Normally, when you mention the term “cradle of coaches”, the first thing that comes to mind is Miami of Ohio, who has blessed us with coaches such as Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler, Dick Crum, and Weeb Ewbank.
However, what you may not know is that Tulane, although not boasting the history of Miami of Ohio or sustained, has been blessed with a few coaches that went on to fame elsewhere after leaving Uptown New Orleans.
Mack Brown (1985-87)
On Valentine’s Day, I had drinks with several friends in Downtown Memphis. Being that we were all SEC fans (most of these folks were Ole Miss fans by the way), the tenor of the conversation was heavily focused on the SEC of course.
When I brought up the fact that Mack Brown coached in New Orleans, many of my friends were amazed that Brown did in fact coach in Uptown.
Long before he recruited Johnny Manziel and your favorite college quarterback as safeties, Mack Brown was athletic director and head coach at Tulane. At the time Brown arrived at the school, then-president Eammon Kelly disbanded the basketball program due to an embarrassing point shaving scandal, forcing out athletic director Hindman Wall. In addition to the basketball scandal, Tulane football had 41 of its 59 players on academic probation as well as $41,000 worth of unpaid credit card bills charged to the school.
Within three seasons, Brown would have the Green Wave in a bowl game, leading Tulane to the 1987 Independence Bowl against Washington. Shortly after that, Brown would move on to the University of North Carolina and then the University of Texas, where he won a national title in 2005.
Larry Smith (1976-79)
Smith is largely known for resurrecting the University of Missouri football program in the 1990’s as well as coaching the USC Trojans in the 1980’s.
Hired in 1976, Smith improved he Green Wave every season, elevating them to a 9-2 regular season in 1979 as well as victory over LSU in the Superdome in the same season. After losing to Penn State in that year’s Liberty Bowl, Smith moved on to the University of Arizona.
Tommy Bowden (1997-98)
A member of one of college football’s greatest families, Bowden was hired to replace Buddy Teevens in 1997. Bowden immediately turned around the fortunes of the Green Wave, elevating them to a 7-4 record in his first season. The following year would be better as Tulane, behind the excellent play of Shaun King at quarterback, finished 12-0 and #7 in the nation. The job Bowden did at Tulane caught the attention of Clemson University, who eventually hired him as head coach, where he remained until 2008.
Clark Shaughnessy (1915-20, 22-26)
One of the greatest minds in football history, Shaughnessy led Tulane for 11 years, save for a one year absence. During his time in Uptown, Tulane won 59 games, still the most by any coach in school history as well as conference titles in 1920 and 1925. In fact, had Tulane officials not interfered, the Green Wave, not Alabama, would have been the first Southern team in the Rose Bowl in 1925.
In 1927, a New Orleans millionaire financed a ten-year contract to Shaughnessy for him to be the head coach at what was then Loyola University of the South. After leaving New Orleans, he moved on to other avenues, one being a consultant for the Chicago Bears and helped them prepare for their triumph in the 1940 NFL championship over the Washington Redskins.
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