Tulane Green Wave football

Football team representing Tulane University

Tulane Green Wave football

| | 2024 Tulane Green Wave football team

|

First season| 1893; 131 years ago
Athletic director| David Harris
Head coach| Jon Sumrall
1st season, 0–0 (–)
Stadium| Yulman Stadium
(capacity: 30,000)
Year built| 2014
Field surface| UBU Speed Series S5-M[1]
Location| New Orleans, Louisiana
NCAA division| Division I FBS
Conference| The American
Past conferences| SIAA (1896–1922)
SoCon (1922–1932)
SEC (1932–1965)
Independent (1966–1995)
C-USA (1996–2014)
All-time record| 564-674-38 (.457)
Bowl record| 7-9 (.438)
National finalist| 1 (1931[2])
Conference titles| 10
SIAA: 1920[3]
SoCon: 1925, 1929, 1930, 1931
SEC: 1934, 1939, 1949
C-USA: 1998
AAC: 2022
Division titles| 1
Rivalries| Auburn (rivalry)
LSU (rivalry)
Ole Miss (rivalry)
Southern Miss (rivalry)

Consensus All-Americans| 5
Colors| Olive green and sky blue[4]

Fight song| The Olive and the Blue
Mascot| Riptide
Marching band| Tulane University Marching Band
Outfitter| Nike
Website| TulaneGreenWave.com

The Tulane Green Wave football team represents Tulane University in the sport of American football. The Green Wave compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a member of the American Athletic Conference (The American). The football team is coached by Jon Sumrall, and plays its home games in Yulman Stadium on its campus in Uptown New Orleans.[5]

## History

[edit]

Main article: History of Tulane Green Wave football

See also: List of Tulane Green Wave football seasons

## Conference affiliations

[edit]

Tulane has been both an independent and affiliated with multiple conferences.[6]: 183–210

* Independent (1893–1894)[7]
* Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (1895–1921)[8]
* Southern Conference (1922–1932)[9]
* Southeastern Conference (1933–1965)[10]
* Independent (1966–1995)[11]
* Conference USA (1996–2013)[12]
* American Athletic Conference (2014–present)[13]

## Championships

[edit]

### Conference championships

[edit]

Tulane has won 10 conference football championships in five different conferences. As of 2024, Tulane's three Southeastern Conference titles are more than seven current members of the SEC: Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Missouri, South Carolina, Texas A&M, or Vanderbilt.[14]

Season  | Conference  | Coach  | Overall Record  | Conf. Record

|
|
|
|

1920† | SIAA | Clark Shaughnessy | 6–2–1  | 5–0
1925† | SoCon | 9–0–1  | 5–0
1929 | Bernie Bierman | 9–0  | 6–0
1930† | 8–1  | 5–0
1931 | 11–1  | 8–0
1934† | SEC | Ted Cox | 10–1  | 8–0
1939† | Red Dawson | 8–1–1  | 5–0
1949 | Henry E. Frnka | 7–2–1  | 5–1
1998 | C-USA | Tommy Bowden | 12–0  | 6–0
2022 | AAC | Willie Fritz | 12–2  | 7–1

† Co-championship

### Division championships

[edit]

Season  | Division  | Coach  | Opponent  | CG result

|
|
|
|

2018† | AAC West | Willie Fritz |  N/A lost tiebreaker to Memphis

† Co-championship

## Bowl games

[edit]

Main article: List of Tulane Green Wave bowl games

Tulane has played in 16 official bowl games, with the Green Wave garnering a record of 7–9. Tulane also played in the Bacardi Bowl in 1909, playing the Havana Athletic Club, losing 11–0. This was not sanctioned by the NCAA, and thus the Green Wave do not recognize the bowl appearance. Notably, Tulane's first bowl win was the inaugural Sugar Bowl, played in their home stadium.

Season  | Coach  | Bowl  | Opponent  | Result

|
|
|
|

1931 | Bernie Bierman | Rose Bowl | USC | L 12–21
1934 | Ted Cox | Sugar Bowl | Temple | W 20–14
1939 | Red Dawson | Sugar Bowl | Texas A&M | L 13–14
1970 | Jim Pittman | Liberty Bowl | Colorado | W 17–3
1973 | Bennie Ellender | Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl | Houston | L 7–47
1979 | Larry Smith | Liberty Bowl | Penn State | L 6–9
1980 | Vince Gibson | Hall of Fame Classic | Arkansas | L 15–34
1987 | Mack Brown | Independence Bowl | Washington | L 12–24
1998 | Chris Scelfo | Liberty Bowl | BYU | W 41–27
2002 | Hawaii Bowl | Hawaii | W 36–28
2013 | Curtis Johnson | New Orleans Bowl | Louisiana–Lafayette | L 21–24
2018 | Willie Fritz | Cure Bowl | Louisiana–Lafayette | W 41–24
2019 | Armed Forces Bowl | Southern Miss | W 30–13
2020 | Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | Nevada | L 27–38
2022 | Cotton Bowl | USC | W 46–45
2023 | Slade Nagle[A 1] | Military Bowl | Virginia Tech | L 20–41

