- John Merritt
College coach infobox
Name = John Merritt
Caption =
DateOfBirth =January 26 ,1926
Birthplace =Falmouth, Kentucky
DateOfDeath =December 13 ,1983
Deathplace =Nashville, Tennessee
Sport = Football
OverallRecord = 233-67-11
CFbDWID = 5332
CoachYears = 1952-1983
CoachTeams =Jackson State University 1952-1962Tennessee State University 1963-1983
FootballHOF = 1994
CollegeHOFID = 60065John Ayers Merritt (
January 26 ,1926 –December 13 ,1983 ) was a head football coach atJackson State University andTennessee State University . He was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 1994.Merritt led Jackson State to back-to-back appearances in the
Orange Blossom Classic in 1961 and 1962 before being hired by Tennessee State.At TSU, Merritt tallied four undefeated seasons, claimed four Midwestern Conference titles, and scored the school's first-ever NCAA Division I-AA playoff victory in 1982. His coaching record at Tennessee State was 174 wins, 35 losses, and 7 ties. As of the conclusion of the 2007 season, this ranks himfirst at Tennessee State in total wins and third at Tennessee State in winning percentage (0.822). [ [http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_iaa/ohiovalley/tennessee_state/coaching_records.php Tennessee State University coaching records] ]
John Merritt Boulevard in
Nashville, Tennessee is named in his honor, and the Tennessee State football team opens every season with the John Merritt Classic game againstAlabama A&M University .References
External links
* [http://www.tsutigers.com/ Tennessee State University athletics website]
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