Tulane To Meet BYU In 2001 BCA Football Classic
Jun 26, 2001 | Football
June 26, 2001
NEW ORLEANS --Tulane will open the 2001 football season versus BYU in the BCA (Black Coaches Association) Classic in Provo, Utah on Saturday, August 25th, Tulane Athletic Director Rick Dickson announced Tuesday. The Green Wave will take on the Cougars in the fifth annual BCA preseason game, which will be nationally televised by ESPN2. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. Central Time at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
"We're very pleased to be able to participate in the Black Coaches Association game," Dickson said. "As we entered into discussions with The Gazelle Group (producer of the game) and the BCA, our interest was in providing our student-athletes with national exposure versus a national program, and that goal is certainly fulfilled with this matchup."
Tulane will play a 12th regular season game for the first time since the 1993 campaign when the Green Wave concluded the year with a game at Hawaii in Honolulu. Tulane has never participated in a preseason contest before.
"It's a privilege and an honor to be a part of this game representing the Black Coaches Association," said Tulane head coach Chris Scelfo. "Our players will have to make an adjustment to their summer schedules, but I know that they look forward to playing on national television versus a nationally known team like BYU."
The contest between Tulane and BYU offers a rematch of the 1998 Liberty Bowl game in Memphis, Tenn. which the Green Wave won 41-27 to cap a perfect 12-0 season. That game was the first as Tulane head coach for Scelfo and is the only previous meeting between these teams.
The Black Coaches Association is a non-profit organization whose primary purpose is to foster the growth and development of minorities at all level of sports, both nationally and internationally.
"We are thrilled to have two outstanding teams participating in this year's event," said Floyd Keith, Executive Director of the Black Coaches Association. "A match-up of this caliber on national television will provide the BCA with a tremendous amount of exposure."
Tulane, which posted a 6-5 record in 2000 after winning its final three games, returns 10 starters, including record-setting quarterback Patrick Ramsey and last year's Conference USA Freshman of the Year Mewelde Moore. The Green Wave will travel to LSU Sept. 1 and opens its home schedule Sept. 8 vs. East Carolina in the Superdome. Season tickets for the 2001 home schedule are on sale now in the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office at 504-861-WAVE.