## Head coaches

[edit]

Main article: List of Tulane Green Wave head football coaches

The team has had 39 head coaches and 1 interim head coach since Tulane began playing football in 1893. 13 coaches have led the program to postseason bowl games: R. R. Brown, Bernie Bierman, Ted Cox, Red Dawson, Jim Pittman, Bennie Ellender, Larry Smith, Vince Gibson, Mack Brown, Tommy Bowden, Chris Scelfo, Curtis Johnson, and Willie Fritz. While Tommy Bowden led the 1998 team to a perfect 11–0 regular season and the 1998 Liberty Bowl, Chris Scelfo coached the team during that game.[15] Seven coaches have led the team to conference championships: Clark Shaughnessy (1 SIAA and 1 SoCon), Bernie Bierman (3 SoCon), Ted Cox (1 SEC), Red Dawson (1 SEC), Henry E. Frnka (1 SEC), Tommy Bowden (1 C-USA), and Willie Fritz (1 American).

Clark Shaughnessy and Chris Scelfo were tied as the all-time leaders in games coached at Tulane with 94 each until Willie Fritz passed them in 2023. Clark Shaughnessy is the all-time leader in years coached (11) and total wins (59). The current head coach, Willie Fritz, has the second-most program wins (43) of all time.

## Home stadium

[edit]

Yulman Stadium Student Section

Main article: Yulman Stadium

The Green Wave have played their home games in Yulman Stadium on its Uptown campus since 2014. Prior to that season, Tulane played home games in the Caesars Superdome for nearly 40 seasons, and in its previous on-campus venue, the third Tulane Stadium, before that. The Green Wave have also played at the second Tulane Stadium, first Tulane Stadium, Athletic Park and Crescent City Base Ball Park.[16]

Because Tulane's campus is landlocked within Uptown New Orleans, Yulman is tightly fit within its athletic footprint and directly abutting the surrounding neighborhood. The stadium has a capacity of 30,000 spectators and was constructed with the ability to expand.[17][18]

## Rivalries

[edit]

### Auburn

[edit]

Main article: Auburn–Tulane football rivalry

Tulane leads the series with Auburn 17–15–6 through the 2019 season.[19]

### LSU

[edit]

The 13th Battle for the Flag, a 0–0 tie in New Orleans on November 26, 1914.

Main article: Battle for the Rag

Tulane's biggest and oldest rival is LSU. It began in 1893 with a 34–0 Green Wave victory over the Tigers. The teams stopped meeting every year in the Battle for the Rag in 2009. The rivalry became less competitive after 1948, until Tulane broke a 25-game non-winning streak in 1973 with a 14–0 victory in front of a Tulane Stadium record crowd of 86,598 in the final installment of the long-time rivalry played on Tulane's campus. Between 1979 and 1982, Tulane won three out of four games against the Tigers; the 1982 win was the last win to date. The two schools stopped playing annually after the 1994 game; however, they have met six times (1996, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009) since. As a condition of the broken series agreement made in 2006, a potential future game will be played in a future season in New Orleans.[20] LSU leads the series 69–23–7 through the 2019 season.[21]

### Ole Miss

[edit]

Main article: Ole Miss–Tulane football rivalry

Ole Miss leads the series 43–28 through the 2023 season.[22]

### Southern Miss

[edit]

Main article: Battle for the Bell (Southern Miss–Tulane)

Known as the Battle for the Bell, Tulane's rivalry with Southern Miss was played yearly from 1979 until 2006 and alternates sites between New Orleans and Hattiesburg, Mississippi. As a result of Conference USA splitting into East and West divisions in 2005, the game was played two out of every four years.[23] The rivalry was put on hold as a result of Tulane's move to The American Athletic Conference in 2014, but in 2017 the schools announced new games slated for 2022, 2023, 2026, and 2027.[24] Southern Miss leads the series 24–9 through the 2022 season.[21]

## Culture

[edit]

### Marching band

[edit]

TUMB and Shockwave perform at halftime in Yulman Stadium

Main article: Tulane University Marching Band

The Tulane University Marching Band (TUMB) was founded in 1920 as a military band. It dissolved shortly after the team's move to the Superdome in the 1970s and did not formally return until 2006.[25] The TUMB performs at home games each fall and in Mardi Gras parades each spring.

