Tulane Stadium:  The Sugar Bowl

It's not often you hear of a college football stadium being razed. Unfortunately it happens all the time to old baseball stadiums. Comiskey Park is gone. Cleveland Stadium is history and Tiger Stadium closed shop this past September. Soon Detroit will have a fancy new place with air-conditioned luxury suites, self-flushing toilets and a Mexican restaurant called Taco Me Out To The Ballgame. I'm making the Mexican place up, but I'm sure they'll have at least one theme restaurant that will sell over-priced, over-cooked food you wouldn't give your neighbor's dog.

The most galling thing you'll find at one these new ballparks, is the old-time memorabilia displayed through out. They'll have it all when it comes to the history of the Tigers. You'll see Al Kaline's bat, Hank Greenberg's cap, Ty Cobb's cleats, Lolich's baseballs- that's just the stuff you'll find in the brewpub.

In all likelihood, they'll have the home plate from Tiger Stadium displayed somewhere. Dirty and covered with spike marks, it will seem out of place. It's out of place because there's history associated with it, unlike the well-lit, well-scrubbed venue it is now housed. You can give a stadium an old-time look, but you can't give it an old-time feel. That feeling comes from tradition. Something the old-time places had and a feeling that will take Pizza Hut Field or whatever they'll call it, a long time to establish.

College football doesn't have this problem. Take a look at the majority of major college programs. For the most part they play in stadiums built prior to World War II. Some will say that they're dirty and cramped. Others describe them as crusty and inconvenient.

I choose to use the word character. College football stadiums are oozing with it. Character built from years of great games and afternoons that are as vivid in our mind as they were 30, 40 and even 50 years ago. These are the places where many of us saw our first football game. They're home to some of our most treasured memories. They're home to emotions and feelings that you don't get anywhere else.

Home, that's what I feel like when I walk into Florida Field. I'm sure there are thousands of Nittany Lions who feel the same way when they enter Beaver Stadium, and the same goes for Vols entering Neyland or Aggies as they approach Kyle Field. We all feel comfortable in these places and one of the reasons we do is we know they aren't' going anywhere. They'll be here for our children and our children's children.

So it is rare, and in a way tragic when a college football shrine goes the way of the wrecking ball. But this is what happened to one of the most glorious venues in the game's history. So now without any further adieu, here is the story of the rise and fall of Tulane Stadium, home of the Mid-Winter Sports Association's Sugar Bowl.

TULANE STADIUM (The Sugar Bowl)

Tulane University is located on what was once the Etienne de Borets sugar plantation, so it makes sense that they'd have a football stadium known to many as the Sugar Bowl. Its official name is Tulane Stadium and on October 23, 1926, it played host to its first game. The stadium could accommodate roughly 20,000 spectators and consisted of two sides. Bleachers were added in the endzones for big games.

In 1934, an organization known as the Mid-winters Sports Association was formed. Led by Fred Digby, a local newspaper writer, the association's main goal was to stage a New Year's Day bowl game in New Orleans. They approached Tulane about having the game played at Tulane Stadium. At first the university was leery about the idea, but they soon realized that the association would be willing to pay for stadium improvements if the game turned out to be a success and thus become an annual event. The two signed a lease giving the Mid-Winter's Sports Association a one day rent-free lease. In the first Sugar Bowl classic, the Green Wave battled Temple in front of 22,026. The game was a hit and plans were made to immediately increase the stadium's size.

According to Marty Mule's book, The Sugar Bowl: The First 50 Years, there was talk of moving the game to another of New Orleans' stadiums, City Park Stadium and increasing its capacity to 70,000. Mule also mentions a plan to construct a 100,000 seat stadium near Lake Pontchartrain. In an effort to enlarge their facility as well as keep the Sugar Bowl from moving, Tulane tried to obtain WPA funds, but since Tulane was a private institution, the plan failed. Eventually a solution was worked out. Tulane would loan the Sugar Bowl committee the money to expand the stadium. Paying $20,000 a year, the committee had eight years to pay Tulane back. Crews immediately demolished the stadium's north endzone bleachers and replaced them with a permanent structure. Tulane Stadium's shape was now a horseshoe and by the '38 Sugar Bowl it could hold over 41,000.

