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Green Wave Athletics Across the board, Tulane athletics programs are achieving at the highest levels on the playing field while producing amazing results in the classroom.
• Director of Athletics - Rick Dickson With a 14-sport program that competes in Conference USA in all sports, Tulane Athletics is on the rise on the field, the court, the course and the track. Since joining the league in 1996, and even more noticeably of late, Tulane has realized success by its teams on the playing field and by its student-athletes in the classroom. Boasting one of the oldest and most storied athletics programs in the Southeast, and indeed the nation, Tulane will field six men's and eight women's teams in 2009-10, with a schedule to restore two more sports to compete by the 2011-12 academic year, returning the program to 16-sport total that Tulane carried before Hurricane Katrina. Tulane student-athletes have proven to be leaders on the field, in the classroom and in the community. Tulane ranks among the elite teams in Conference USA in NCAA championship appearances and conference championships and has produced more All-Americans and national award winners in the last seven years than at any time in its first century. Tulane reduced its programs from 16 to eight in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as part of the university's Renewal Plan, a university-wide plan to strengthen and focus Tulane's academic mission and ensure financial stability following the devastation caused by Katrina. As part of the Renewal Plan process, a plan to bring Tulane's athletics programs back into compliance with the NCAA's Division I-A membership criteria by the end of fiscal year 2011 - consistent with a five-year exemption from the NCAA's requirement of fielding 16 sports - was devised and announced January 24, 2007. During the Katrina Semester in Fall 2005, Green Wave student-athletes competed in eight sports at the Division I-A level - football, baseball, men's and women's basketball, volleyball, and women's indoor and outdoor track and cross country. The eight sports that continued to compete through the Renewal Plan were charged by Tulane University President Scott Cowen to Carry the Torch, Be the Face, and Represent The Name" of Tulane University in the aftermath of the storm. Tulane's nationally-prominent baseball team is a consistent participant in the postseason, qualifying for NCAA Regionals in 12 of head coach Rick Jones' 16 seasons with the Green Wave from 1994-2009, including three trips to the Super Regionals and College World Series appearances in 2001 and 2005. Along the way, 20 players have been named All-American on 64 occasions and 38 former Green Wave greats were selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, including five first-round picks. Tulane's women's basketball program -- with nine NCAA Tournament appearances in the last 15 years -- returned to post-season in 2006-07, with a berth in the WNIT. The Green Wave finished one shy of a school record for wins with a 26-7 overall record, and the third Conference USA regular-season title. Head Coach Lisa Stockton was named Conference USA Coach of the Year that season. The Tulane cross country and track and field programs welcomed back a men's team in 2008-09 after fielding a women's team all along. In six years under the direction of head coach Heather Van Norman, Tulane has placed 26 entrants in the NCAA Regional Championships and 10 entrants into the NCAA Championships. Sprinter Gloria Asumnu earned three All-America honors while winning seven C-USA titles during her career from 2004-08. Tulane's men's basketball program, under the direction of head coach Dave Dickerson, has turned heads around the league with its steady play and tenacious defensive pressure. In four years under Dickerson, the Green Wave has posted a combined 60 wins, including back-to-back winning seasons in 2006-07 and 2007-08. With Dickerson as the helm, Tulane players have earned All C-USA postseason honors three times, including David Gomez and Quincy Davis on the all-conference teams, and Kevin Sims on the all-league freshman team. Andrew Garcia was a two-time member of the All C-USA Academic Team, and Gomez also received NABC All-District first team accolades in 2008. Dickerson was also named the NABC All-District Coach of the Year in 2008 as well. The volleyball program has enjoyed perhaps the biggest turnaround in school history over the last four years. After going 5-16 during the Katrina Semester, the Wave showed steady improvement over the next two seasons and enjoyed a storybook season in 2008 when Tulane went 28-6 en route to winning the Conference USA regular-season and tournament titles and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. Since joining C-USA, Tulane student-athletes have earned all-league honors 27 times, four players have earned All-America honors on eight occasions, and three Green Wave standouts have been named AVCA Midwest Region Freshman of the Year. The Tulane football program enters the third year of the Bob Toledo era, and have made significant strides under his tutelage. In 2007, the Green Wave posted a 4-8 record and saw another three losses come by a combined nine points. Last season, the team suffered substantial injuries to key players, but the future looks bright for the team as Toledo and his staff signed a school-record eight three-star players, as rated by Rivals.com. Tulane has been a constant among NFL pro scouts over the years and the school sports a pair of No. 1 draft picks among the 10 NFL Draft picks since 1997. Three student-athletes have earned All-America honors, including 2001 Lou Groza Award Winner Seth Marler and Doak Walker Award semifinalist Matt Forté, who enjoyed a stellar rookie campaign with the Chicago Bears in 2008. In the last academic year, Tulane welcomed back a pair of programs as women's tennis and women's golf returned to the lineup in 2008-09, and the Green Wave will add four more programs over the next two years. Men's tennis and women's swimming and diving joins the billing for the 2009-10 season while an additional two programs are slated to join the fold in 2011-12. The academic accomplishments of Tulane student-athletes place the university among the nation's best as the Green Wave had an excellent graduation rate for student-athletes. All of Tulane's current varsity sports teams scored well above their national averages in the school's most recent multi-year Academic Performance Rates released in May of 2008. Of Tulane's 229 student-athletes, 98 earned a place on the Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll by boasting a grade-point average of 3.0 or better. In addition, Tulane student-athletes are committed to community service with such organizations as Habitat for Humanity and Tulane's relationship with Lusher Charter School. Whether working at summer camps, hosting a group of middle-schoolers or helping at a charity function, Tulane student-athletes are reaching out. With a winning tradition on the court, field, diamond and track, as well as continued excellence in the classroom, the Tulane Athletics department is Developing Champions, Defining Success. April 27, 2009 |