### Mascot

[edit]

Riptide the Pelican debuted in 1998 with the re-branding of Tulane athletics. Prior to that, the school used an angry wave nicknamed "Gumby" by fans, and before that a John Chase creation named "Greenie."[25]

## Individual honors

[edit]

### All-Americans

[edit]

Main article: List of Tulane Green Wave football All-Americans

Tulane has had 19 players named to first-team All-America teams. Of those 19, five were consensus selections, with one being a unanimous selection.[26]

## All-time record vs. AAC teams

[edit]

Records current as of January 2, 2023 [27]

| Opponent  | Games  | W  | L  | T  | Percentage  | Streak  | First

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Army | 23  | 13  | 9  | 1  | .587  | Won 4  | 1957
Charlotte | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | –  | None  | None
East Carolina | 20  | 8  | 12  | 0  | .400  | Won 2  | 1991
Florida Atlantic | 2  | 1  | 1  | 0  | .500  | Won 1  | 2013
Memphis | 40  | 15  | 24  | 1  | .388  | Won 2  | 1954
Navy | 25  | 12  | 12  | 1  | .500  | Lost 2  | 1949
North Texas | 2  | 2  | 0  | 0  | 1.000  | Won 2  | 2013
Rice | 37  | 16  | 20  | 1  | .446  | Won 1  | 1916
South Florida | 4  | 3  | 1  | 0  | .750  | Won 3  | 2017
Temple | 6  | 2  | 4  | 0  | .333  | Won 1  | 1935
Tulsa | 20  | 7  | 13  | 0  | .350  | Won 2  | 1968
UAB | 12  | 6  | 6  | 0  | .500  | Won 1  | 1999
UTSA | 2  | 1  | 1  | 0  | .500  | Won 1  | 2013
Totals  | 193  | 86  | 103  | 4  | .456  |  |

## Future opponents

[edit]

### Non-conference

[edit]

Announced schedules as of January 12, 2023.[28][29]

2024  | 2025  | 2026  | 2027  | 2028  | 2029  | 2030  | 2031  | 2032

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Southeastern Louisiana | Northwestern | at Duke | Louisiana-Lafayette | at Iowa State | Iowa State | at Mississippi State |  | Mississippi State
Kansas State | at South Alabama | South Alabama | at Southern Miss |  |  |  |  |
at Oklahoma | Duke | at Kansas State | at Wake Forest |  |  |  |  |
at Louisiana-Lafayette | at Ole Miss | Southern Miss |  |  |  |  |  |

## See also

[edit]

* American Athletic Conference
* List of NCAA Division I FBS football programs

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Tulane University Football Making Waves for 2014 Season". PR.com. July 16, 2014. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
2. ^ Roberts, Don (January 1, 1932). "Trojans, Tulane Fight for National Crown". Los Angeles Evening Post-Record. Los Angeles. Retrieved February 28, 2023. "With the Albert Russell Erskine national football championship at stake, Tulane University's Green Wave today met the University of Southern California Trojans at the Pasadena Rose Bowl."
3. ^ "SIAA Conference Champions". CFDataWarehouse.com. 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-11.
4. ^ 2019 Tulane Athletics Art Sheet (PDF). October 10, 2019. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
5. ^ Tammy Nunez (December 8, 2011). "Tulane plans to build a 30,000-plus seat on-campus football stadium". Times-Picayune. Retrieved 2011-12-09.
6. ^ "2018 Media Guide" (PDF). tulanegreenwave.com. Tulane Athletics.
7. ^ "2019 Tulane Football Media Guide" (pdf). Issuu. Issuu.inc. p. 124. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
8. ^ "2019 Tulane Football Media Guide" (pdf). Issuu. Issuu.inc. p. 124. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
9. ^ "2019 Tulane Football Media Guide" (pdf). Issuu. Issuu.inc. p. 124. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
10. ^ "2019 Tulane Football Media Guide" (pdf). Issuu.inc. 11 July 2019. pp. 124–125. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
11. ^ "2019 Tulane Football Media Guide" (pdf). Issuu.inc. 11 July 2019. p. 125. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
12. ^ "2019 Tulane Football Media Guide" (pdf). Issuu.inc. 11 July 2019. p. 125. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
13. ^ "2019 Tulane Football Media Guide" (pdf). Issuu.inc. 11 July 2019. p. 125. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
14. ^ "Football SEC Champions". Southeastern Conference. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
15. ^ "Player Bio: Chris Scelfo". Tulane University Athletics. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
16. ^ "The History of Tulane Stadium(s)". bestofneworleans.com. Retrieved 2018-02-06.
17. ^ "Tulane University Yulman Stadium". Woodward Design+Build. Retrieved September 20, 2014.
18. ^ Christopher Dabe (September 4, 2014). "High demand for Tulane football tickets could lead to Yulman expansion, AD Rick Dickson says". nola.com. Retrieved September 20, 2014.
19. ^ "Winsipedia - Tulane Green Wave vs. Auburn Tigers football series history".
20. ^ "LSU, Tulane in discussions to play each other in football in 2013". nola.com. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
21. ^ a b "Winsipedia - Tulane Green Wave vs. LSU Tigers football series history".
22. ^ "Winsipedia - Tulane Green Wave vs. Ole Miss Rebels football series history".
23. ^ Richie Weaver (2010-11-05). "Football to "Battle for the Bell" Saturday vs. C-USA Rivals Southern Miss". TulaneGreenWave.com. Retrieved 2012-12-05.
24. ^ "Football Announces Four-Game Series with Southern Miss". TulaneGreenWave.com. April 13, 2017. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
25. ^ a b "Tulane University Traditions". Tulane.edu. Retrieved 2012-12-05.
26. ^ "Tulane Green Wave All-America Selections". Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
27. ^ "Tulane Green Wave football all-time record, wins, and statistics". Winsipedia.com. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
28. ^ "Tulane Green Wave Football Future Schedules". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved 1 Nov 2022.
29. ^ "Fritz: Nicholls to round out 2023 Tulane football schedule". crescentcitysports.com. 5 January 2023. Retrieved 12 Jan 2023.

