Name-a-Day Calendar, February 17: Grambling (State) Tigers
Page 103 of 365
Chosen in: The late 1920s
Chosen by: School administration
The Colored Industrial and Agricultural School was founded in more or less the middle of nowhere in northern Louisiana in 1901. In the late 1920s, the school became authorized to award two-year diplomas and became a state junior college. Intercollegiate sports came at the same time: basketball in 1927, then football in 1928. At this time, school administration named their teams the Tigers out of pride for their Pelican State peers at LSU, who’d been using the nickname since the 1890s.
The school would be named for benefactor P.G. Grambling in 1946, and that’s how we got either the Grambling Tigers or the Grambling State Tigers; it’s not entirely clear which branding they prefer and both seem to be used interchangeably.
As with many HBCUs, Grambling’s marching band is nationally beloved and has performed in multiple Super Bowls as well as other high-profile events.
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