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Tulane Green Wave football
2026 Tulane Green Wave football team
First season1893; 133 years ago
Athletic directorDavid Harris
Head coachWill Hall
1st season, 1–2 (.333)
LocationNew Orleans, Louisiana
StadiumYulman Stadium
(capacity: 30,000)
NCAA divisionDivision I FBS
ConferenceAmerican
ColorsOlive green and sky blue[1]
   
All-time record585–681–38 (.463)
CFP record0–1 (.000)
Bowl record7–10 (.412)
National finalist
Poll era1931[2]
College Football Playoff appearances
2025
Conference championships
SIAA: 1920[3]
SoCon: 1925, 1929, 1930, 1931
SEC: 1934, 1939, 1949
C-USA: 1998
American: 2022, 2025
Division championships
AAC West: 2018
Consensus All-Americans5
RivalriesSouthern Miss (rivalry)
Ole Miss (rivalry)
LSU (rivalry)
Auburn (rivalry)
Fight songThe Olive and the Blue
MascotRiptide
Marching bandTulane University Marching Band
OutfitterNike
WebsiteTulaneGreenWave.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 Conference (The American). The football team is currently coached by Will Hall, the team plays its home games in Yulman Stadium on its campus in Uptown New Orleans.[4]

History

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Conference affiliations

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Tulane has been both an independent and affiliated with multiple conferences.[5]: 183–210 

Championships

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Conference championships

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Tulane has won eleven conference football championships in five different conferences. As of 2025, Tulane's three Southeastern Conference titles are more than nine current members of the SEC: Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Missouri, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Texas, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt.[9]

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 American Willie Fritz 12–2 7–1
2025 Jon Sumrall 11–2 7–1

† Co-championship

Division championships

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Season Division Coach Opponent CG result
2018†AAC WestWillie Fritz N/A lost tiebreaker to Memphis

† Co-championship

Bowl games

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Tulane has played in 17 official bowl games, with the Green Wave garnering a record of 7–10. 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
1931Bernie BiermanRose BowlUSCL 12–21
1934Ted CoxSugar BowlTempleW 20–14
1939Red DawsonSugar BowlTexas A&ML 13–14
1970Jim PittmanLiberty BowlColoradoW 17–3
1973Bennie EllenderAstro-Bluebonnet BowlHoustonL 7–47
1979Larry SmithLiberty BowlPenn StateL 6–9
1980Vince GibsonHall of Fame ClassicArkansasL 15–34
1987Mack BrownIndependence BowlWashingtonL 12–24
1998Chris ScelfoLiberty BowlBYUW 41–27
2002Hawaii BowlHawaiiW 36–28
2013Curtis JohnsonNew Orleans BowlLouisiana–LafayetteL 21–24
2018Willie FritzCure BowlLouisianaW 41–24
2019Armed Forces BowlSouthern MissW 30–13
2020Famous Idaho Potato BowlNevadaL 27–38
2022Cotton Bowl Classic †USCW 46–45
2023Slade Nagle[A 1]Military BowlVirginia TechL 20–41
2024Jon SumrallGasparilla BowlFloridaL 8–33
2025CFP First Round †Ole MissL 10–41

† New Year's Six/CFP game

Head coaches

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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.[10] 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 at one time tied for all-time leaders in games coached at Tulane with 94 each until Willie Fritz surpassed them in 2023. Clark Shaughnessy is the all-time leader in years coached (11) and total wins (59). Presently, former head coach Willie Fritz, has the second-most program wins (43) of all time.

