1972 Tulane Green Wave football team

The 1972 Tulane Green Wave football team was an American football team that represented Tulane University during the 1972 NCAA University Division football season as an independent. In their second year under head coach Bennie Ellender, the team compiled a 6–5 record.

1972 Tulane Green Wave football
Conference	Independent
Record	6–5
Head coach	Bennie Ellender (2nd season)
Home stadium	Tulane Stadium
Seasons ← 1971 1973 →

1972 NCAA University Division independents football records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 10 Penn State			–					10	–	2	–	0
No. 14 Notre Dame			–					8	–	3	–	0
Utah State			–					8	–	3	–	0
West Virginia			–					8	–	4	–	0
Florida State			–					7	–	4	–	0
Northern Illinois			–					7	–	4	–	0
Rutgers			–					7	–	4	–	0
No. 20 Georgia Tech			–					7	–	4	–	1
Air Force			–					6	–	4	–	0
Army			–					6	–	4	–	0
Virginia Tech			–					6	–	4	–	1
Houston			–					6	–	4	–	1
Tulane			–					6	–	5	–	0
Temple			–					5	–	4	–	0
Colgate			–					5	–	4	–	1
Holy Cross			–					5	–	4	–	1
Syracuse			–					5	–	6	–	0
Miami (FL)			–					5	–	6	–	0
Dayton			–					4	–	6	–	1
Boston College			–					4	–	7	–	0
Navy			–					4	–	7	–	0
South Carolina			–					4	–	7	–	0
Southern Miss			–					3	–	7	–	1
Xavier			–					3	–	8	–	0
Marshall			–					2	–	8	–	0
Cincinnati			–					2	–	9	–	0
Villanova			–					2	–	9	–	0
Pittsburgh			–					1	–	10	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

In Tulane's loss at Miami, the Hurricanes were erroneously awarded a fifth down late in the fourth quarter, helping them drive to the winning touchdown.^[1] The Southeastern Conference, which assigned the officials for the game, acknowledged the error, but it was too late to change the outcome. Nearly two months later, Tulane came up achingly short in its quest to end a 24-year winless streak vs. archrival LSU in the season finale. Trailing 9–3 with seconds remaining, Green Wave halfback Bill Huber took a swing pass in the flat and appeared headed to a touchdown, but he was stopped at the 1-yard line by Tiger safety Frank Racine after time ran out.^[2]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 15	at Boston College		Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA	W 10–0	27,441	[3]
September 23	No. 16 Georgia		Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA	W 24–13	43,064	[4]
September 30	at No. 8 Michigan	No. 18	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI	L 7–41	84,162	[5]
October 7	Pittsburgh		Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA	W 38–6	20,417	[6]
October 14	at Miami (FL)		Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL	L 21–24	18,956	[1]
October 21	at West Virginia		Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV	L 19–31	29,500	[7]
October 28	at Georgia Tech		Grant Field Atlanta, GA	L 7–21	48,096	[8]
November 4	Kentucky		Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA	W 18–7	18,377	[9]
November 11	Ohio		Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA	W 44–6	17,535	[10]
November 18	at Vanderbilt		Dudley Field Nashville, TN	W 21–7	10,000	[11]
December 2	No. 11 LSU		Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA (Battle for the Rag)	L 3–9	85,372	[2]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

1972 Tulane Green Wave football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 22 Mike Foley Jr C 50 Rob Foley Jr QB 10 Steve Foley So QB 16 Mike Walker Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DE 80 Rusty Lee Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Bennie Ellender Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

References

1. "5th down touchdown pass lifts Miami over Tulane". The Miami Herald. October 15, 1972. Retrieved October 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Tigers nudge rugged Wave". The Shreveport Times. December 3, 1972. Retrieved October 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Tulane hangs 10–0 collar on BC". The Boston Globe. September 16, 1972. Retrieved October 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Tulane tips odds again; Georgia is victim, 24–13". The Atlanta Constitution. September 24, 1972. Retrieved October 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Michigan blitzes Tulane, 41–7". Detroit Free Press. October 1, 1972. Retrieved October 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Pitt smothered by Tulane, 38–6". The Pittsburgh Press. October 8, 1972. Retrieved October 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Turn-about, WVU converts Tulane mistakes into important 31–19 victory". Sunday Gazette-Mail. October 22, 1972. Retrieved October 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "'Jackets top Tulane 21–7". The Tampa Tribune. October 29, 1972. Retrieved October 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "'What's new, pussycats?' - Nothing as UK falls again". Lexington Herald-Leader. November 5, 1972. Retrieved October 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Green Wave clips Ohio U. by 44–6". The Daily Advertiser. November 12, 1972. Retrieved October 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Wave flattens Commodores 21–7". The Tennessean. November 19, 1972. Retrieved October 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.