I sometimes wonder how Tulane would hav been if they would have just stayed in the SEC. Discuss.

They'd be like Wake Forest or Baylor or Vandy or Northwestern. There are examples like them out there. No need to wonder too much.

Similar to Vanderbilt, I presume.

I think they would be more comparable to ga tech. Tulane had strong fan support back in those days and itwould have continued. Plus they were had more on the field success than vandy

(11-22-2012 10:54 AM)Thegoldstandard Wrote:  I think they would be more comparable to ga tech. Tulane had strong fan support back in those days and itwould have continued. Plus they were had more on the field success than vandy

Ga Tech is a state institution. Not quite the same.

I was momentarily tempted to start a "What would Rice be like if the SWC had never broken up?" thread, but decided it would be too depressing. We were on an upswing in all three sports, co-champs the final year and one win away from the Cotton Bowl. Football momentum continued through the WAC-16, basketball fell off, baseball took off....

Just think what Sewanee would be like today if they had stayed in SEC

Could of, would of, should of

(11-22-2012 10:57 AM)aTxTIGER Wrote:  

(11-22-2012 10:54 AM)Thegoldstandard Wrote:  I think they would be more comparable to ga tech. Tulane had strong fan support back in those days and itwould have continued. Plus they were had more on the field success than vandy

Ga Tech is a state institution. Not quite the same.

Well Tulane University of Louisiana used to be a state institution.

Ultimately, I believe Tulane would still have been hurt by the entrance of professional football less than 5 miles from their campus. The Saints are the worst thing that ever happened to Tulane football. In a town as small as New Orleans, the Saints will always dominate the sports page and the local sports radio & tv media. The Saints also soak up most of the city's entertainment dollar and leave the Green Wave with fewer fans to chase.

To a lesser extent, the same thing happened to Rice and SMU. Both were knocked off the front page of their sports sections back in the 1960's & 70's when the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Oilers moved in. However, it was less impactful on SMU & Rice because their cities (Houston & Dallas) are so much larger than New Orleans.




HD

(11-22-2012 11:54 AM)Caltex2 Wrote:  

(11-22-2012 10:57 AM)aTxTIGER Wrote:  

(11-22-2012 10:54 AM)Thegoldstandard Wrote:  I think they would be more comparable to ga tech. Tulane had strong fan support back in those days and itwould have continued. Plus they were had more on the field success than vandy

Ga Tech is a state institution. Not quite the same.

Well Tulane University of Louisiana used to be a state institution.

We would be fine! Great Olympics middle of road football. 20,000,000+ conference income from tv.

(11-22-2012 12:23 PM)HogDawg Wrote:  Ultimately, I believe Tulane would still have been hurt by the entrance of professional football less than 5 miles from their campus. The Saints are the worst thing that ever happened to Tulane football. In a town as small as New Orleans, the Saints will always dominate the sports page and the local sports radio & tv media. The Saints also soak up most of the city's entertainment dollar and leave the Green Wave with fewer fans to chase.

To a lesser extent, the same thing happened to Rice and SMU. Both were knocked off the front page of their sports sections back in the 1960's & 70's when the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Oilers moved in. However, it was less impactful on SMU & Rice because their cities (Houston & Dallas) are so much larger than New Orleans.




HD

Pro football in new orleans was actually on their campus for awhile.

(11-22-2012 01:08 PM)aTxTIGER Wrote:  

(11-22-2012 12:23 PM)HogDawg Wrote:  Ultimately, I believe Tulane would still have been hurt by the entrance of professional football less than 5 miles from their campus. The Saints are the worst thing that ever happened to Tulane football. In a town as small as New Orleans, the Saints will always dominate the sports page and the local sports radio & tv media. The Saints also soak up most of the city's entertainment dollar and leave the Green Wave with fewer fans to chase.

To a lesser extent, the same thing happened to Rice and SMU. Both were knocked off the front page of their sports sections back in the 1960's & 70's when the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Oilers moved in. However, it was less impactful on SMU & Rice because their cities (Houston & Dallas) are so much larger than New Orleans.




HD

Pro football in new orleans was actually on their campus for awhile.

