Year-By-Year Summaries (1920s)
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1920 (6-2-1)
Head Coach: Clark Shaughnessy
Another strong start and another 6-2-1 record tell the story of Tulane's 1920 season. The first four opponents were outscored by a combined 140-0 that fall.
Tulane then fell to Michigan after a long train ride to Ann Arbor that marked the program's first-ever intersectional contest. The team went on to shut out its next three opponents, the last of which was LSU, which fell 21-0 in Baton Rouge. The nickname "Green Wave" was affixed to the program that season and it endured. Coach Shaughnessy resigned after the season, but returned in 1922.
Date Opponent Location Score ResultO2 UL-Lafayette New Orleans, La. 79-0 WO9 Mississippi College New Orleans, La. 29-0 WO16 Rice New Orleans, La. 0-0 TO23 Ole Miss New Orleans, La. 32-0 WO30 at Michigan Ann Arbor, Mich. 0-21 LN6 at Florida Tampa, Fla. 14-0 WN13 Mississippi State New Orleans, La. 6-0 WN25 at LSU Baton Rouge, La. 21-0 WD4 Detroit New Orleans, La. 0-7 L
1921 (4-6)
Head Coach: Myron Fuller
Myron Fuller replaced Clark Shaughnessy as head coach and things did not work well. The Green Wave's record slid to 4-6, the first losing season for the program since 1913.
The 10-game schedule was the most ever for Tulane up to that point. The team won three of the first four before a collapse that saw only one win in the last six contests.
The only win during the skid was a 21-0 verdict over LSU. The last TD in the win over LSU came on a 65-yard punt return by a freshman named Alfred "Brother" Brown, who would go on to become one of Tulane's all-time great football players.
Date Opponent Location Score ResultO1 Mississippi College New Orleans, La. 0-14 LO8 Ole Miss New Orleans, La. 26-0 WO15 at Rice Houston, Texas 7-6 WO22 Mississippi State New Orleans, La. 7-0 WO29 at Detroit Detroit, Mich. 10-14 LN5 Auburn New Orleans, La. 0-14 LN12 at Washington (Mo.) St. Louis, Mo. 6-14 LN19 LSU New Orleans, La. 21-0 WN24 Centre New Orleans, La. 0-21 LD3 Alabama New Orleans, La. 7-13 L
1922 (4-4)
Head Coach: Clark Shaughnessy
Clark Shaughnessy returned to Tulane in 1922 and began laying the foundation for one of the greatest eras in the program's history by bringing in football players who would help to make Tulane a national power on the gridiron.
The season got off to a strong start as Tulane outscored the opposition 104-10 in racing to a 4-0 record. The final four games of the season were losses, however, and the final record was 4-4.
Date Opponent Location Score ResultO7 Mississippi College New Orleans, La. 30-0 WO14 Spring Hill New Orleans, La. 30-10 WO21 Camp Benning New Orleans, La. 18-0 WO28 Mississippi State New Orleans, La. 26-0 WN4 North Carolina New Orleans, La. 12-19 LN11 at Auburn Montgomery, Ala. 0-19 LN18 Florida New Orleans, La. 6-27 LN30 at LSU Baton Rouge, La. 14-25 L
1923 (6-3-1)
Head Coach: Clark Shaughnessy
One of the highlights of 1923 for Tulane football was the hiring of assistant coach Bernie Bierman, who would eventually replace Clark Shaughnessy as Tulane head coach and go on to a Hall of Fame career himself.
The 1923 team compiled a 3-3-1 mark before finishing with a flourish by winning its last three games by a combined score of 58-8. Those three wins at the end of the 1923 season kicked off a school record eight-game winning streak and was the beginning of a four-season stretch where Tulane compiled a 21-1-1 record.
Date Opponent Location Score ResultS29 UL-Lafayette New Orleans, La. 20-2 WO6 Mississippi College New Orleans, La. 18-3 WO13 at Texas Beaumont, Texas 0-33 LO20 Louisiana Tech New Orleans, La. 13-7 WO27 at Vanderbilt Nashville, Tenn. 0-17 LN3 at Tennessee Knoxville, Tenn. 2-13 LN10 at Auburn Montgomery, Ala. 6-6 TN17 Ole Miss New Orleans, La. 19-0 WN24 LSU New Orleans, La. 20-0 WN29 Washington (Mo.) New Orleans, La. 19-8 W
1924 (8-1)
Head Coach: Clark Shaughnessy
Tulane football exploded into national prominence in 1924, setting a new school record for wins with the only loss a 14-6 defeat to Mississippi State. The team won its first five, lost to MSU, then won its last three as captain Brother Brown led the offensive charge with several 100-yard rushing efforts.
Guard Milton Levy and backs Brown and Charles "Peggy" Flournoy were named All-Southern for their play in 1924 as the Green Wave outscored the opposition 201-59 over the course of the season.
Date Opponent Location Score ResultS27 UL-Lafayette New Orleans, La. 14-0 WO4 Mississippi College New Orleans, La. 32-7 WO11 Louisiana Tech New Orleans, La. 42-12 WO18 Vanderbilt New Orleans, La. 21-13 WO25 Spring Hill New Orleans, La. 33-0 WN1 Mississippi State New Orleans, La. 6-14 LN8 at Auburn Montgomery, Ala. 14-6 WN15 Tennessee New Orleans, La. 26-7 WN27 at LSU Baton Rouge, La. 13-0 W
1925 (9-0-1)
Head Coach: Clark Shaughnessy
For the second year in a row, Tulane set a school record for wins in a season as Clark Shaughnessy's finest Tulane team finished 9-0-1. The tie came against Missouri in game two and nobody else came within 10 points of this juggernaut.