Home stadium

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Yulman Stadium Student Section

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.[11]

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.[12][13]

Rivalries

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Auburn

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Tulane leads the series with Auburn 17–15–6 through the 2019 season.[14]

LSU

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

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.[15] LSU leads the series 69–23–7 through the 2019 season.[16]

Ole Miss

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Ole Miss leads the series 45–28 through the 2025 season.[17] The first game took place on December 2, 1893, in New Orleans, and the two schools have continued to play each other with few interruptions since. Tulane and Ole Miss spent much of their athletic histories as members of the same conference: the SIAA from 1899 to 1920, the Southern Conference from 1922 to 1932, and as charter members of the SEC from 1932 to 1966. As of 2025, Tulane hasn't defeated the Rebels since 1988.[18]

In 2025, #13 Ole Miss defeated the Wave at home 45–10. Both schools would eventually rematch in the CFP First Round in Oxford, as #6 Ole Miss defeated #20 Tulane 41–10.

Southern Miss

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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.[19] The rivalry was put on hold as a result of Tulane's move to the American Conference in 2014, but in 2017 the schools announced new games slated for 2022, 2023, 2026, and 2027.[20] Southern Miss leads the series 24–10 through the 2023 season.[16]

Culture

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Marching band

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TUMB and Shockwave perform at halftime in Yulman Stadium

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.[21] The TUMB performs at home games each fall and in Mardi Gras parades each spring.

Mascot

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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."[21]

Individual honors

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All-Americans

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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.[22]

All-time record vs. AAC teams

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Records current as of January 2, 2023 [23]

Opponent Games W L T Percentage Streak First
Army 23 13 9 1 .587 Won 4 1957
Charlotte 1 1 0 1 1.000 Won 1 2024
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

Players in NFL draft

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Future opponents

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Non-conference

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Announced schedules as of August 25, 2026.[24]

2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032
at Duke Louisiana at Iowa State Iowa State at LSU (rivalry) at Mississippi State
South Alabama at Southern Miss (rivalry)
at Kansas State at Wake Forest
Southern Miss (rivalry) Nicholls

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ 2019 Tulane Athletics Art Sheet (PDF). October 10, 2019. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  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 July 11, 2008.
  4. ↑ Tammy Nunez (December 8, 2011). "Tulane plans to build a 30,000-plus seat on-campus football stadium". Times-Picayune. Retrieved December 9, 2011.
  5. ↑ "2018 Media Guide" (PDF). tulanegreenwave.com. Tulane Athletics.
  6. 1 2 3 "2019 Tulane Football Media Guide" (pdf). Issuu. Issuu.inc. p. 124. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  7. ↑ "2019 Tulane Football Media Guide" (pdf). Issuu.inc. July 11, 2019. pp. 124–125. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  8. 1 2 3 "2019 Tulane Football Media Guide" (pdf). Issuu.inc. July 11, 2019. p. 125. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Football SEC Champions". Southeastern Conference. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Player Bio: Chris Scelfo". Tulane University Athletics. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  11. ↑ "The History of Tulane Stadium(s)". bestofneworleans.com. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Tulane University Yulman Stadium". Woodward Design+Build. Retrieved September 20, 2014.
  13. ↑ 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.
  14. ↑ "Winsipedia - Tulane Green Wave vs. Auburn Tigers football series history". Winsipedia.
  15. ↑ "LSU, Tulane in discussions to play each other in football in 2013". nola.com. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  16. 1 2 "Winsipedia - Tulane Green Wave vs. LSU Tigers football series history". Winsipedia.
  17. ↑ "Winsipedia - Tulane Green Wave vs. Ole Miss Rebels football series history".
  18. ↑ Team, Winsipedia. "Winsipedia College Football Database". Winsipedia. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  19. ↑ Richie Weaver (November 5, 2010). "Football to "Battle for the Bell" Saturday vs. C-USA Rivals Southern Miss". TulaneGreenWave.com. Retrieved December 5, 2012.
  20. ↑ "Football Announces Four-Game Series with Southern Miss". TulaneGreenWave.com. April 13, 2017. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  21. 1 2 "Tulane University Traditions". Tulane.edu. Retrieved December 5, 2012.
  22. ↑ "Tulane Green Wave All-America Selections". Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  23. ↑ "Tulane Green Wave football all-time record, wins, and statistics". Winsipedia.com. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  24. ↑ "Tulane Green Wave Football Future Schedules". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved August 25, 2026.

Notes

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