Football
Year-By-Year Summaries (1920s)
 

 

  
 

1920 (6-2-1)
Head Coach: Clark Shaughnessy

Another strong start and another 6-2-1 record tell the story of Tulane's 1920 season. The first four opponents were outscored by a combined 140-0 that fall.

Tulane then fell to Michigan after a long train ride to Ann Arbor that marked the program's first-ever intersectional contest. The team went on to shut out its next three opponents, the last of which was LSU, which fell 21-0 in Baton Rouge. The nickname "Green Wave" was affixed to the program that season and it endured. Coach Shaughnessy resigned after the season, but returned in 1922. 

Date  Opponent               Location           Score  Result
O2    UL-Lafayette           New Orleans, La.   79-0     W
O9    Mississippi College    New Orleans, La.   29-0     W
O16   Rice                   New Orleans, La.   0-0      T
O23   Ole Miss               New Orleans, La.   32-0     W
O30   at Michigan            Ann Arbor, Mich.   0-21     L
N6    at Florida             Tampa, Fla.        14-0     W
N13   Mississippi State      New Orleans, La.   6-0      W
N25   at LSU                 Baton Rouge, La.   21-0     W
D4    Detroit                New Orleans, La.   0-7      L

1921 (4-6)
Head Coach: Myron Fuller

Myron Fuller replaced Clark Shaughnessy as head coach and things did not work well. The Green Wave's record slid to 4-6, the first losing season for the program since 1913.

The 10-game schedule was the most ever for Tulane up to that point. The team won three of the first four before a collapse that saw only one win in the last six contests.

The only win during the skid was a 21-0 verdict over LSU. The last TD in the win over LSU came on a 65-yard punt return by a freshman named Alfred "Brother" Brown, who would go on to become one of Tulane's all-time great football players. 

Date  Opponent               Location           Score  Result
O1    Mississippi College    New Orleans, La.   0-14     L
O8    Ole Miss               New Orleans, La.   26-0     W
O15   at Rice                Houston, Texas     7-6      W
O22   Mississippi State      New Orleans, La.   7-0      W
O29   at Detroit             Detroit, Mich.     10-14    L
N5    Auburn                 New Orleans, La.   0-14     L
N12   at Washington (Mo.)    St. Louis, Mo.     6-14     L
N19   LSU                    New Orleans, La.   21-0     W
N24   Centre                 New Orleans, La.   0-21     L
D3    Alabama                New Orleans, La.   7-13     L

1922 (4-4)
Head Coach: Clark Shaughnessy

Clark Shaughnessy returned to Tulane in 1922 and began laying the foundation for one of the greatest eras in the program's history by bringing in football players who would help to make Tulane a national power on the gridiron.

The season got off to a strong start as Tulane outscored the opposition 104-10 in racing to a 4-0 record. The final four games of the season were losses, however, and the final record was 4-4. 

Date  Opponent               Location           Score  Result
O7    Mississippi College    New Orleans, La.   30-0     W
O14   Spring Hill            New Orleans, La.   30-10    W
O21   Camp Benning           New Orleans, La.   18-0     W
O28   Mississippi State      New Orleans, La.   26-0     W
N4    North Carolina         New Orleans, La.   12-19    L
N11   at Auburn              Montgomery, Ala.   0-19     L
N18   Florida                New Orleans, La.   6-27     L
N30   at LSU                 Baton Rouge, La.   14-25    L

1923 (6-3-1)
Head Coach: Clark Shaughnessy

One of the highlights of 1923 for Tulane football was the hiring of assistant coach Bernie Bierman, who would eventually replace Clark Shaughnessy as Tulane head coach and go on to a Hall of Fame career himself.

The 1923 team compiled a 3-3-1 mark before finishing with a flourish by winning its last three games by a combined score of 58-8. Those three wins at the end of the 1923 season kicked off a school record eight-game winning streak and was the beginning of a four-season stretch where Tulane compiled a 21-1-1 record. 

