Football
Year-By-Year Summaries (1990s)
 

 

  
 

1990 (4-7)
Head Coach: Greg Davis

Coach Greg Davis entered the 1990 campaign with aspirations for his first winning season, but instead finished 4-7. Southwestern Louisiana rolled to a 48-6 win in the opener, but Davis rallied his troops to wins over Rice and SMU. A five-game losing streak ensued, but the team responded, bashing Cincinnati 49-7 and upsetting Syracuse on the road, 26-24. The season ended with a 16-13 loss to LSU in Tiger Stadium.

Running back Chance Miller had a big year for the Wave as his 805 yards rushing were the most by a Tulane runner since 1981. Against LSU, Miller's 158 yards were the most by a Tulane back since 1978. Quarterback Deron Smith closed his Tulane career with another 2,000-yard passing season. Wide receiver Melvin Ferdinand led TU with 57 catches. 

                                                  Ranking
Date  Opponent                Location            Tul/Opp  Score  Result  Attendance
S1    UL-Lafayette            New Orleans, La.             6-48     L     29,298
S8    at Rice                 Houston, Texas               21-10    W     20,200
S15   SMU                     New Orleans, La.             43-7     W     20,434
S22   Florida State           New Orleans, La.     NR/2    13-31    L     32,170
S29   at Ole Miss             Oxford, Miss.                21-31    L     20,500
O6    at Memphis              Memphis, Tenn.               14-21    L     26,759
O13   Southern Miss           New Orleans, La.             14-20    L     26,662
O20   Mississippi State       New Orleans, La.             17-38    L     22,826
O27   Cincinnati              New Orleans, La.             49-7     W     21,548
N10   at Syracuse             Syracuse, N.Y.               26-24    W     48,488
N24   at LSU                  Baton Rouge, La.             13-16    L     67,435

1991 (1-10)
Head Coach: Greg Davis

The 1991 season was one of the most trying in Tulane football annals, as the Green Wave struggled to a 1-10 record. The season opened with nine consecutive losses before Tulane whipped Navy. In game three against Mississippi State, Tulane was shut out for the first time since 1977 (152 games), and it happened twice more before the season was over.

While the team struggled, there were some individual accomplishments of note. Sophomore Wil Ursin caught 70 passes for 969 yards and nine TDs to post one of the top single-season performances in Tulane history. Against East Carolina, Ursin caught a TU-record 15 passes, including three TD receptions in the second half. The next week, he caught three more TDs against Navy to spark Tulane to its only win of the season.

Jerome Woods and Billy Duncan shared the quarterback spot, and for the first time in school history two players passed for more than 1,000 yards each. Defensively, freshman safety Mike Staid led the team with 108 tackles and three interceptions. 

                                                  Ranking
Date  Opponent                Location            Tul/Opp  Score  Result  Attendance
A31   Ole Miss                New Orleans, La.             3-22     L     32,879
S7    at Florida State        Tallahassee, Fla.    NR/1    11-38    L     61,801
S14   at Mississippi State    Starkville, Miss.    NR/25   0-48     L     36,429
S21   Rice                    New Orleans, La.             19-28    L     18,475
S28   Syracuse                New Orleans, La.             0-24     L     19,729
O5    SMU                     New Orleans, La.             17-31    L     19,708
O12   at Alabama              Tuscaloosa, Ala.     NR/19   0-62     L     70,123
O19   at Southern Miss        Hattiesburg, Miss.           14-47    L     16,558
N2    at East Carolina        Greenville, N.C.             28-38    L     31,126
N9    Navy                    New Orleans, La.             34-7     W     23,322
N23   LSU                     New Orleans, La.             20-39    L     38,384

1992 (2-9)
Head Coach: Buddy Teevens

The Buddy Teevens era began on a bright note as the Green Wave won its season opener over SMU by a score of 13-12. Three weeks later, Tulane beat Nevada, 34-17, to improve to 2-2. However, the Green Wave did not win again and finished 2-9.

Starting quarterback Billy Duncan broke his right ankle in game three, and the Green Wave felt his absence. After the 2-2 start, Tulane battled eventual national champion Alabama fiercely in game five, holding the Crimson Tide without a touchdown for nearly three quarters before losing 37-0. Narrow losses the next two weeks, followed by a blowout loss to Memphis, ended Tulane's slim hopes for a winning season.