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Nagle was named interim head coach for the team's bowl game following Willie Fritz's departure to Houston.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tulane Green Wave football.

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

Tulane Green Wave football

Venues|

* Sportsman's Park (1893–1894)
* Tulane Athletic Field (1895–1901)
* Athletic Park (1902–1907)
* Pelican Park (1908)
* First Tulane Stadium (1909–1916)
* Second Tulane Stadium (1917–1925)
* Third Tulane Stadium (1926–1974)
* Louisiana Superdome (1975–2013)
* Tad Gormley Stadium (2002–2004, 2008) (alternate)
* Yulman Stadium (2014–present)

Bowls & rivalries|

* Bowl games
* Auburn
* LSU: Battle for the Rag
* Ole Miss
* Southern Miss: Battle for the Bell

Culture & lore|

* History
* Riptide
* "The Olive and the Blue"
* "The Hullabaloo"
* Marching Band
* Porter Cup
* Effect of Hurricane Katrina
* The Ten Win Turnaround

People|

* Head coaches
* NFL draftees
* All-Americans
* Statistical leaders

Seasons|

* 1893
* 1894
* 1895
* 1896
* 1897
* 1898
* 1899
* 1900
* 1901
* 1902
* 1903
* 1904
* 1905
* 1906
* 1907
* 1908
* 1909
* 1910
* 1911
* 1912
* 1913
* 1914
* 1915
* 1916
* 1917
* 1918
* 1919
* 1920
* 1921
* 1922
* 1923
* 1924
* 1925
* 1926
* 1927
* 1928
* 1929
* 1930
* 1931
* 1932
* 1933
* 1934
* 1935
* 1936
* 1937
* 1938
* 1939
* 1940
* 1941
* 1942
* 1943
* 1944
* 1945
* 1946
* 1947
* 1948
* 1949
* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959
* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024

* v
* t
* e

Tulane University

Located in: New Orleans

Schools|

* Architecture
* Business
* Law
* Medicine
* Newcomb-Tulane
* Liberal Arts
* Professional Advancement
* Public Health and Tropical Medicine
* Science and Engineering
* Social Work

Student life|

| Legal clinics|

* Environmental Law Clinic

|

Publications|

* Burkenroad Reports
* Civil Law Commentaries
* The Tulane Review
* Tulane Hullabaloo
* Tulane Journal of International and Comparative Law
* Tulane Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property
* Tulane Law Review
* Tulane Maritime Law Journal

Radio|

* WTUL

People|

* Alumni and faculty
* Paul Tulane
* Josephine Louise Newcomb
* Michael Fitts

Athletics|

| Sports|

* Tulane Green Wave
* Baseball
* Men's basketball
* Women's basketball
* Football

|

Venues|

* City Park/Pepsi Tennis Center
* Devlin Fieldhouse
* English Turn Golf and Country Club
* Greer Field at Turchin Stadium
* Tad Gormley Stadium
* Yulman Stadium

Rivalries|

* Battle for the Bell
* Battle for the Rag
* Pontchartrain Cup

Traditions|

* Marching Band

Affiliations|

* American Athletic Conference
* Association of American Universities
* Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

Related|

* Effect of Hurricane Katrina

* Founded: 1834

* v
* t
* e

American Athletic Conference football

Current teams|

* Army Black Knights
* Charlotte 49ers
* East Carolina Pirates
* Florida Atlantic Owls
* Memphis Tigers
* Navy Midshipmen
* North Texas Mean Green
* Rice Owls
* South Florida Bulls
* Temple Owls
* Tulane Green Wave
* Tulsa Golden Hurricane
* UAB Blazers
* UTSA Roadrunners

Championships & awards|

* Conference champions
* All-time standings
* Championship Game
* Awards

Seasons|

* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024

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