The 1971 Livingston Tigers football team was an American football team that represented Livingston University (later renamed the University of West Alabama) in the Gulf South Conference (GSC) during the 1971 NAIA Division I football season. In their second season under head coach Mickey Andrews, the Tigers compiled an 11–1 record (5–1 against conference opponents) and shared the GSC championship with Troy State. The Tigers advanced to the NAIA playoffs, defeating West Liberty State (25–2) in the semifinal and Arkansas Tech (14–12) in the Champion Bowl to win the NAIA Division I national football championship.[1][2]
| 1971 Livingston Tigers football | |
|---|---|
NAIA Division I national champion GSC co-champion | |
Champion Bowl, W 14–12 vs. Arkansas Tech | |
| Conference | Gulf South Conference |
| Record | 11–1 (5–1 GSC) |
| Head coach |
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| Home stadium | Tiger Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1 Livingston +^ | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 11 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Troy State + | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jacksonville State | 3 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee–Martin | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Delta State | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florence State | 0 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 10 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southeastern Louisiana | 0 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 11 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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At the end of the season, Andrews was named GSC Coach of the Year, and quarterback Clemit Spruiell was named GSC Offensive Player of the Year. Four Livingston players were named to the All-GSC team: Spruiell; linebacker Nels Strickland; defensive tackle Herbie Malone; and defensive end Adrian Gant.[3]
Schedule
edit| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 11 | vs. Jacksonville State |
| W 10–9 | > 10,000 | [4] | ||
| September 18 | at Southern State Arkansas* | Magnolia, AR | W 7–0 | [5] | |||
| September 25 | vs. Troy State | L 21–30 | 8,500 | [6] | |||
| October 9 | at Samford* | W 28–3 | [7] | ||||
| October 16 | vs. Quantico Marines* |
| W 17–13 | [8] | |||
| October 23 | Western Carolina* | W 15–9 | |||||
| October 30 | at Florence State | W 31–0 | [9] | ||||
| November 6 | Delta State |
| W 45–21 | [10] | |||
| November 13 | at Mississippi College* |
| W 20–3 | [11] | |||
| November 20 | Tennessee–Martin |
| W 28–7 | [12] | |||
| November 27 | vs. West Liberty State* | Steubenville, OH (NAIA Division I semifinal) | W 25–2 | [13] | |||
| December 11 | vs. Arkansas Tech* | W 14–12 | 3,219 | [14] | |||
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References
edit- ^ "1971 Football Team to Be Inducted into the UWA Hall of Fame". University of West Alabama. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
- ^ Lindsey Hall (October 16, 2021). "1971 National Championship team honored in Livingston". WTOK-TV.
- ^ "Spruiell, Wright, Sellers Head All-Gulf South Team". The Montgomery Advertiser. December 4, 1971. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Jim Farrell (September 12, 1971). "Livingston upsets Gamecocks, 10-9: Jax' short-lived rating tumbles". The Anniston Star. pp. 1B, 5B – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Livingston Trips SSC". The Shreveport Times. September 19, 1971. p. 4D – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Max Moseley (September 26, 1971). "Troy Upsets Tigers, 21-20". The Montgomery Advertiser-Journal. pp. 1C, 6C – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Livingston romps past Samford". The Anniston Star. Associated Press. October 10, 1971. p. 4C – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Buzz Sawyer (October 17, 1971). "Livingston Halts Marine's Invasion With 17-13 Win". The Selma Times-Journal. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tigers spill Lions, 31-0". The Anniston Star. October 31, 1971. p. 9B – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Livingston Romps Past Delta, 45-21". The Montgomery Advertiser. November 7, 1971. p. 3B – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Nick Sabatini (November 14, 1971). "Choctaws Yield To Livingston St". Clarion-Ledger. p. 2B.
- ^ "Livingston Drops T-Martin, 28-7". The Montgomery Advertiser. November 21, 1971. p. 8B – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Livingston Gains NAIA Final Tilt". The Selma Times-Journal. November 28, 1971. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Alan Mitchell (December 12, 1971). "Livingston National Champ After 14-12 NAIA Victory". The Montgomery Avertiser. p. 1D, 3D – via Newspapers.com.