1939 Tulane Green Wave football team

The 1939 Tulane Green Wave football team represented Tulane University as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1939 college football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Red Dawson, the Green Wave played their home games at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. Tulane finished the season with an overall record of 8–1–1 and a mark of 5–0 in conference play, sharing the SEC title with the Tennessee and Georgia Tech. Tulane was invited to the Sugar Bowl, where they lost to Texas A&M.^[1]

1939 Tulane Green Wave football
SEC co-champion
Sugar Bowl, L 13–14 vs. Texas A&M
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
AP	No. 5
Record	8–1–1 (5–0 SEC)
Head coach	Red Dawson (4th season)
Captain	Paul Krueger
Home stadium	Tulane Stadium
Seasons ← 1938 1940 →

1939 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 2 Tennessee +	6	–	0	–	0			10	–	1	–	0
No. 16 Georgia Tech +	6	–	0	–	0			8	–	2	–	0
No. 5 Tulane +	5	–	0	–	0			8	–	1	–	1
Mississippi State	3	–	2	–	0			8	–	2	–	0
Ole Miss	2	–	2	–	0			7	–	2	–	0
Kentucky	2	–	2	–	1			6	–	2	–	1
Auburn	3	–	3	–	1			5	–	5	–	1
Alabama	2	–	3	–	1			5	–	3	–	1
Georgia	1	–	3	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
LSU	1	–	5	–	0			4	–	5	–	0
Vanderbilt	1	–	6	–	0			2	–	7	–	1
Florida	0	–	3	–	1			5	–	5	–	1
Sewanee	0	–	3	–	0			3	–	5	–	0
+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 30	Clemson*		Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA	W 7–6	25,000	[2]
October 7	Auburn		Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA (rivalry)	W 12–0	28,000	[3]
October 14	Fordham*		Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA	W 7–0	43,000	[4]
October 21	No. 14 North Carolina*	No. 4	Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA	T 14–14	34,000	[5]
October 28	No. 14 Ole Miss	No. 9	Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA (rivalry)	W 18–6	37,000	[6]
November 11	No. 20 Alabama	No. 7	Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA	W 13–0	52,000	[7]
November 18	at Columbia*	No. 6	Baker Field New York, NY	W 25–0	25,000	[8]
November 25	Sewanee	No. 5	Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA	W 52–0	15,000	[9]
December 2	LSU	No. 5	Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA (Battle for the Rag)	W 33–20	45,000	[10]
January 1, 1940	vs. No. 1 Texas A&M*	No. 5	Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA (Sugar Bowl)	L 13–14	73,000	[11]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "1939 Tulane Green Wave Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
2. "Tulane wins by one point off Clemson". The Huntsville Times. October 1, 1939. Retrieved April 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Tulane overpowers Auburn, 12–0". The Atlanta Constitution. October 8, 1939. Retrieved April 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Richardson, William D. (October 15, 1939). "Early Tulane Coup Trips Fordham, 7-0". New York Times. p. 85.
5. "Tarheels tie Green Wave score 14–14". The State. October 22, 1939. Retrieved April 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Kellogg's great runs send Tulane bounding over Ole Miss, 18 to 6". The Commercial Appeal. October 29, 1939. Retrieved April 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Tulane overcomes three year Alabama jinx to overpower Crimson Tide before 52,000 fans". The Shreveport Times. November 12, 1939. Retrieved February 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
8. Daley, Arthur J. (November 19, 1939). "Powerful Tulane Conquers Game Columbia Team, 25-0". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
9. "Tulane reserves beat Sewanee". The Shreveport Times. November 26, 1939. Retrieved August 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Tulane wins in last quarter over Louisiana State". The Birmingham News. December 3, 1939. Retrieved April 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Felix R. M'Knight (January 2, 1940). "Kimbrough Powers Aggies To 14-13 Victory Over Tulane: Haskell All-American Leads Fine Comeback". Wichita Falls Record News. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.