Date  Opponent               Location           Score  Result
S29   UL-Lafayette           New Orleans, La.   20-2     W
O6    Mississippi College    New Orleans, La.   18-3     W
O13   at Texas               Beaumont, Texas    0-33     L
O20   Louisiana Tech         New Orleans, La.   13-7     W
O27   at Vanderbilt          Nashville, Tenn.   0-17     L
N3    at Tennessee           Knoxville, Tenn.   2-13     L
N10   at Auburn              Montgomery, Ala.   6-6      T
N17   Ole Miss               New Orleans, La.   19-0     W
N24   LSU                    New Orleans, La.   20-0     W
N29   Washington (Mo.)       New Orleans, La.   19-8     W

1924 (8-1)
Head Coach: Clark Shaughnessy

Tulane football exploded into national prominence in 1924, setting a new school record for wins with the only loss a 14-6 defeat to Mississippi State. The team won its first five, lost to MSU, then won its last three as captain Brother Brown led the offensive charge with several 100-yard rushing efforts.

Guard Milton Levy and backs Brown and Charles "Peggy" Flournoy were named All-Southern for their play in 1924 as the Green Wave outscored the opposition 201-59 over the course of the season. 

Date  Opponent               Location           Score  Result
S27   UL-Lafayette           New Orleans, La.   14-0     W
O4    Mississippi College    New Orleans, La.   32-7     W
O11   Louisiana Tech         New Orleans, La.   42-12    W
O18   Vanderbilt             New Orleans, La.   21-13    W
O25   Spring Hill            New Orleans, La.   33-0     W
N1    Mississippi State      New Orleans, La.   6-14     L
N8    at Auburn              Montgomery, Ala.   14-6     W
N15   Tennessee              New Orleans, La.   26-7     W
N27   at LSU                 Baton Rouge, La.   13-0     W

1925 (9-0-1)
Head Coach: Clark Shaughnessy

For the second year in a row, Tulane set a school record for wins in a season as Clark Shaughnessy's finest Tulane team finished 9-0-1. The tie came against Missouri in game two and nobody else came within 10 points of this juggernaut.

All-American Charles "Peggy" Flournoy, one of the game's best punters, was also a threat toting the football and established TU records for touchdowns and points in a season and in a game that endure to this day.

The 1925 team exploded to a 77-0 win over Louisiana College in the season opener as captain Lester Lautenschlaeger returned two punts for touchdowns. The Wave did not give up two TDs in any game and scored in double figures against everyone but Missouri.

Guard Milton Levy and Flournoy were named All-Southern for the second season in a row on a team full of stars that outscored the opposition by a combined 246-32. Tulane's administration turned down a Rose Bowl bid because the trip would keep the team away from its studies. 

Date  Opponent               Location           Score  Result
S26   Louisiana College      New Orleans, La.   77-0     W
O3    Missouri               New Orleans, La.   6-6      T
O10   Ole Miss               New Orleans, La.   26-7     W
O17   Mississippi State      New Orleans, La.   25-3     W
O24   at Northwestern        Evanston, Ill.     18-7     W
O31   at Auburn              Montgomery, Ala.   13-0     W
N7    Louisiana Tech         New Orleans, La.   37-9     W
N14   Sewanee                New Orleans, La.   14-0     W
N21   at LSU                 Baton Rouge, La.   16-0     W
N26   at Centenary           Shreveport, La.    14-0     W

1926 (3-5-1)
Head Coach: Clark Shaughnessy

Tulane moved into its brand-new home on Willow Street on Oct. 23, even as Clark Shaughnessy was coaching his last season at Tulane and suffering his only losing campaign.

A 40-0 romp over Louisiana Tech got the season off to a promising start, but the team scored more than 10 points only once the rest of the season and finished 3-5-1. 