Slowed by injuries, fullback Chance Miller rushed for 306 yards and ended a fine career as the fifth-leading rusher in Tulane history with 2,023 yards. Wil Ursin led the team 55 receptions for 755 yards. Defensively, Mike Staid led Tulane in tackles (133) and interceptions (3) for the second consecutive year. 

                                                  Ranking
Date  Opponent                Location            Tul/Opp  Score  Result  Attendance
S5    at SMU                  Dallas, Texas                13-12    W     15,100
S12   at Ole Miss             Oxford, Miss.                9-35     L     30,200
S19   at Iowa State           Ames, Iowa                   14-38    L     38,913
S26   Nevada                  New Orleans, La.             34-17    W     23,741
O10   Alabama                 New Orleans, La.     NR/6    0-37     L     50,240
O15   Southern Miss           New Orleans, La.             7-17     L     21,760
O24   Boston College          New Orleans, La.     NR/11   13-17    L     25,646
O31   Memphis                 New Orleans, La.             20-62    L     20,936
N7    at Navy                 Annapolis, Md.               17-20    L     21,912
N14   at Florida State        Tallahassee, Fla.    NR/5    7-70     L     60,127
N21   at LSU                  Baton Rouge, La.             12-24    L     59,919

1993 (4-8)
Head Coach: Buddy Teevens

Year two of the Teevens era - the 100th year of Tulane football- produced an improved product. In the opener against Alabama, Jerald Sowell broke off the longest play from scrimmage in school history with a 98-yard run. In the home opener against William & Mary, the Wave pitched a 10-0 shutout, Tulane's first blanking since 1973. Two weeks later, the Green Wave defeated Navy 27-25 on Bart Baldwin's 43-yard field goal as time expired. Tulane also won at Southern Mississippi, 17-15.

Newcomer Craig Randall started 10 games at quarterback and passed for 1,565 yards. Sowell was the leading rusher with 403 yards and Wil Ursin had his third consecutive 50-reception season. Mike Staid led Tulane in tackles for the third straight year with 133. 

                                                  Ranking
Date  Opponent                Location            Tul/Opp  Score  Result  Attendance
S4    at Alabama#             Birmingham, Ala.     NR/2    17-31    W     83,091
S11   at Rice                 Houston, Texas               0-34     L     23,400
S18   William & Mary          New Orleans, La.             10-0     W     20,517
S25   Mississippi State       New Orleans, La.             10-36    L     28,580
O2    at Navy                 Annapolis, Md.               27-25    W     21,117
O9    UL-Lafayette            New Orleans, La.             15-36    L     25,970
O16   at TCU                  Fort Worth, Texas            7-14     L     20,987
O30   at Boston College       Boston, Mass.                14-42    L     33,298
N6    at Southern Miss        Hattiesburg, Miss.           17-15    W     16,397
N13   North Carolina          New Orleans, La.             10-42    L     20,492
N20   at LSU                  Baton Rouge, La.             10-24    L     58,190
D4    at Hawai'i              Honolulu, Hawai'i            17-56    L     27,541
      #Alabama later forfeited game

1994 (1-10)
Head Coach: Buddy Teevens

Buddy Teevens' third season produced only one victory, but had its share of exciting moments. The one win came at Rice, 15-13, on a 47-yard field goal by Bart Baldwin as time expired, his school-record fifth field goal of the day. Kick returner Jeff Liggon had a huge season, setting an NCAA record for kickoff return yards and tying another for number of kickoffs returned. Safety Mike Staid, who started all 45 games in which he played at Tulane, ended his career as the No. 2 tackler in school history with 481. Fellow safety, Cedric Thomas, ended his career in a big way against LSU with two touchdowns - one on a fumble return, the other on a blocked punt recovery in the end zone. Running back Jerald Sowell became the first player in school history to have 600 yards rushing and 30 receptions in the same season. 

