By Caitlin Conley Unigo Campus Rep at Tulane
The most important thing a prospective student must realize about Tulane sports is that Tulane students love their school in spite of its lackluster athletic program, not because of it. Sports at Tulane are easy to miss if you aren’t paying attention so we’ve provided prospective students with a list of the ten things everyone should know about Tulane athletics.
10. 82 percent – Tulane’s 2007 student-athlete graduation rate, one of the best in Division I. Prospective students can rest assured that even if Tulane sports or Tulane athletics leave something to be desired, Tulane athletes can hold their own in the classroom. Tulane’s high academic standards mean that some prospective athletes who are long on talent and short on academics find Tulane isn’t for them. Tulane students enjoy pointing out that those athletes often make their way to nearby LSU, where the team is better but the standards are lower.
9. .344 – Tulane’s less than thrilling win percentage since its last bowl appearance in 2002. Tulane hasn’t had a single season above .500 since, but scores of devoted fans still make the trek from Tulane’s campus to the Superdome.
8. 40 plus – Intramural and club sports offered at Tulane. Tulane’s intramural program offers everything from flag football to foosball. Club sports are also popular; rowing and rugby have a particularly devoted following.
7. 3,000 – Average number of fans at Tulane baseball games since 2000. With a new stadium and a promising team, this number should only grow with Tulane athletics.
6. $7.5 million – The cost of Tulane’s new baseball stadium. Turchin Stadium seats 5,000 and was hailed as a symbol of Tulane’s recovery after Hurricane Katrina. Before the stadium was built the land was used as a staging area for construction companies repairing various buildings on campus after the hurricane.
5. 70,000 – Seats in the Superdome, Tulane football’s home field. The behemoth stadium is a mixed blessing. Though it inspires feelings of grandeur and the Tulane-LSU games always draws a huge crowd, Tulane’s fan base simply can’t fill the stadium. Average attendance hovers around 20,000 and even the most high profile games can feel empty.
4. 8 – Athletic teams axed after Hurricane Katrina. As part of the hurricane renewal process Tulane officials reviewed every aspect of the university’s spending and found that may athletic programs, including women’s soccer and men’s golf, couldn’t be sustained. Tulane plans to bring all sixteen pre-Katrina programs back by 2011. Currently Tulane fields football, men and women’s basketball, baseball, women’s volleyball, women’s track and cross country, women’s tennis, and women’s golf.
3. 2,127 – Rushing yards by running back Matt Forte during the 2007 season. Forte set a Tulane record and was second in the nation in rushing yards. He continued Tulane’s tradition of producing quality players even when the team is lackluster.
2. 2 – Times the Green Wave baseball has made the College World Series since 2001. Baseball gives Tulane sports fans a reason to hope come spring time.
1. 1998 – The pinnacle of Tulane football when head coach Tommy Bowden, now at Clemson, led Tulane to perfect season. Tulane went 12-0 and finished No. 7 in the nation but had to settle for a spot in the Liberty Bowl. Bowden soon left New Orleans for greener pastures and Tulane football at Tulane sports has never been the same.
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