Green Wave Club Donor of the Game: Joe Shorter IV
Oct 6, 2020 | General
Green Wave Club Donor of the Game (Sponsored by Tabasco) — Joe Shorter IV
Tulane University (TC '98)
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
"I am a native New Orleanian. I grew up in New Orleans and eventually graduated from Tulane in 1998 with my bachelor's degree in math. I currently am in Atlanta, Georgia working as a benefits consultant with EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants. I grew up a Tulane fan, and growing up in New Orleans was part of it. My grandparents had a house on Zimpel Street when I was a kid, about three blocks from campus, and my uncles both sold concessions at the original Tulane Stadium. My grandparents even sold parking spots on their lawn for Tulane and Saints games back in the day. When I would go to my grandparents' house and just run around the neighborhood as a kid, I spent a lot of time wandering on or near campus so that was a big part of my growing up experience. I remember when there was a pool where the Newcomb Art Gallery sits because it was in that pool that I learned how to swim! When I got the chance to attend Tulane, that's something that I was excited to do."
What did you enjoy most about your time at Tulane?
"There's a lot. One of the things that I enjoyed the most, and is something that is still with me, is that I was a member of the rugby team and some of my best friends from school are guys who played with me. We would hang out and do things that college kids in New Orleans like to do, but I think that was probably my favorite experience as a student, the camaraderie that I got from that. Also just meeting so many fascinating and wonderful people from all over the country and all over the world. It's such a great melting pot and that's one of the things that, as an institution, we really excel at."
What do you love most about the city of New Orleans?
"Food, family, the coffee and the community. The spirit of our city and the soul of our city are really important to me. There's no other place in the world like it. It's interesting because I live in Atlanta now and being behind enemy lines in Falcons territory, it's just a totally different world on Sundays. As early as Friday in New Orleans, you see everyone wearing Saints shirts everywhere you go – the grocery store, everywhere. Here, it's kind of just, 'Oh a football game's on, okay.' The spirit of the city is something that is unmatched and I think with Tulane Athletics being where we want it to be, like you say we're NOLA Built and I think the city will get behind us one day and you'll start seeing that same energy for Tulane. That's the kind of town that New Orleans is. When you love New Orleans, New Orleans will love you back. That's one of the things that I love most about it."
What does being a Tulane fan mean to you?
"First it means loyalty because we've gone through a lot. I'm not just talking about the '80s being hard or anything like that but really, more recently, with the review back in 2003 and then with Katrina in 2005 and rebuilding from that. Between all of that, we've been through a lot. It's part of the spirit of New Orleans. We've all bonded together to bring us back to a place where we can become even better and excel, so that's what it really means to me. That loyalty and really just never giving up and never quitting, really persevering is I think what makes us who we are."
It's been an exciting season so far. What are you looking forward to most about Tulane football's matchup against Houston on Thursday night?
"Against Houston I'm looking for us to build on what we had against Southern Miss. It's hard to tell what to expect from Houston because they haven't played a game this year, but I mean just seeing our guys play four quarters and really just put it to 'em. Let the rest of the country know that, sure we have other conferences starting to play soon but there's other schools out there too that play ball. And we're one of them."
To learn more or make a gift to the Green Wave Club, visit GreenWaveClub.com.
Follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Tulane University (TC '98)
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
"I am a native New Orleanian. I grew up in New Orleans and eventually graduated from Tulane in 1998 with my bachelor's degree in math. I currently am in Atlanta, Georgia working as a benefits consultant with EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants. I grew up a Tulane fan, and growing up in New Orleans was part of it. My grandparents had a house on Zimpel Street when I was a kid, about three blocks from campus, and my uncles both sold concessions at the original Tulane Stadium. My grandparents even sold parking spots on their lawn for Tulane and Saints games back in the day. When I would go to my grandparents' house and just run around the neighborhood as a kid, I spent a lot of time wandering on or near campus so that was a big part of my growing up experience. I remember when there was a pool where the Newcomb Art Gallery sits because it was in that pool that I learned how to swim! When I got the chance to attend Tulane, that's something that I was excited to do."
What did you enjoy most about your time at Tulane?
"There's a lot. One of the things that I enjoyed the most, and is something that is still with me, is that I was a member of the rugby team and some of my best friends from school are guys who played with me. We would hang out and do things that college kids in New Orleans like to do, but I think that was probably my favorite experience as a student, the camaraderie that I got from that. Also just meeting so many fascinating and wonderful people from all over the country and all over the world. It's such a great melting pot and that's one of the things that, as an institution, we really excel at."
What do you love most about the city of New Orleans?
"Food, family, the coffee and the community. The spirit of our city and the soul of our city are really important to me. There's no other place in the world like it. It's interesting because I live in Atlanta now and being behind enemy lines in Falcons territory, it's just a totally different world on Sundays. As early as Friday in New Orleans, you see everyone wearing Saints shirts everywhere you go – the grocery store, everywhere. Here, it's kind of just, 'Oh a football game's on, okay.' The spirit of the city is something that is unmatched and I think with Tulane Athletics being where we want it to be, like you say we're NOLA Built and I think the city will get behind us one day and you'll start seeing that same energy for Tulane. That's the kind of town that New Orleans is. When you love New Orleans, New Orleans will love you back. That's one of the things that I love most about it."
What does being a Tulane fan mean to you?
"First it means loyalty because we've gone through a lot. I'm not just talking about the '80s being hard or anything like that but really, more recently, with the review back in 2003 and then with Katrina in 2005 and rebuilding from that. Between all of that, we've been through a lot. It's part of the spirit of New Orleans. We've all bonded together to bring us back to a place where we can become even better and excel, so that's what it really means to me. That loyalty and really just never giving up and never quitting, really persevering is I think what makes us who we are."
It's been an exciting season so far. What are you looking forward to most about Tulane football's matchup against Houston on Thursday night?
"Against Houston I'm looking for us to build on what we had against Southern Miss. It's hard to tell what to expect from Houston because they haven't played a game this year, but I mean just seeing our guys play four quarters and really just put it to 'em. Let the rest of the country know that, sure we have other conferences starting to play soon but there's other schools out there too that play ball. And we're one of them."
To learn more or make a gift to the Green Wave Club, visit GreenWaveClub.com.
Follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
WE ARE NOLA BUILT
Tulane University is located in the city of New Orleans. It is a city built on tradition and resiliency. The lessons Green Wave student-athletes have learned through their connection with this university and city have BUILT doctors, lawyers, business leaders, conference champions, all-conference players, All-Americans, professional athletes and NCAA tournament teams. The city of New Orleans has shaped us into who we are today. We are One City. We are Tulane. We are NOLA BUILT. Check out our story at NolaBuilt.com.
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