee State Tigers football team

The 1996 Tennessee State Tigers football team represented Tennessee State University as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) during the 1996 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by first-year head coach L. C. Cole, the Tigers compiled an overall record of 4–7, with a conference record of 3–5, and finished tied for sixth in the OVC.

1996 Tennessee State Tigers football
Conference	Ohio Valley Conference
Record	4–7 (3–5 OVC)
Head coach	L. C. Cole (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Johnnie Cole (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Jake Cabell (1st season)
Home stadium	Hale Stadium Vanderbilt Stadium
Seasons ← 1995 1997 →

1996 Ohio Valley Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 4 Murray State $^		8	–	0					11	–	2
No. 16 Eastern Illinois ^		6	–	2					8	–	4
Eastern Kentucky		6	–	2					6	–	5
Middle Tennessee		4	–	4					6	–	5
Tennessee Tech		4	–	4					5	–	6
Tennessee State		3	–	5					4	–	7
Southeast Missouri State		3	–	5					3	–	8
Austin Peay		1	–	7					1	–	10
Tennessee–Martin		1	–	7					1	–	10
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
August 31	Florida A&M*	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	L 20–35	31,782	[1]
September 7	No. 18 Middle Tennessee	Hale Stadium Nashville, TN	W 24–14		[2]
September 14	vs. No. 10 Jackson State*	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN (Southern Heritage Classic)	L 14–21	55,212	[3]
September 28	vs. Southern*	Georgia Dome Atlanta, GA (Atlanta Football Classic)	L 18–19	45,894	[4]
October 5	Lane*	Hale Stadium Nashville, TN	W 43–26		[5]
October 19	Tennessee–Martin	Hale Stadium Nashville, TN	W 37–14	21,331	[6]
October 26	Austin Peay	Hale Stadium Nashville, TN	W 38–14		[7]
November 2	at Eastern Kentucky	Roy Kidd Stadium Richmond, KY	L 10–30	9,300	[8]
November 9	at Tennessee Tech	Tucker Stadium Cookeville, TN	L 19–21		[9]
November 16	at No. 4 Murray State	Roy Stewart Stadium Murray, KY	L 14–50		[10]
November 23	Southeast Missouri State	Hale Stadium Nashville, TN	L 21–24	3,718	[11]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game