Tigers

Texas Southern Tigers

NCAA Division: Division I
Conference: Southwestern Athletic Conference
Past Conferences: None
City: Houston, Texas

Arena: Health and Physical Education Arena
NCAA Tournaments: 10
National Championships: None
Conference Titles: 20

Team History

The Texas Southern Tigers were a force in the NAIA throughout the 50s. They made the tournament four years straight from 1955-1958. In 1956, the Tigers made it to the championship but lost to McNeese State. However, in 1977 the Tigers ran the table and won the NAIA Championship.

Robert Moreland began coaching the Tigers in 1978. After four decent seasons at the helm, Moreland led the Tigers to a 21-8 overall record. The very next season the Tigers finished with a 22-7 overall record. They finished with the best record in the SWAC and won the regular season conference championship.

Moreland led the Tigers to one of the best runs in program history from 1988-1998. During this stretch, the Tigers won six SWAC Championships and made the NCAA Tournament three times.

In 1989, they finished 17-13 and were crowned regular season champions. The Tigers finished with a 19-12 overall record in 1990. They won the conference tournament championship and were invited to their first NCAA Tournament at the Division I level. The Tigers went on to win the regular season conference championship, the conference tournament title and were invited to the NCAA Tournament in 1994 and 1995. The 1997-1998 season was a down season for the entire SWAC. The Tigers won the regular season conference title with a 15-16 overall record. Moreland’s final season was in 2000-2001. He left Texas Southern with a 350-356 overall record.

SWAC Regular Season and SWAC Tournament Championships

Ronnie Courtney became head coach of the Tigers in 2001. After an 11-17 record in his first season, the Tigers finished with an 18-13 record in his second season. They went on to win the SWAC regular season championship and the SWAC Tournament championship. They also were invited to play in the NCAA Tournament for the third time in program history.

The Tigers were average during the rest of Courtney’s tenure. He left after the 2006-2007 season and finished his career with a 76-99 overall record.

Tony Harvey coached the Tigers from 2008-2012. In his first season at the helm, the Tigers won just seven games. The very next year, they won 17 games. Additionally, in his second season, they finished with an 11-7 conference record. The Tigers finished with a 19-13 overall record during the 2010-2011 season. They won the SWAC regular season championship. Harvey was out after the 2011-2012 season, and ended his career at Texas Southern with a 58-72 overall record.

Mike Davis began coaching the Tigers in 2012. The Tigers would go on to win the SWAC for six straight seasons under Davis. Additionally, the Tigers had four NCAA Tournament berths under Davis. The Tigers finished with five straight winning seasons under Davis from 2012-2017. The 2016-2017 season ended with the Tigers winning 23 games. Despite finishing with a losing record, the 2016-2017 Tigers won the conference tournament championship and were invited to the NCAA Tournament yet again. It would be Davis’s last year at the helm. He finished with a 115-89 record.

Johnny Jones has been the head coach at Texas Southern since 2018. The Tigers compiled a 36-22 record from 2020-2022. During those two seasons, they also won the conference tournament championship and appeared in the NCAA Tournament twice. Jones is still the coach at Texas Southern and currently holds a 80-62 overall record.