The Tulane Green Wave are the athletic teams that represent Tulane University, located in New Orleans, Louisiana. Tulane competes in NCAA Division I as a member of the American Conference (The American). There are 14 Green Wave intercollegiate programs, two of which compete outside The American. Beach volleyball and bowling, women's sports that are not sponsored by The American, compete in Conference USA (CUSA).
Nickname Tulane's nickname was adopted during the 1920 season, after a song titled "The Rolling Green Wave" was published in the Tulane Hullabaloo in 1920. From 1893 to 1919 the athletic teams of Tulane were officially known as "The Olive and Blue", for the official school colors. In 1919 the Tulane Weekly, one of Tulane's many student newspapers at the time and the predecessor of the Tulane Hullabaloo, began referring to the football team as the "Greenbacks", an unofficial nickname that also led to another: the "Greenies".
History
Early history The university was a charter member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), formed in 1932. Prior to this, they had competed in the Southern Conference. During its time in the SEC, the men's tennis program won 18 conference championships, while the football program won conference championships for the 1934, 1939, and 1949 seasons. During the 1948 season, Tulane football led the SEC in home game attendance, with an average of 37,058 spectators per game.
Athletics deemphasis and SEC departure Starting in 1951, Rufus Carrollton Harris, the university's president, initiated a deemphasis of athletics. That year, Harris reduced the number of football athletic scholarships from 100—an average amount in the SEC at the time—to 75. Prior to the deemphasis, many football players studied physical education (PE) at Tulane, which did not require college athletes to pursue an academic major and allowed them to spend 50 hours per week on PE coursework. However, Tulane under Harris reclassified PE as an academic minor, further requiring college athletes to pursue bachelor's degrees. Salaries for coaches and athletic personnel were also decreased and limits were placed on coaches' ability to scout.
This deemphasis caused Tulane to field a less competitive football program. From 1952 to 1965, Tulane recorded a record, averaging below three wins per season. The football program had four head coaches during this time and only recorded two seasons with a winning record. In conference play, the Green Wave recorded a record, and from 1957 to 1965, Tulane did not win more than one conference game per season. In September 1963, the university announced that they would remain in the SEC while studying possible alternatives. Around this time, there were rumors that Tulane would form a "Southern Ivy League" with schools such as Duke University, Rice University, and Southern Methodist University, though this never came to fruition.
On December 31, 1964, Herbert E. Longenecker, Tulane's president and the vice president of the SEC, announced that the university would be leaving the conference in June 1966. While Longenecker announced that the cost of the football program was not a factor in the decision to leave the SEC, the Tulane Hullabaloo reported in 1965 that the football program was losing the university roughly half a million dollars per year. The Hullabaloo's sports editor Stuart Ghertner wrote that some Tulane fans thought the university was simply "saving face" by leaving, as it was possible that the university would have been expelled from the SEC the following year. According to The Clarion-Ledger newspaper, one reason for the departure was the transition that Tulane had overtaken in the previous few years from a regionally renowned to a nationally renowned university, with the university believing that athletic independence would allow for more games across the country. Tommy O'Boyle, the head coach of the football team at the time, said of the departure, "It sure can't do us any harm. Tulane is a national university. Now we can play a national schedule".
Post-SEC departure
Following its departure, Tulane continued its in-state rivalry with the LSU Tigers, who had remained in the SEC. In its first few years as an independent, the football program enjoyed an increase in attendance and recorded three winning seasons in seven years, with its first season as an independent being its first winning season in ten years. However, increased costs associated with university athletics, such as Title IX compliance and increased salaries for coaches, hurt the athletics department, and its status as an independent damaged several longstanding conference rivalries and eliminated the possibility of competing for conference championships, which hurt public interest.
In 1975, Tulane joined the Metro Conference for all sports except football. From 1985 to 1989, the university did not have a basketball program, and the university nearly voted to end its football program in 1985. In the late 1980s, Tulane expressed interest in rejoining the SEC, but the interest was not reciprocated by the conference, which was under the commissionership of Harvey Schiller. However, the discussions led the SEC to pursue conference expansion, eventually leading to the admission of the University of Arkansas and the University of South Carolina into the SEC. In 1995, the Metro Conference merged with the Great Midwest Conference to form Conference USA. Tulane became a full member in this new conference for all sports, including football. In 2014, the university left Conference USA and joined the American Athletic Conference.
Conference affiliations NCAA 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 (1966–1974) Metro Conference (1975–1995) (all sports except football) Conference USA (1996–2013) American Conference (2014–present)
Sports sponsored Baseball Basketball Basketball Beach volleyball Cross country Bowling Football Cross country Sailing Golf Tennis Sailing Track and field† Swimming and diving Tennis Track and field† Volleyball
Baseball
The Tulane baseball team, also established in 1893, is managed by head coach Jay Uhlman. The program has appeared in the NCAA tournament 22 times and in the College World Series twice. They play home games on campus at Turchin Stadium.
Men's basketball
The men's basketball team, established in 1905, is coached by Ron Hunter, who was hired following the 2018-19 season. They play their home games in Avron B. Fogelman Arena in Devlin Fieldhouse, named after a donation that enabled extensive renovations in 2012–13. It is the 9th-oldest active basketball venue in the nation.
