1975 Memphis State Tigers football team

The 1975 Memphis State Tigers football team represented Memphis State University (now known as the University of Memphis) as an independent during the 1975 NCAA Division I football season. In its first season under head coach Richard Williamson, the team compiled an 7–4 record and outscored opponents by a total of 180 to 168.^[1][2] The team played its home games at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee.

1975 Memphis State Tigers football
Conference	Independent
Record	7–4
Head coach	Richard Williamson (1st season)
Captain	Jerry Dandridge, Lum Wright
Home stadium	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
Seasons ← 1974 1976 →

1975 NCAA Division I independents football records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Rutgers			–					9	–	2	–	0
No. 10 Penn State			–					9	–	3	–	0
No. 20 West Virginia			–					9	–	3	–	0
Notre Dame			–					8	–	3	–	0
Virginia Tech			–					8	–	3	–	0
No. 15 Pittsburgh			–					8	–	4	–	0
Boston College			–					7	–	4	–	0
Georgia Tech			–					7	–	4	–	0
Memphis State			–					7	–	4	–	0
Navy			–					7	–	4	–	0
North Texas State			–					7	–	4	–	0
Southern Miss			–					7	–	4	–	0
South Carolina			–					7	–	5	–	0
Colgate			–					6	–	4	–	0
Cincinnati			–					6	–	5	–	0
Hawaii			–					6	–	5	–	0
Syracuse			–					6	–	5	–	0
Temple			–					6	–	5	–	0
Utah State			–					6	–	5	–	0
Indiana State			–					5	–	5	–	0
Dayton			–					5	–	6	–	0
Northeast Louisiana			–					4	–	6	–	1
Tulane			–					4	–	7	–	0
Villanova			–					4	–	7	–	0
Florida State			–					3	–	8	–	0
Air Force			–					2	–	8	–	1
Houston			–					2	–	8	–	0
Miami (FL)			–					2	–	8	–	0
Army			–					2	–	9	–	0
Marshall			–					2	–	9	–	0
Southern Illinois			–					1	–	9	–	1
Holy Cross			–					1	–	10	–	0
Louisville			–					1	–	10	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

The team's statistical leaders included Lloyd Patterson with 371 passing yards, Terdell Middleton with 586 rushing yards and 42 points scored, and Ricky Rivas with 224 receiving yards.^[3]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 6	Mississippi State	Memphis Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN	L 7–17	45,919	^[4]
September 13	at No. 7 Auburn	Jordan–Hare Stadium Auburn, AL	W 31–20	55,000	^[5]
September 20	at Cincinnati	Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH (rivalry)	L 3–13
September 27	Arkansas State	Memphis Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN	L 10–29	27,669	^[6]
October 4	North Texas State	Memphis Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN	W 21–19	15,418	^[7]
October 11	Southern Miss	Memphis Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN (Black and Blue Bowl)	L 7–21	17,337	^[8]
October 18	Louisville	Memphis Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN (rivalry)	W 41–7
October 25	at Tulsa	Skelly Stadium Tulsa, OK	W 16–14	20,000
November 1	at Wichita State	Cessna Stadium Wichita, KS	W 13–7	8,854	^[9]
November 8	at Florida State	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	W 17–14	26,041
November 15	Houston	Memphis Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN	W 14–7	22,630
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "1975 Memphis Tigers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
2. "Memphis Football 2019 Media Guide" (PDF). University of Memphis. p. 270. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
3. "1975 Memphis Tigers Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
4. "Threadgill casts glow on Bulldogs' fortunes". The Commercial Appeal. September 7, 1975. Retrieved October 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Tigers defy odds and War Eagles in landmark upset". The Commercial Appeal. September 14, 1975. Retrieved October 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Indians dominate punchless Tigers". The Commercial Appeal. September 28, 1975. Retrieved October 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Tigers hand NT 21–19 loss". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. October 5, 1975. Retrieved October 31, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Memphis St. loses, 21–7". The Jackson Sun. October 12, 1975. Retrieved March 24, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Memphis State bops Wichita". The Tennessean. November 2, 1975. Retrieved February 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.