Tulane Takes Football Back to Campus With New Yulman Stadium

For the first time since 1974, the Tulane Green Wave will play a football game on campus.

Tulane’s new 30,000-seat Yulman Stadium opens its doors for students, fans, and alumni to watch the football team take on Georgia Tech, Saturday at 4 p.m. ET.

A project set into motion in January 2013, fighting through litigation to become reality, will finally give long-time supporters of Tulane football a cathedral to call their own; one not shared by an NFL franchise; one that will, hopefully, house many cherished moments in Tulane football history, similar to the nearly 50 years of history shrouded in the memory of its predecessor, the late Tulane Stadium.

You can’t know where you’re going until you know where you’ve been. Before we shed light on the Green Wave’s new playground, let’s look back on the stadium that once captivated the New Orleans community and contributed to the foundation of not only Tulane football, but football as a whole.

• Tulane Stadium opened in 1926 with seating capacity around 35,000 (expanding to 80, 985 seats in 1956)
• The inaugural Sugar Bowl was played at Tulane Stadium on January 1, 1935 between Tulane and future AAC rival, Temple
• Tulane University and Tulane Stadium were both built on an old sugar plantation which influenced the naming of the Sugar Bowl game
• The Saints called Tulane Stadium home from 1967 to 1974
• Tulane Stadium hosted Super Bowls IV, VI and IX

Tulane Stadium was demolished in the Summer of 1980, but the  “Queen of Southern Stadiums,” as it was once referred, was a staple in football glory from its inception to its unfortunate end. Sugar Bowl classics, Super Bowls and memorable Tulane football games have cemented Tulane Stadium in the annals of football lore.

Upon completion of Tulane Stadium, The Times-Picayune, the official voice of New Orleans since 1914, said the stadium stood as “convincing proof of the community’s appreciation of its great university, the loyalty and generosity of Tulane’s alumni and student body.”

Tulane’s new home, Yulman Stadium, is modern-day proof of the strong support for Tulane football that still exists among the 300,000 plus residents of the Crescent City.

Even when some homeowners living near the Uptown campus between the baseball team’s Turchin Stadium and the former site of Tulane Stadium where the new Yulman Stadium resides, fought hard to extinguish plans for building the stadium, fearing construction would disrupt their way of life.

The potential benefits gained from an on-campus stadium for both the football team and the Tulane community, ultimately swayed the opposition enough for stadium plans to pass city ordinances and break ground on creating Tulane’s new campus gem.

Yulman Stadium is, appropriately, named after major donors and New Orleans’ philanthropists Janet and Richard Yulman. Players will mash helmets on Benson Field, named after New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson to honor he and his wife’s charitable donation towards construction.

Visitors to Tulane’s state-of-the-art football palace on gameday have the privilege of enjoying a spread of amenities exclusive to Yulman Stadium.

Tulane supporters who pledge $50,000 or more in donations over five years can watch football in luxury in the Glazer Family Club, located in the middle of the upper and lower decks of the home sideline. Other amenities include  a ground-level meeting hall that can be used by the university community year-round, Mullen Letterwinners Lounge displaying historical moments in Tulane athletics, Westfeldt Terrace — a covered open-air space offering wide field angles and an unmatched view of the New Orleans’ skyline, and checkerboard end zones that pay homage to the field at Tulane Stadium.

Yulman Stadium contains a reservoir of services to offer fans, but those close to the Tulane football family who desire to see the team compete at a high level, hope the new stadium services more than just spectators on Saturdays.

“I believe its going to bring new excitement and enthusiasm into the players, fans, and coaches,” former Tulane football great and current Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte said in a statement after the university announced its plans for Yulman Stadium. “More people will be able to attend games, creating a home-field advantage for our team…having an on-campus stadium will be invaluable.”

Tulane coaches, administrators, and former players, believe Yulman Stadium can be an invaluable recruiting tool for players who take campus visits. Eighteen-year-olds, like most kids, drool over shiny new toys. There’s a reason why Oregon players adorn flashy new uniforms each Saturday, and it’s not to break records for all-time uniform combinations.

For shiny new Yulman Stadium to attract better football players and develop into one of the AAC’s toughest places to steal a win, the Green Wave must field a winning product.

All winning starts with setting a foundation for success. Old Tulane Stadium was once the foundation for the most successful era in Tulane football history. The Green Wave took home six conference titles, appeared in five bowl games,  and defeated LSU 10 times while tenants of Tulane Stadium.

Yulman Stadium represents a new foundation for future gridiron glory as Tulane finds its footing in the AAC.

Visit yulmanstadium.com to read more about the Green Wave’s outstanding new facility.