                                                  Ranking
Date  Opponent                Location            Tul/Opp  Score  Result  Attendance
S3    Southern Miss           New Orleans, La.             10-25    L     24,786
S10   at Rice                 Houston, Texas               15-13    W     15,400
S17   at North Carolina       Chapel Hill, N.C.    NR/16   0-49     L     43,000
S24   at Alabama              Birmingham, Ala.     NR/10   10-20    L     81,421
O8    at Memphis              Memphis, Tenn.               0-13     L     19,400
O15   TCU                     New Orleans, La.             28-30    L     23,561
O22   at Mississippi State    Starkville, Miss.            22-66    L     30,169
O29   at Maryland             College Park, Md.            10-38    L     24,456
N5    Navy                    New Orleans, La.             15-17    L     20,603
N12   Ole Miss                New Orleans, La.             0-38     L     25,644
N19   LSU                     New Orleans, La.             25-49    L     32,067

1995 (2-9)
Head Coach: Buddy Teevens

The fourth season under Buddy Teevens marked the end of an era - Tulane's last season as an independent. The Green Wave defeated Wake Forest and Rice on consecutive weekends to jump out to a 2-1 start, but starting quarterback Aley Demarest was injured in the next game and freshman Shaun King was pressed into action.

King became the first rookie in school history to pass for more than 1,000 yards, and Jamaican Dartez made his mark as the most prolific freshman rusher in school history with 544 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Four of Tulane's nine losses were by less than a touchdown, including a wild 45-40 shootout against Rutgers in which King passed for 372 yards. Linebacker Derrick Singleton led Tulane with 126 tackles. 

                                                  Ranking
Date  Opponent                Location            Tul/Opp  Score  Result  Attendance
S2    Maryland                New Orleans, La.             10-29    L     18,159
S9    Wake Forest             New Orleans, La.             35-9     W     16,368
S16   at Rice                 Houston, Texas               17-15    W     18,100
S30   at Southern Miss        Hattiesburg, Miss.           0-45     L     27,141
O7    at Ole Miss             Oxford, Miss.                17-20    L     26,683
O14   Memphis                 New Orleans, La.             8-23     L     19,894
O21   at TCU                  Fort Worth, Texas            11-16    L     25,421
O28   UL-Lafayette            New Orleans, La.             28-32    L     20,801
N4    at Louisville           Louisville, Ky.              14-34    L     33,271
N11   Rutgers                 New Orleans, La.             40-45    L     16,098
N18   at Navy                 Annapolis, Md.               7-35     L     19,815

1996 (2-9, 1-4 C-USA)
Head Coach: Buddy Teevens

Tulane's fifth and final season under Buddy Teevens resulted in a 2-9 record. The year got off to a rousing start when the Wave traveled to Cincinnati and won the first game in Conference USA history, 34-14. Tulane would lead at halftime in each of its final four conference games, but each by a total of 16 points, including two on last-second field goals.

Shaun King started all 11 games at quarterback and passed for 1,574 yards and eight touchdowns. Jerald Sowell (595 yards) and Jamaican Dartez (583) formed one of the best back tandems in school history. Brian Williams led the defense with 100 tackles, while Derrick Singleton had 77 tackles and three interceptions in only eight games. On special teams, Jeff Liggon set two NCAA career records for kickoff returns and was named the conference's special teams player of the year. 

                                                  Ranking
Date  Opponent                Location            Tul/Opp  Score  Result  Attendance
A30   at Cincinnati*          Cincinnati, Ohio             34-14    W     26,493
S14   Rice                    New Orleans, La.             14-21    L     38,839
S21   at Memphis*             Memphis, Tenn.               10-17    L     27,386
O5    TCU                     New Orleans, La.             35-7     W     14,341
O12   Louisville*             New Orleans, La.             20-23    L     17,561
O19   at Army                 West Point, N.Y.             10-34    L     35,971
O26   Southern Miss*          New Orleans,, La.    NR/24   28-31    L     20,394
N2    Houston*                New Orleans, La.             17-20    L     14,474
N9    Syracuses               New Orleans, La.     NR/24   7-31     L     13,537
N16   at Navy                 Annapolis, Md.               21-35    L     24,952
N23   at LSU                  Baton Rouge, La.     NR/18   17-35    L     78,966

1997 (7-4, 5-1 C-USA)
Head Coach: Tommy Bowden


First-year head coach Tommy Bowden guided the Green Wave to its most wins since 1980, completing the campaign with a 7-4 record. Tulane finished second in Conference USA with a 5-1 mark, its best conference record and finish since 1949. The team set 25 school and conference records, including the mark for points in a season with 375.

