Tulane Green Wave football

Conference affiliations

Tulane has been both an independent and affiliated with multiple conferences.

Independent (1893–1894)

Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (1895–1921)

Southern Conference (1922–1932)

Southeastern Conference (1933–1965)

Independent (1966–1995)

Conference USA (1996–2013)

American (2014–present)

Championships

Conference championships

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.

† Co-championship

Division championships

† Co-championship

Bowl games

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.

† New Year's Six/CFP game

Head 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. 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

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.

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.

Rivalries

Auburn

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

LSU

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. LSU leads the series 69–23–7 through the 2019 season.

Ole Miss

Ole Miss leads the series 45–28 through the 2025 season. 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.

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

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. 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. Southern Miss leads the series 24–10 through the 2023 season.

Culture

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

Mascot

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."

Individual honors

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.

All-time record vs. AAC teams

Records current as of October 11, 2026

Future opponents

Non-conference

Announced schedules as of August 25, 2026.