Texas Southern University’s origins date from the Houston School Board’s 1927 establishment of a Colored Junior College with an initial enrollment of 300 students. The decades since its origin have seen the institution grow and change, now offering a range of undergraduate and doctoral programs, including the Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Jesse H. Jones School of Business, and the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs. Enrollment has blossomed to 9,700 students, attended to by a faculty numbering roughly 1,400. In addition to growing its academic opportunities, Texas Southern is also home to the Texas Southern Tigers, their college football team that competes in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), an NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision.
The Texas Southern Tigers have seen victory over the years with conference banners, one as recently as 2010, and a pair of National Black College Co-Championships in 1952 and 2010. During the 2010 season, the Tigers served up an overall 9-3 winning record. Over 60 Texas Southern University alumni went on to play in the NFL, most prominently 15 year NY Giants veteran and Hall of Fame inductee, Defensive End Michael Strahan.
The Tigers have been less successful in the recent seasons: a 2-9 record in 2018, no wins in 2019, and a 1-2 record in 2020 before SWAC canceled its remaining schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Texas Southern Tigers are currently under the direction of 3rd Year Head Coach Clarence McKinney. Moving forward from the recent seasons, this year’s recruiting class was ranked by 247 Sports as 184th in the country and 5th in the SWAC, representing a noticeable increase from prior years. Included in the 2021 recruiting class is Dallas local Mikevian Titus.
Mikevian Titus is a 3-Star multi-purpose player from Dallas South Oak Cliff High School, measuring a toned 5’10’’, 182 lbs. He is joined by quarterback and Austin local Jalen Brown (one touchdown pass in the opening two games), Jacorey Howard as the featured running back, and Isaiah Hamilton to anchor the defense. Though there is potential in this season’s recruiting class, individual and team improvements remain to be seen, as the Tigers begin the 2021 Season with a 0-2 record.
A 40-17 loss decided their annual Labor Day Classic against Prairie View A&M. The Tigers’ Week Two game against Baylor resulted in the Bears scoring a total of 42 unanswered points in the first half to end the game 66-7. Immediately ahead is a visit to neighboring Rice University on September 25. Rice Owls football is also experiencing a winless 2021 Season. Never presuming to speak for the University or its Athletics Department, it does seem fair to assume that if the 2021 Season does not demonstrate progress, Texas Southern will be looking to replace staff, including Coach McKinney.