All-American Charles "Peggy" Flournoy, one of the game's best punters, was also a threat toting the football and established TU records for touchdowns and points in a season and in a game that endure to this day.
The 1925 team exploded to a 77-0 win over Louisiana College in the season opener as captain Lester Lautenschlaeger returned two punts for touchdowns. The Wave did not give up two TDs in any game and scored in double figures against everyone but Missouri.
Guard Milton Levy and Flournoy were named All-Southern for the second season in a row on a team full of stars that outscored the opposition by a combined 246-32. Tulane's administration turned down a Rose Bowl bid because the trip would keep the team away from its studies.
Date Opponent Location Score ResultS26 Louisiana College New Orleans, La. 77-0 WO3 Missouri New Orleans, La. 6-6 TO10 Ole Miss New Orleans, La. 26-7 WO17 Mississippi State New Orleans, La. 25-3 WO24 at Northwestern Evanston, Ill. 18-7 WO31 at Auburn Montgomery, Ala. 13-0 WN7 Louisiana Tech New Orleans, La. 37-9 WN14 Sewanee New Orleans, La. 14-0 WN21 at LSU Baton Rouge, La. 16-0 WN26 at Centenary Shreveport, La. 14-0 W
1926 (3-5-1)
Head Coach: Clark Shaughnessy
Tulane moved into its brand-new home on Willow Street on Oct. 23, even as Clark Shaughnessy was coaching his last season at Tulane and suffering his only losing campaign.
A 40-0 romp over Louisiana Tech got the season off to a promising start, but the team scored more than 10 points only once the rest of the season and finished 3-5-1.
Date Opponent Location Score ResultS25 Louisiana Tech New Orleans, La. 40-0 WO2 at Missouri Columbia, Mo. 0-0 TO9 at Georgia Tech Atlanta, Ga. 6-9 LO16 at New York New York, N.Y. 0-21 LO23 Auburn New Orleans, La. 0-2 LO30 Ole Miss New Orleans, La. 6-0 WN6 at Mississippi State Starkville, Miss. 0-14 LN13 at Sewanee Sewanee, Tenn. 19-7 WN25 LSU New Orleans, La. 0-7 L
1927 (2-5-1)
Head Coach: Bernie Bierman
Former assistant coach Bernie Bierman, who had been head coach at Mississippi State for two years, returned to Tulane as head coach. Although Bierman was ultimately to lead Tulane football to its greatest heights, his first season ended with a 2-5-1 record. It marked the first time the Green Wave suffered back-to-back losing seasons since 1905-06 and it did not happen again until 1945-46.
The Green Wave defeated Ole Miss in the season opener and LSU in the season finale for its only two wins that fall. It was a dark period for a program used to better times, but the seed of future success was present in halfback Bill Banker, who helped Tulane back to prosperity quickly.
Date Opponent Location Score ResultO1 Ole Miss New Orleans, La. 19-7 WO8 at Georgia Tech Atlanta, Ga. 6-13 LO15 Mississippi State New Orleans, La. 6-13 LO22 at Vanderbilt Nashville, Tenn. 0-32 LO29 Georgia New Orleans, La. 0-31 LN5 Auburn New Orleans, La. 6-6 TN12 at Sewanee Sewanee, Tenn. 6-12 LN24 at LSU Baton Rouge, La. 13-6 W
1928 (6-3-1)
Head Coach: Bernie Bierman
Bernie Bierman showed he had things pointed in the right direction when the Green Wave slaughtered its first two 1928 opponents by a combined score of 116-6 as Lake Charles native Bill Banker, the "Blond Blizzard," scored eight TDs.
Captain Charles Rucker led a strong offensive line that helped the Green Wave outscore the opposition 264-76 that fall.
A narrow loss to Georgia Tech started a three-game losing streak, but when that streak was over, Tulane did not lose again for nearly two years. From Nov. 3, 1928, until Bierman left the program after the 1932 Rose Bowl, Tulane compiled a football record of 32-2-1.
Date Opponent Location Score ResultS29 at Northwestern State Natchitoches, La. 65-0 WO6 at Mississippi State Starkville, Miss. 51-6 WO13 Georgia Tech New Orleans, La. 0-12 LO20 Vanderbilt New Orleans, La. 6-13 LO27 at Georgia Athens, Ga. 14-20 LN3 Millsaps New Orleans, La. 27-0 WN10 Auburn New Orleans, La. 13-12 WN17 Sewanee New Orleans, La. 41-6 WN24 Louisiana College New Orleans, La. 47-7 WN29 LSU New Orleans, La. 0-0 T
1929 (9-0)
Head Coach: Bernie Bierman
Coach Bernie Bierman led a team of Tulane future legends to a 9-0 finish that featured five shutouts and plenty of offensive fireworks. Captain Bill Banker ended his magnificent Tulane career with All-America recognition. His name remains a fixture in the Tulane record book.
Running behind a ferocious line anchored by All-Southern center Lloyd "Preacher" Roberts, Banker and fellow halfback Ike Armstrong shredded opposing defenses as the Wave outscored the other side 297-45.
Making his first appearance for the Green Wave that fall was a young Arkansan named Jerry Dalrymple, whose end play during his three-year career led many to consider him the finest player in Tulane history.
Date Opponent Location Score ResultS28 Northwestern State New Orleans, La. 40-6 WO5 Texas A&M New Orleans, La. 13-10 WO12 Mississippi State New Orleans, La. 34-0 WO19 UL-Lafayette New Orleans, La. 60-0 WO26 Georgia Tech New Orleans, La. 20-14 WN2 at Georgia Columbus, Ga. 21-15 WN9 Auburn New Orleans, La. 52-0 WN16 Sewanee New Orleans, La. 18-0 WN28 at LSU Baton Rouge, La. 21-0 W