Date  Opponent               Location           Score  Result
S25   Louisiana Tech         New Orleans, La.   40-0     W
O2    at Missouri            Columbia, Mo.      0-0      T
O9    at Georgia Tech        Atlanta, Ga.       6-9      L
O16   at New York            New York, N.Y.     0-21     L
O23   Auburn                 New Orleans, La.   0-2      L
O30   Ole Miss               New Orleans, La.   6-0      W
N6    at Mississippi State   Starkville, Miss.  0-14     L
N13   at Sewanee             Sewanee, Tenn.     19-7     W
N25   LSU                    New Orleans, La.   0-7      L

1927 (2-5-1)
Head Coach: Bernie Bierman

Former assistant coach Bernie Bierman, who had been head coach at Mississippi State for two years, returned to Tulane as head coach. Although Bierman was ultimately to lead Tulane football to its greatest heights, his first season ended with a 2-5-1 record. It marked the first time the Green Wave suffered back-to-back losing seasons since 1905-06 and it did not happen again until 1945-46.

The Green Wave defeated Ole Miss in the season opener and LSU in the season finale for its only two wins that fall. It was a dark period for a program used to better times, but the seed of future success was present in halfback Bill Banker, who helped Tulane back to prosperity quickly. 

Date  Opponent               Location           Score  Result
O1    Ole Miss               New Orleans, La.   19-7     W
O8    at Georgia Tech        Atlanta, Ga.       6-13     L
O15   Mississippi State      New Orleans, La.   6-13     L
O22   at Vanderbilt          Nashville, Tenn.   0-32     L
O29   Georgia                New Orleans, La.   0-31     L
N5    Auburn                 New Orleans, La.   6-6      T
N12   at Sewanee             Sewanee, Tenn.     6-12     L
N24   at LSU                 Baton Rouge, La.   13-6     W

1928 (6-3-1)
Head Coach: Bernie Bierman

Bernie Bierman showed he had things pointed in the right direction when the Green Wave slaughtered its first two 1928 opponents by a combined score of 116-6 as Lake Charles native Bill Banker, the "Blond Blizzard," scored eight TDs.

Captain Charles Rucker led a strong offensive line that helped the Green Wave outscore the opposition 264-76 that fall.

A narrow loss to Georgia Tech started a three-game losing streak, but when that streak was over, Tulane did not lose again for nearly two years. From Nov. 3, 1928, until Bierman left the program after the 1932 Rose Bowl, Tulane compiled a football record of 32-2-1. 

Date  Opponent               Location           Score  Result
S29   at Northwestern State  Natchitoches, La.  65-0     W
O6    at Mississippi State   Starkville, Miss.  51-6     W
O13   Georgia Tech           New Orleans, La.   0-12     L
O20   Vanderbilt             New Orleans, La.   6-13     L
O27   at Georgia             Athens, Ga.        14-20    L
N3    Millsaps               New Orleans, La.   27-0     W
N10   Auburn                 New Orleans, La.   13-12    W
N17   Sewanee                New Orleans, La.   41-6     W
N24   Louisiana College      New Orleans, La.   47-7     W
N29   LSU                    New Orleans, La.   0-0      T

1929 (9-0)
Head Coach: Bernie Bierman

Coach Bernie Bierman led a team of Tulane future legends to a 9-0 finish that featured five shutouts and plenty of offensive fireworks. Captain Bill Banker ended his magnificent Tulane career with All-America recognition. His name remains a fixture in the Tulane record book.

Running behind a ferocious line anchored by All-Southern center Lloyd "Preacher" Roberts, Banker and fellow halfback Ike Armstrong shredded opposing defenses as the Wave outscored the other side 297-45.

Making his first appearance for the Green Wave that fall was a young Arkansan named Jerry Dalrymple, whose end play during his three-year career led many to consider him the finest player in Tulane history. 

Date  Opponent               Location           Score  Result
S28   Northwestern State     New Orleans, La.   40-6     W
O5    Texas A&M              New Orleans, La.   13-10    W
O12   Mississippi State      New Orleans, La.   34-0     W
O19   UL-Lafayette           New Orleans, La.   60-0     W
O26   Georgia Tech           New Orleans, La.   20-14    W
N2    at Georgia             Columbus, Ga.      21-15    W
N9    Auburn                 New Orleans, La.   52-0     W
N16   Sewanee                New Orleans, La.   18-0     W
N28   at LSU                 Baton Rouge, La.   21-0     W

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