After opening the season with a 31-17 win over Cincinnati and tough losses to Rice and Syracuse, Tulane won three consecutive games, outscoring the opposition by a combined 138-49. Defensively, Tulane allowed 20.5 points per game, the fewest since 1981, and the Green Wave posted two shutouts in a season for the first time since 1973.

The Green Wave had a pair of 50-point games in one season for the first time since 1930, and scored at least 40 points on four occasions for the first time since 1928. Besides setting a C-USA record, the 64 points scored against Louisville were the most by a Tulane team since 1950.

Individually, King earned C-USA Offensive Player of the Year honors after throwing for nearly 2,600 yards and a school-record 25 touchdowns. Kicker Brad Palazzo led the nation in field goals per game and earned third-team All-America honors, the first Tulane player to do so since 1987. 

                                                  Ranking
Date  Opponent                Location            Tul/Opp  Score  Result  Attendance
S6    Cincinnati*             New Orleans, La.             31-17    W     20,828
S13   Rice                    New Orleans, La.             24-30    L     19,602
S20   at Syracuse             Syracuse, N.Y.               19-30    L     42,246
O4    Army                    New Orleans, La.             41-0     W     16,242
O11   at Louisville*          Louisville, Ky.              64-33    W     29,547
O18   East Carolina*          New Orleans, La.             33-16    W     23,340
O25   at Southern Miss*       Hattiesburg, Miss.           13-34    L     26,092
N1    at UL-Lafayette         Lafayette, La.               56-0     W     17,724
N8    Memphis*                New Orleans, La.             26-14    W     23,494
N15   Ole Miss                New Orleans, La.             24-41    L     35,607
N22   at Houston*             Houston, Texas               44-10    W     11,618

1998 (12-0, 6-0 C-USA)
Head Coach: Tommy Bowden

The most successful season in the first 107 years of Tulane football was put together one game at a time. Some games were no contest from beginning to end, some saw Tulane romp early and coast home, some were hotly-contested until Tulane pulled away at the end, and one came down to the last play of the game.

When it was over, Tulane was 12-0. The 1998 team was the first Tulane squad to win 12 games in a season and the third unbeaten, untied squad in school history. Only one opponent, Louisville, was within a touchdown at game's end.

The 1998 team scored 499 points, 124 more than any previous Green Wave team had scored. The Wave scored at least 40 points in nine of 12 games, including the final seven contests of the year.

Shaun King broke almost every Tulane season and career passing record, becaming the first NCAA I-A player to amass 3,000 yards passing and 500 yards rushing in a season, and he established an NCAA I-A passing efficiency record of 183.3.

Statistics do not begin to describe the game-by-game impact that King's 38 TD passes and 11 rushing touchdowns had on Tulane's unbeaten run to the Conference USA championship, a decisive win over Brigham Young in the Liberty Bowl and a season-ending No. 7 national ranking.

The 1998 season began with road wins over Cincinnati and SMU as the Green Wave jumped out to big leads and never looked back. The home opener against Navy followed the same script, as King tossed a pair of TDs each to P.J. Franklin and JaJuan Dawson.

Next, Tulane prepared for a battle with C-USA power Southern Miss. To heighten the drama, King had broken his left wrist during the Navy game and was forced to play the remainder of the season in a soft cast. The Green Wave needed its defense to play its best game to have a chance against the defending C-USA champs, and it got just that as six USM turnovers fed a 21-7 Tulane win.

Two weeks later, Louisville gave the Green Wave its closest call of the season. With Tulane leading 28-22, the Cardinals drove to the TU three. On the last play of the game, sophomore defensive back Tim Carter broke up a pass in the end zone to seal the win.

The Green Wave exploded for 165 points the next three weeks to bury Rutgers, USL and Memphis and lift the season mark to 8-0.

The Tulane-Army game at West Point was probably the most exciting of the season. With King running for three TDs and passing for three more, Tulane and Army lit up the scoreboard. A 21-21 halftime deadlock turned into a 28-28 tie late in the third quarter. Then, Toney Converse ran for a TD and King cashed in an Army turnover with a TD pass to Dawson to put the Green Wave ahead 42-28. Army, however, responded and it was up to the Tulane offense to preserve a 42-35 lead. King capped a long drive with a 20-yard TD scramble to clinch win number nine. King became the first Tulane player to run for 100 yards and throw for 300 yards in the same game.