Women's basketball
The women's team has been coached since 1995 by Lisa Stockton, who has led the program to 15 postseason tournaments, including 10 NCAA tournament appearances. They play their home games in Avron B. Fogelman Arena in Devlin Fieldhouse, named after a donation that enabled extensive renovations in 2012–13. It is the 9th-oldest active basketball venue in the nation.
Women's beach volleyball The Tulane Green Wave women's beach volleyball team competes in NCAA Division I beach volleyball in Conference USA (CUSA), having joined that conference as an associate member in 2022. The team was founded in 2011.
Football
The Tulane football team, established in 1893, competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. Green Wave football teams have won 10 conference championships, including three in the SEC and one each in CUSA and The American, and have appeared in 12 postseason bowl games. They are coached by Will Hall and play home games in Yulman Stadium.
Men's tennis The Tulane Green Wave men's tennis team competes in NCAA Division I tennis and is part of the American Athletic Conference. The team won the NCAA tennis team championship in 1959. The men's tennis team also won eight singles team non-NCAA recognized national championships and two doubles team non-NCAA recognized national championships. It also won an individual indoor singles national championship.
Women's tennis The Tulane Green Wave women's tennis team competes in NCAA Division I tennis and is part of the American Athletic Conference.
Women's volleyball The Tulane Green Wave women's volleyball team competes in NCAA Division I volleyball and is part of the American Athletic Conference. They play their home matches at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in Devlin Fieldhouse.
Championships
Men's conference championships
Baseball : 1948 • 1997 • 1998 • 2001 • 2005 • 2016 Tournament : 1979 • 1982 • 1992 • 1996 • 1998 • 1999 • 2001 • 2005 • 2023 • 2024 Basketball : 1924 • 1944 • 1976 • 1992 Cross Country (2): 2001 • 2024 Football : 1920 • 1925 • 1929 • 1930 • 1931 • 1934 • 1939 • 1949 • 1998 • 2022 • 2025 Tennis : 1997 • 2001 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2018
Women's conference championships Basketball : 1997 • 1999 • 2007 • 2010 Tournament : 1997 • 1999 • 2000 • 2001 • 2010 Golf : 2004 • 2005 • 2009 • 2010 • 2013 • 2014 • 2022 Cross Country (2): 2023 • 2025 Indoor Track and Field (1): 2025 Swimming/Diving : 2005 Tennis : 2001 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 Volleyball : 2008 Tournament : 2008
NCAA team championships Tulane has won one team national championship granted by the NCAA.
Men's (1) NCAA Tennis : 1959
Other national team championships One national team title was bestowed by USA Rugby: Women's Rugby : 2016 (Division II spring), lost full-year title game
Nine national team titles were bestowed by the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association and other sailing associations: Sailing : ICSA (4): 1973 (coed dinghy), 1974 (sloop, overall), 2022 (coed dinghy) Douglas Cup (match racing) (3): 1969, 1970, 1989 Kennedy Cup (offshore large boats) (2): 1970, 1971
Individual or event championships
Men's Tennis Singles : 1930 • 1932 • 1936 • 1937 • 1949 • 1953 • 1954 • 1955 Indoor Tennis Singles : 2015 Tennis Doubles : 1957 • 1959 Golf : 1925 • 1926 • 1939 Boxing : 1932 (heavyweight)
Women's Sailing : 2023 (singlehanded)
Athletic facilities
Current facilities Yulman Stadium — Football Avron B. Fogelman Arena in Devlin Fieldhouse — Men's and women's basketball, Volleyball Greer Field at Turchin Stadium — Baseball City Park/Pepsi Tennis Center — Men's and women's tennis Colonial Lanes — Women's bowling English Turn Golf and Country Club — Men's and women's golf Reily Student-Recreation Center Natatorium — Women's swimming and diving Southern Yacht Club — Sailing Tad Gormley Stadium — Men's and women's track and field White Sands Volleyball Courts — Beach volleyball
Practice facilities Hertz Center, Basketball/Volleyball Practice Facility — Men's and women's basketball, Volleyball
Former facilities Crescent City Base Ball Park (1893–1900) — Football Athletic Park (1901–08) — Football First Tulane Stadium (1909–16) — Football Second Tulane Stadium (1917–25) — Football Third Tulane Stadium (1926–74) — Football Louisiana Superdome (1975–2013) — Football AMF All Star Lanes (Kenner) — Women's bowling Danny Thiel Track and Barney Mintz Auxiliary Field — Track and Field George G. Westfeldt Complex — Soccer Goldring Tennis Stadium — Tennis Tulane Diamond (1893–1989) — Baseball Tulane Gymnasium (1905–1933) — Men's basketball
Non-varsity athletic facilities Reily Student-Recreation Center — Badminton, Basketball, Indoor soccer, Indoor track, Natatorium (Swimming), Racquetball, Rowing, Squash, Volleyball and Weightlifting Brown Field — Flag football, Soccer and Rugby Tennis courts — Tennis
Traditions
Logo and mascot
Tulane officials commissioned John Chase in 1945 to illustrate the covers of its football game programs. He came up with Greenie, a mischievous boy who would be considered an unofficial mascot by many fans. Chase illustrated Greenie on program covers until 1969.