1996 Tennessee State Tigers football team

1996 Tennessee State Tigers football
ConferenceOhio Valley Conference
Record4–7 (3–5 OVC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorJohnnie Cole (1st season)
Defensive coordinatorJake Cabell (1st season)
Home stadiumHale Stadium
Vanderbilt Stadium
1996 Ohio Valley Conference football standings
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

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.