Indeed, you are correct. The Saints played home games in the old Sugar Bowl stadium (Tulane Stadium) on Tulane's campus from 1967 to 1974. In fact, former Saints kicker Tom Dempsey kicked his record setting 63-yd FG in Tulane Stadium in 1970. If you are Tulane, that's tough to compete with.

(11-22-2012 11:31 AM)ShoreBuc Wrote:  Just think what Sewanee would be like today if they had stayed in SEC

Could of, would of, should of

Whenever Sewanee is mentioned, I always feel compelled to refer to my favorite non-Memphis team of all time......

http://www2.sewanee.edu/communications/1899

5 wins on the road in 6 days against Texas, Texas A&M, Tulane, LSU, and Ole Miss. The only points scored against them were by a John Heisman (The Heisman Trophy guy) coached Auburn.

Quote: Described by some football analysts as one of the best teams ever, the undefeated 1899 Sewanee football team is accorded that lofty ranking, not just for its 12-0 record, but for its mid-season train ride into history.
A remarkable five wins in six days — all on the road and all by shutouts against Southern powers — has placed this Sewanee team in an elite class.

Preceding football legends such as the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame of the 1920s, Fordham’s Seven Rocks of Granite of the 1930s and LSU’s Chinese Bandits of the late 1950s, the Iron Men have written their own place in gridiron history. The men of Sewanee proudly carried the school’s banner that fall and the “S’’ on their purple jerseys was as familiar to opponents from North Carolina to Texas as Superman would be in the mythical city of Metropolis a half century later.

But far from comic book super heroes, the “Iron Men” of Sewanee posted some legendary wins against those Southern opponents that fall.


The Legendary Feat Recognized
In Southern Fried Football: The History, Passion and Glory of the Great Southern Game, author and Atlanta Journal-Constitution sports writer Tony Barnhart wrote, “The Tigers from Tennessee’s Sewanee went 12-0 in 1899, but that’s not why this team is No. 1 on his all-time Southern list. Sewanee took the ultimate road trip, playing five games in six days, all on the road. And not only did the Tigers win them all, but all five games were by shutouts.”

The book is published by Triumph in Chicago.
To order copies of the book call 1-800-335-5323.

ESPN — On College Gameday Nov. 13, 1999, ESPN featured the University of the South with a four-minute segment on the 1899 football team. Tony Barnhart and ESPN producer Dan Goldfarb spent two days in Sewanee and Cowan taping the segment, which aired on ESPN’s national college football pre-game show. The segment showed campus shots, interviews with descendants of the 1899 team members, current University of Pittsburgh assistant athletic director Johnny Majors and Sewanee head coach John Windham. Thanks to CSX Railroad, a short train ride in Cowan provided a re-enactment of an early leg of the Sewanee to Texas train ride.

The Tally

1899: Sewanee 12-0

Oct. 21 Sewanee 12 @Georgia 0
Oct. 23 Sewanee 32 @Georgia Tech 0
Oct. 28 Sewanee 46 Tennessee 0
Nov. 3 Sewanee 54 Southwestern 0
Nov. 9 Sewanee 12 @Texas 0
Nov. 10 Sewanee 10 @Texas A&M 0
Nov. 11 Sewanee 23 @Tulane 0
Nov. 13 Sewanee 34 @LSU 0
Nov. 14 Sewanee 12 @Ole Miss 0
Nov. 20 Sewanee 71 Cumberland 0
Nov. 30 Sewanee 11 @Auburn 10
Dec. 2 Sewanee 5 @North Carolina 0

Tulane would have done very well financially if it had stayed in the SEC, and it's not out of the realm of possibilty that the Green Wave 1998 team could have been playing for a national championship.

Tulane leaving the SEC was bound to happen after the chose to deemphasize sports in the late 40s. Having the Saints and the rise of LSU only college football in Louisiana didn't help.

You can only roll around in the mud for so long before you have to decide whether you're one of the pigs.

My grandfather talks about selling popcorn as a sea scout during the 40s at Tulane games. Almost everybody in the Metro area was a greenie back then.

(11-22-2012 08:25 PM)pilot172000 Wrote:  My grandfather talks about selling popcorn as a sea scout during the 40s at Tulane games. Almost everybody in the Metro area was a greenie back then.

