WWW.TULANEHULLABALOO.COM : a Cinderella story With no happy ending a loss, that it did not receive a Bowl BY WILL POTTS mately the blame goes up. Dickson AVE - ｾ ｌ ｉ SENIOR STAFF REPORTER Championship Series bowl berth. announced his retirement for May I DUNNO- W»AT Regardless of the past, Tulane had 2016, and while Johnson deserves the SEE THE {)Qf:S IT J...001< . We built it, and the results didn't the chance it needed n 2014. It had a chance to try and take the program in come. glistening stadium which symbolized a new direction, the patience of Tulane BAhl? J.. JKE"? Yulman Stadium, completed in the the school's newfound dedication to its fans is wearing thin. fall of 2014, was expected not only to football program. The shoe did not yet Tulane's tenure in the halls of Yul- bring home the fit, as the quality of the team's on-field man Stadium is very young, but the football team, which had previous- performances did not yet match the stadium's impact will only deteriorate ly played its games off campus in the quality of the facilities. The university year by year. Now, the stadium may Mercedes-Benz Superdome, but also a clung to the notion that its team would still draw larger crowds than Tulanes new era for an all-but-forgotten foot- grow to the excellence of its surround- performances deserve, btit that cannot ball program. ings. be counted upon for very long. It had the makings of a fairy tale. Tulane even had a bigger and bet- The Green Wave football program 1he ugly and ignored Green Wave ter conference, leaving C-USA for the cannot allow its facilities, and the new- had been relegated to the shadows for more respected American Athletic ness of the culture it hopes to cultivate, years as its prettier sisters in the colle- Conference. Questions about strength as justification for complacency. It giate football ranks stole the spotlight. of schedule, which had previously must not let its dreams for the future '!hen, one day, with no expense spared, hampered Tulane's postseason oppor- distract from the direness of its current a $73 million glass slipper presented tunities, would be a thing of the past. situation. itself. Richard Yulman appeared to be All the pieces were in place. The school There is a lacking sense of urgency. Tulane's knight in shining armor. finally had its ticket to the ball. Tulane tailgates are excuses to engage To students and fans alike, this slip- But, like its receiving corps, Tulane in pre-game debauchery when one per, with a 30,000-seat capacity, was dropped it. normally wakes up. The exodus from Tulane's ticket to a level of relevancy it Great stadiums alone do not make the Lavin-Bernick Center Quad is not had not enjoyed since an undefeated great football programs. State-of-the- toward the stadium but toward stu- 1998 season. art facilities can undoubtedly help at- dents' dorms. But even the '98 season is easy to tract new recruits and perpetuate the After halftime, the students in discredit, as it was during Tulane's growth of school spirit and football Yulman's stands are not holding signs membership in Conference USA. 1hat support, but only to an extent and Green Wave flags, they're hold- season, C-USA was ranked 8 out of Since Athletic Director Rick Dick- ing brass instruments because the the 25 conferences. 1hough that may son took the helm in 2000, the Green only people left are seem impressive, in the years since, all Wave has won a miserable 50 percent Marching Band. but 2 of the conferences once ranked (62-125) of their gaines. Tulane head The window is closing for Tulane to below them have either been absorbed coach Curtis Johnson has continued capitalize on the opportunity afforded or disbanded. The conference was this trend, as his team has won just 47 by its $73 million glass slipper. It bet- percent (14-30) of the time as of last ter make the shoe fit soon, or else it'll considered so ineffectual, despite Tu- COURTESY OF TULANE JAMBALAYA lane being one of only two D-1 schools week's 31-14 loss to Navy. be stuck with the trash of Division I The 1966 Tulane Jambalaya mocks Tulane football to finish the regular season without There are many factors affecting football, with a clear reminder of what Tulane's on-field struggles, but ulti- could have been. and its capabilities. In 2015, the joke still relates.

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