HARTLEY, Del. | For the first time since 2007, the Tuskegee University Golden Tigers football program will finish atop a national ranking as they have been crowned the HBCU Division II National Champion in the HSRN (Heritage Sports Radio Network) football poll late Monday.
The Golden Tigers became the first HBCU to reach the regional finals since Winston-Salem State University did so in 2012, and used victories over Catawba and North Alabama as the sixth seed in Super Region 2 to reach that contest. Tuskegee (10-3) finished atop the rankings after winning their first two NCAA Division II playoff games in school history, and qualifying for the NCAA Division II playoffs for the third consecutive year - all three years since becoming eligible in 2013.
Tuskegee sat atop the poll most of the season, until the final poll when they were overtaken by Bowie State prior to the NCAA Division II playoffs. Three of the top four teams in the poll - Bowie State (first), Virginia Union (second) and Tuskegee (fourth) - all qualified for the playoffs, with Tuskegee becoming the only one of the three to advance past the opening round.
The Golden Tigers received seven of eight first-place votes (with Langston being the only other school to pick up a first-place vote) and secured 72 of a possible 80 points.
The national championship is the first since 2007, and the ninth year that the Golden Tigers have been awarded a tittle - the first by HSRN.
Tuskegee was awarded the SBN Poll national championship in 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1929, 1930, 2000 and 2007. They were also awarded the BoxToRow Media national championship during their undefeated season in 2007. The nine years that the Golden Tigers have claimed an HBCU national championship ranks fifth all-time in the history of HBCU football, trailing only Grambling State (14), Tennessee State (13), Florida A&M (11) and Southern (10). The Golden Tigers have the most of any non-Division I school in the history of the system, with Central State next with six.
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| HSRN Division II / NAIA Final Rankings |
| Rk | School | Rec | Pts | Prev |
| 1 | Tuskegee (7) | 10-3 | 72 | 4 |
| 2 | Bowie State | 9-3 | 60 | 1 |
| 3 | Virginia Union | 8-3 | 54 | 2 |
| 4 | Winston-Salem State | 6-5 | 48 | 3 |
| 5 | Albany State | 6-4 | 40 | 7 |
| 6 | Miles | 7-5 | 36 | 5 |
| 7 | Virginia State | 6-4 | 33 | 6 |
| 8 | Fort Valley State | 5-4 | 30 | 10 |
| 9 | Chowan | 6-4 | 16 | 8 |
| 10 | Livingstone | 5-4 | 14 | 9 |
| Others receiving votes: Langston (FPV-1 | 10 pts), Central State (10), Benedict (6) Texas College (4), Johnson C. Smith (3), Cheyney (2), Elizabeth City St. (1), Fayetteville St. (1). |
About HSRN: HSRN (Heritage Sports Radio Network) is the national leader in live radio broadcasts of mid-major athletics. HSRN combines innovative programming and production with a vast broadcast network. The SiriusXM platform avails partners of HSRN exposure on the world's largest radio broadcaster as measured by revenue and exposure to 28.3 million subscribers. In addition to SiriusXM, HSRN is available on terrestrial radio affiliates, smartphones and other connected devices as well as online at HSRN.com.