Yep. The "pre Saints" days in New Orleans. Tulane was the big name in town.

(11-22-2012 10:33 AM)Cougar King Wrote:  I sometimes wonder how Tulane would hav been if they would have just stayed in the SEC. Discuss.

We'd probably be somewhere between what Vanderbilt and Ole Miss are today. I imagine our academic standards would hinder our ability to have really great teams. We'd probably have our moments in Football (like Ole Miss) and some decent to very good teams in BBall (like Vandy).

stellar basketball and vandy level football. wouldve been nice. academics probably the same.

(11-22-2012 08:02 PM)oldtiger Wrote:  

(11-22-2012 11:31 AM)ShoreBuc Wrote:  Just think what Sewanee would be like today if they had stayed in SEC

Could of, would of, should of

Whenever Sewanee is mentioned, I always feel compelled to refer to my favorite non-Memphis team of all time......

http://www2.sewanee.edu/communications/1899

5 wins on the road in 6 days against Texas, Texas A&M, Tulane, LSU, and Ole Miss. The only points scored against them were by a John Heisman (The Heisman Trophy guy) coached Auburn.

Sewanee's Iron Men of 1899

Quote: Described by some football analysts as one of the best teams ever, the undefeated 1899 Sewanee football team is accorded that lofty ranking, not just for its 12-0 record, but for its mid-season train ride into history.
A remarkable five wins in six days — all on the road and all by shutouts against Southern powers — has placed this Sewanee team in an elite class.

Preceding football legends such as the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame of the 1920s, Fordham’s Seven Rocks of Granite of the 1930s and LSU’s Chinese Bandits of the late 1950s, the Iron Men have written their own place in gridiron history. The men of Sewanee proudly carried the school’s banner that fall and the “S’’ on their purple jerseys was as familiar to opponents from North Carolina to Texas as Superman would be in the mythical city of Metropolis a half century later.

But far from comic book super heroes, the “Iron Men” of Sewanee posted some legendary wins against those Southern opponents that fall.


The Legendary Feat Recognized
In Southern Fried Football: The History, Passion and Glory of the Great Southern Game, author and Atlanta Journal-Constitution sports writer Tony Barnhart wrote, “The Tigers from Tennessee’s Sewanee went 12-0 in 1899, but that’s not why this team is No. 1 on his all-time Southern list. Sewanee took the ultimate road trip, playing five games in six days, all on the road. And not only did the Tigers win them all, but all five games were by shutouts.”

The book is published by Triumph in Chicago.
To order copies of the book call 1-800-335-5323.

ESPN — On College Gameday Nov. 13, 1999, ESPN featured the University of the South with a four-minute segment on the 1899 football team. Tony Barnhart and ESPN producer Dan Goldfarb spent two days in Sewanee and Cowan taping the segment, which aired on ESPN’s national college football pre-game show. The segment showed campus shots, interviews with descendants of the 1899 team members, current University of Pittsburgh assistant athletic director Johnny Majors and Sewanee head coach John Windham. Thanks to CSX Railroad, a short train ride in Cowan provided a re-enactment of an early leg of the Sewanee to Texas train ride.

The Tally

1899: Sewanee 12-0

Oct. 21 Sewanee 12 @Georgia 0
Oct. 23 Sewanee 32 @Georgia Tech 0
Oct. 28 Sewanee 46 Tennessee 0
Nov. 3 Sewanee 54 Southwestern 0
Nov. 9 Sewanee 12 @Texas 0
Nov. 10 Sewanee 10 @Texas A&M 0
Nov. 11 Sewanee 23 @Tulane 0
Nov. 13 Sewanee 34 @LSU 0
Nov. 14 Sewanee 12 @Ole Miss 0
Nov. 20 Sewanee 71 Cumberland 0
Nov. 30 Sewanee 11 @Auburn 10
Dec. 2 Sewanee 5 @North Carolina 0

Tulane would have done very well financially if it had stayed in the SEC, and it's not out of the realm of possibilty that the Green Wave 1998 team could have been playing for a national championship.

That UT-Tulane SEC championship game wouldve been epic.