John Merritt
Encyclopedia
John Ayers Merritt was a head football
coach at Jackson State University
and Tennessee State University
. He was inducted into the College 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 174–35–7. As of the conclusion of the 2007 season, this ranks him first at Tennessee State in total wins and third at Tennessee State in winning percentage (.822).
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 against Alabama A&M University.
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
coach at Jackson State University
Jackson State University
Jackson State University is a historically black university founded in 1877 in Natchez, MS by the American Baptist Home Mission Society of New York. The Society moved the school to Jackson in 1882, renaming it Jackson College, and developed its present campus in 1902. It became a state supported...
and Tennessee State University
Tennessee State University
Tennessee State University is a land-grant university located in Nashville, Tennessee. TSU is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennessee.-History:...
. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
in 1994.
Merritt led Jackson State to back-to-back appearances in the Orange Blossom Classic
Orange Blossom Classic
The Orange Blossom Classic was an annual postseason college football game held between 1933 and 1978. Each year, it featured Florida A&M and another historically black school in an unofficial de facto championship game., The New York Times, February 3, 2007, retrieved February 7, 2009. It was seen...
in 1961 and 1962 before being hired by Tennessee State
Tennessee State University
Tennessee State University is a land-grant university located in Nashville, Tennessee. TSU is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennessee.-History:...
.
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 174–35–7. As of the conclusion of the 2007 season, this ranks him first at Tennessee State in total wins and third at Tennessee State in winning percentage (.822).
John Merritt Boulevard in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
is named in his honor, and the Tennessee State football team opens every season with the John Merritt Classic game against Alabama A&M University.