Green Wave Club Donor of the Game: Rick Eisenstat
Sep 15, 2020 | General
Green Wave Club Donor of the Game (Sponsored by Tabasco) — Rick Eisenstat
Tulane University ('05), Tulane University Law School ('13)
Tell me a little bit about yourself.
"I'm originally from Suffern, New York, lower Hudson Valley. I was lucky enough to go to Tulane as an undergrad. My parents said I could go anywhere I wanted on the eastern side of the Mississippi River, so I got that in, just barely. I fell in love with New Orleans right away on my visit, so it was an easy decision. I was fortunate to attend Tulane on a Navy ROTC scholarship, so right after I graduated in May of 2005, I flew out to meet my first ship. A few months later, Hurricane Katrina hit and I was trying back to New Orleans as soon as possible. After the Navy, I went back to Tulane for law school, took the Louisiana Bar Exam, met my wife, Jessica, and started my practice here. It's funny, I still live Uptown, so sometimes it feels like I never left Tulane."
What did you enjoy most about your time at Tulane?
"That's also easy. Having the opportunity to go to school at Tulane gives you the opportunity to live in probably the greatest city in the world. Experiencing New Orleans and all that it has to offer — the culture, the food and drink, the music, the absolute uniqueness of this place — all kind of goes hand in hand with getting a world-class education at Tulane. Tulane also gave me an opportunity to meet people from all different walks of life. I've always appreciated that. I also didn't have to deal with snow anymore, so that was a positive."
After graduating from Tulane, you served in the Navy. This weekend's game must be a special one for you, what are you looking forward to most about it?
"It's always an exciting game for me. I'll tell you the truth because I'm obviously a big Tulane fan, but one weekend out of the year I do root for Navy. It's when no one else is playing but Navy and Army. Outside of that one exception, I'm not too keen on Navy. They play us tough year in and year out and it's usually a pivotal game. We match up really well. I really respect those guys too obviously and the commitment they made, not just as athletes but as midshipmen. But I want to beat them every year. The Trident Trophy is at stake!"
How have you seen Tulane Athletics change in the years since you were a student?
"Everyone does their best, I'm not trying to disparage one administration or one athletic department, but it's readily apparent that there's been a culture change, top to bottom, in the last few years at Tulane. It's fun to watch and it's truly a professional organization. As a donor, you want to support that. You can also kind of tell, from the outside looking in, that the department seems to run like a family. Everyone's bought in, everyone is having such a great time — staff, coaches, students. So as a donor, you also just want to do whatever you can to be a small part of that. When you go to a school, it becomes a lifelong connection, if you want it to be. At its best, it's a community, and athletics is often the public face of that community. You try to stay involved with your school and athletics is a really easy and fun way to do it, especially when you're winning."
What makes you proud to be a Tulanian?
"I'm very proud of the school and what it does both locally and globally. I'm also proud of the time spent, friendships made and degrees earned. But as a Tulane fan, I just think we're scrappy and that we're finally coming around after some truly tough times. Some bright spots too, but unfortunately not sustained. Looking forward, the whole department and specifically football at the moment, has the opportunity to make waves. Pun intended. There's no reason why we can't be a successful program. We can do it. It feels like the right pieces are in place. I think there's been a recognition that that's doable in the last few years and now you can see that there's a path towards it. And I think it's already starting to take hold, with back-to-back winning seasons. That's a definite start in the right direction. You look at other teams each Saturday and think, 'Why can't we compete for a conference championship?' 'Let's play in January.' There's no reason why we can't, let's get after it."
After watching Tulane get its first win of the season on Saturday, what are you most excited about for the rest of the season?
"Well, let's be honest, I think we all want to see the football season conclude after the scheduled games are played and make sure everyone stays safe and healthy along the way. Getting to Saturday was an incredible accomplishment by everyone involved. Doing all the right things and having, what looks like from the outside, a standard-setting protocol in place to keep everyone safe and healthy. I want to see this season safely conclude, I want to see that Tulane remains undefeated and I'd like to see us compete for a conference championship. So hopefully we can do that."