Houston and Louisiana Tech did their best to derail Tulane's drive to a perfect season, but there was no stopping the Wave, especially at home.

Sporting an 11-0 record, C-USA champion Tulane met the nation's No. 5 defensive team, BYU, in the Liberty Bowl on New Year's Eve. Before a national television audience, King passed and ran the Green Wave to a 34-6 lead after three quarters on the way to a 41-27 win.

Shortly after the regular season ended, Coach Tommy Bowden announced that he had taken the head coaching job at Clemson, and the Liberty Bowl win was coached by new head coach Chris Scelfo and Bowden's assistants.

FINAL RANKING: 7th AP
Conference USA Champions 

                                                  Ranking
Date  Opponent                Location            Tul/Opp  Score  Result  Attendance
S5    at Cincinnati*          Cincinnati, Ohio             52-34    W     20,721
S12   at SMU                  Dallas, Texas                31-21    W     12,316
S26   Navy                    New Orleans, La.             42-24    W     19,371
O3    Southern Miss*          New Orleans, La.             21-7     W     32,527
O17   Louisville*             New Orleans, La.     24/NR   28-22    W     26,217
O24   at Rutgers              Piscataway, N.J.     22/NR   52-24    W     20,714
O31   UL-Lafayette            New Orleans, La.     19/NR   72-20    W     25,177
N7    at Memphis*             Memphis, Tenn.       15/NR   41-31    W     18,192
N14   at Army*                West Point, N.Y.     14/NR   49-35    W     39,038
N21   Houston*                New Orleans, La.     12/NR   48-20    W     26,978
N26   Louisiana Tech          New Orleans, La.     11/NR   63-30    W     37,391
      LIBERTY BOWL
D31   BYU                     Memphis, Tenn.       10/NR   41-27    W     52,192

1999 (3-8, 1-5 C-USA)
Head Coach: Chris Scelfo

A devastating rash of injuries combined with an inexperienced team spelled a tough season for Tulane in 1999. After an opening loss to Southern Miss, Coach Chris Scelfo rallied his young troops to impressive wins over SMU and Army and things were looking up. However, numerous injuries forced young players into critical roles.

The task of replacing Shaun King at quarterback fell on the shoulders of sophomore Patrick Ramsey. In the Green Wave's three wins, Ramsey completed 103-of-150 pass attempts for 12 touchdowns, and in narrow losses to Ole Miss, Houston and UAB, he completed 88-of-159 attempts for another eight scores.

Offensively, the Green Wave had a record-setting season behind the passing of Ramsey and the receiving duo of Adrian Burnette and JaJuan Dawson, who smashed several single-game, season and career receiving records. Freshman defensive back Quentin Brown had 50 tackles and broke up a half-dozen passes in only eight games.

The kicking game was a strong point, as Casey Roussel averaged 44.2 yards per punt and Seth Marler kicked nine consecutive field goals. The season finale against UAB, which the Green Wave lost 20-17, was the first overtime game in Tulane history. 

                                                  Ranking
Date  Opponent                Location            Tul/Opp  Score  Result  Attendance
S6    at Southern Miss*       Hattiesburg, Miss.           14-48    L     30,098
S11   SMU                     New Orleans, La.             53-19    W     20,097
S18   Army*                   New Orleans, La.             48-28    W     22,227
O2    at Syracuse             Syracuse, N.Y.       NR/19   17-47    L     48,286
O9    at Ole Miss             Oxford, Miss.        NR/25   13-20    L     40,914
O16   UL-Lafayette            New Orleans, La.             48-32    W     24,407
O23   at East Carolina*       Greenville, N.C.     NR/20   7-52     L     35,021
O30   Memphis*                New Orleans, La.             7-49     L     17,847
N6    at Houston*             Houston, Texas               31-36    L     16,008
N13   at Navy                 Annapolis, Md.               21-45    L     32,840
N20   UAB* (OT)               New Orleans, La.             20-23    L     18,592

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