1973 Tulane Green Wave football team

The 1973 Tulane Green Wave football team was an American football team that represented Tulane University during the 1973 NCAA Division I football season as an independent. In their third year under head coach Bennie Ellender, the team compiled a 9–3 record and lost to Houston in the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl. The Green Wave's 14–0 victory over LSU was its first over the Bayou Bengals since 1948, and first in New Orleans over LSU since 1943.^[1]

1973 Tulane Green Wave football
Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl, L 7–47 vs. Houston
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Coaches	No. 15
AP	No. 20
Record	9–3
Head coach	Bennie Ellender (3rd season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Base defense	5–2 Monster
Home stadium	Tulane Stadium
Seasons ← 1972 1974 →

1973 NCAA Division I independents football records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Notre Dame			–					11	–	0	–	0
No. 5 Penn State			–					12	–	0	–	0
No. 9 Houston			–					11	–	1	–	0
Temple			–					9	–	1	–	0
No. 20 Tulane			–					9	–	3	–	0
Memphis State			–					8	–	3	–	0
Tampa			–					8	–	3	–	0
Boston College			–					7	–	4	–	0
South Carolina			–					7	–	4	–	0
Utah State			–					7	–	4	–	0
Air Force			–					6	–	4	–	0
Southern Miss			–					6	–	4	–	1
Northern Illinois			–					6	–	5	–	0
Rutgers			–					6	–	5	–	0
West Virginia			–					6	–	5	–	0
Pittsburgh			–					6	–	5	–	1
Colgate			–					5	–	5	–	0
Dayton			–					5	–	5	–	1
Xavier			–					5	–	5	–	1
Georgia Tech			–					5	–	6	–	0
Holy Cross			–					5	–	6	–	0
Miami (FL)			–					5	–	6	–	0
Cincinnati			–					4	–	7	–	0
Marshall			–					4	–	7	–	0
Navy			–					4	–	7	–	0
Southern Illinois			–					3	–	7	–	1
Villanova			–					3	–	8	–	0
Syracuse			–					2	–	9	–	0
Virginia Tech			–					2	–	9	–	0
Army			–					0	–	10	–	0
Florida State			–					0	–	11	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 22	Boston College		Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA	W 21–16	33,880	[2]
September 29	VMI		Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA	W 42–0	25,037	[3]
October 6	at Pittsburgh		Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA	W 24–6	25,054	[4]
October 13	at Duke	No. 18	Wallace Wade Stadium Durham, NC	W 24–17	20,500	[5]
October 20	North Carolina	No. 17	Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA	W 16–0	38,502	[6]
October 27	Georgia Tech	No. 15	Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA	W 23–14	66,286	[7]
November 3	at Kentucky	No. 14	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY	L 7–34	49,360	[8]
November 10	Navy		Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA	W 17–15	40,135	[9]
November 17	Vanderbilt		Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA	W 24–3	31,199	[10]
November 24	at Maryland	No. 17	Byrd Stadium College Park, MD	L 9–42	19,416	[11]
December 1	No. 8 LSU		Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA (Battle for the Rag)	W 14–0	86,598	[1]
December 29	vs. No. 14 Houston	No. 17	Houston Astrodome Houston, TX (Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl)	L 7–47	44,358	[12]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "Greenies frustrated no more: LSU falls, 14–0". The Shreveport Times. December 2, 1973. Retrieved October 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Tulane chokes off last-gasp BC bid, 21–16". The Boston Globe. September 23, 1973. Retrieved October 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Tulane wallops VMI, 42–0, on Foley's passes, running". Daily Press. September 30, 1973. Retrieved October 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Pitt burned by 'big play' Tulane, 24–6". The Pittsburgh Press. October 7, 1973. Retrieved October 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Tulane brother combination tops Duke with late score". The Charlotte Observer. October 14, 1973. Retrieved October 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Unbeaten Tulane blanks UNC, 16–0". The News and Observer. October 21, 1973. Retrieved October 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Tech engulfed by Green Wave". The Atlanta Constitution. October 28, 1973. Retrieved October 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Kentucky shocks 14th-ranked Tulane, 34–7". The Paducah Sun Democrat. November 4, 1973. Retrieved October 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Navy 'gifts' aid Tulane win, 17–15". The Baltimore Sun. November 11, 1973. Retrieved October 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Tulane humbles Vandy". The Tennessean. November 18, 1973. Retrieved October 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Terps crush Tulane". The Baltimore Sun. November 25, 1973. Retrieved October 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "D.C. Nobels picks apart Tulane, 47–7". The Daily Advertiser. December 30, 1973. Retrieved October 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.