"Roll Wave, beat Navy!"
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 ('05), Tulane University Law School ('13)
Tell me a little bit about yourself.
"I'm originally from Suffern, New York, lower Hudson Valley. I was lucky enough to go to Tulane as an undergrad. My parents said I could go anywhere I wanted on the eastern side of the Mississippi River, so I got that in, just barely. I fell in love with New Orleans right away on my visit, so it was an easy decision. I was fortunate to attend Tulane on a Navy ROTC scholarship, so right after I graduated in May of 2005, I flew out to meet my first ship. A few months later, Hurricane Katrina hit and I was trying back to New Orleans as soon as possible. After the Navy, I went back to Tulane for law school, took the Louisiana Bar Exam, met my wife, Jessica, and started my practice here. It's funny, I still live Uptown, so sometimes it feels like I never left Tulane."
What did you enjoy most about your time at Tulane?
"That's also easy. Having the opportunity to go to school at Tulane gives you the opportunity to live in probably the greatest city in the world. Experiencing New Orleans and all that it has to offer — the culture, the food and drink, the music, the absolute uniqueness of this place — all kind of goes hand in hand with getting a world-class education at Tulane. Tulane also gave me an opportunity to meet people from all different walks of life. I've always appreciated that. I also didn't have to deal with snow anymore, so that was a positive."
After graduating from Tulane, you served in the Navy. This weekend's game must be a special one for you, what are you looking forward to most about it?
"It's always an exciting game for me. I'll tell you the truth because I'm obviously a big Tulane fan, but one weekend out of the year I do root for Navy. It's when no one else is playing but Navy and Army. Outside of that one exception, I'm not too keen on Navy. They play us tough year in and year out and it's usually a pivotal game. We match up really well. I really respect those guys too obviously and the commitment they made, not just as athletes but as midshipmen. But I want to beat them every year. The Trident Trophy is at stake!"
How have you seen Tulane Athletics change in the years since you were a student?
"Everyone does their best, I'm not trying to disparage one administration or one athletic department, but it's readily apparent that there's been a culture change, top to bottom, in the last few years at Tulane. It's fun to watch and it's truly a professional organization. As a donor, you want to support that. You can also kind of tell, from the outside looking in, that the department seems to run like a family. Everyone's bought in, everyone is having such a great time — staff, coaches, students. So as a donor, you also just want to do whatever you can to be a small part of that. When you go to a school, it becomes a lifelong connection, if you want it to be. At its best, it's a community, and athletics is often the public face of that community. You try to stay involved with your school and athletics is a really easy and fun way to do it, especially when you're winning."
What makes you proud to be a Tulanian?
"I'm very proud of the school and what it does both locally and globally. I'm also proud of the time spent, friendships made and degrees earned. But as a Tulane fan, I just think we're scrappy and that we're finally coming around after some truly tough times. Some bright spots too, but unfortunately not sustained. Looking forward, the whole department and specifically football at the moment, has the opportunity to make waves. Pun intended. There's no reason why we can't be a successful program. We can do it. It feels like the right pieces are in place. I think there's been a recognition that that's doable in the last few years and now you can see that there's a path towards it. And I think it's already starting to take hold, with back-to-back winning seasons. That's a definite start in the right direction. You look at other teams each Saturday and think, 'Why can't we compete for a conference championship?' 'Let's play in January.' There's no reason why we can't, let's get after it."
After watching Tulane get its first win of the season on Saturday, what are you most excited about for the rest of the season?
"Well, let's be honest, I think we all want to see the football season conclude after the scheduled games are played and make sure everyone stays safe and healthy along the way. Getting to Saturday was an incredible accomplishment by everyone involved. Doing all the right things and having, what looks like from the outside, a standard-setting protocol in place to keep everyone safe and healthy. I want to see this season safely conclude, I want to see that Tulane remains undefeated and I'd like to see us compete for a conference championship. So hopefully we can do that."
"Roll Wave, beat Navy!"
To learn more or make a gift to the Green Wave Club, visit GreenWaveClub.com.
Follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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