But that still wasn't enough seats for what was becoming a major U.S. sporting event. Judging concrete to be too expensive, steel bought at a price of over $500,000 was purchased to build upper decks on both sides as well as add more endzone seats. It was now a complete bowl and stadium capacity grew to well over 73,000. By New Year's Day 1940, Tulane Stadium was the largest in the South. Seven years later, both endzones had upper decks. 85,000 witnessed the 1949 Sugar Bowl match-up between Oklahoma and North Carolina.

One thing the planners didn't review very well were the locker rooms. They weren't located inside the stadium. They were in a small brick building which wasn't connected to the stadium. They used to form police barricades running from the doors of the locker room to the team busses. They also didn't do much thinking on how people were going to get to games. Parking was at a premium and most residents of the nearby neighborhood would charge to park in their yards. One salvation was a street car line that ran only about a half mile from the campus.

Things stayed pretty much the same until the 70's. In the spring of 1970, Astroturf replaced natural grass and in '73, the Sugar Bowl was moved from New Year's Day to New Years Eve night. This move meant new lights were needed (The first set were installed in 1957). The move to New Year's Eve night proved to be a mistake. All though the Sugar Bowl received more money from ABC television (who broadcast the game and paid the $100,000 for the new lights), the attendance, as well as the ratings suffered.

Poor ratings aside, Tulane Stadium had bigger problems. On November 10, 1967, New Orleans voters approved the construction of a domed stadium, the Louisiana Superdome. The climate-controlled Dome would be the new home to all three of Tulane Stadium's tenants, the New Orleans Saints, the Tulane Green Wave and the Sugar Bowl Classic. Due to an incredibly slow building process, ground to the Superdome wasn't even broke until 1971 and its first game wasn't until four years later. Tulane Stadium went out in style its last seven years. It would play host to three Super bowls and the '73 college football national championship game.

The Green Wave's last on-campus football game was a 26 -10 loss to Ole Miss on November 30, 1974. Tulane Stadium's final Sugar Bowl was a month later. Two weeks after that, the Steelers won their first of four Super Bowls and the curtain pretty much closed on the venerable, old place.

Rusting and under maintained Tulane Stadium managed to survive the Seventies. It hosted both high school and intramural games, but it was just a matter of time until the wrecking ball arrived. In 1980, that day finally came.

A few of its greatest games:

BOSTON COLLEGE vs. TENNESSEE 1/1/41
The Volunteers 807. Everyone else 42. This is how much UT had outscored their opponents during the 1938, '39 and '40 seasons. The Vols were a machine, but Boston College was no slouch. Frank Leahy's squad had gone 19-2 the previous two years and was 10-0 heading into the '41 Sugar Bowl. Tennessee's coach General Robert Neyland had perfected the single-wing offense and Leahy had spent the month leading up to the game trying to devise a way to stop it. He thought he was in pretty good shape, but he was having a tough time with one of the Vol plays. A play where the QB would drop back to pass, fake it and run inside the end. Leahy was so impressed with the play he added it to his own arsenal. He even gave it a name, the Tennessee Special.

The Vols led 7-0 at the half, but aided by a blocked punt, the Eagles were able to tie the game and at the end of three quarters the score stood at 13-13. It remained that way until late in the final stanza. The Eagles began a drive at their own 20 and managed to march down to the Vols' 24. It was here that Leahy decided to give Neyland a taste of his own medicine. He called for the Tennessee Special. Eagle QB Charlie O'Rourke ran the play to perfection and scored what would turn out to be the winning points. Florida's future head coach Ray Graves, playing for the Vols that day, described the play like this, "I had a clear shot at him and missed. He kept going parallel to the line of scrimmage, but coming back to the sidelines. I had another shot at him and missed again. It really killed the general. We not only had a punt blocked, but the play O'Rourke scored on was a Tennessee play."

KENTUCKY vs. OKLAHOMA 1/1/51
Entering the season's final game, Bear Bryant's Kentucky Wildcats were 9-0 and poised to win their first ever national title. In the season's final game UK lost to Tennessee 7-0 and their hopes not only of a national championship were out the window, but possibly so were the chances of an invitation to a bowl game. Bryant had been holding out for the Sugar Bowl and an opportunity to meet Bud Wilkenson's number one ranked Sooners, but the loss to the Vols seemed to put an end to that match-up. But the Sugar Bowl was still interested in the Wildcats and after the UT game, the Sugar's president Charles Z. Zatarain asked Bryant if he'd still be interested in coming to New Orleans. "If you invite me, I'll beat Oklahoma!" the Bear shouted. After that remark some questioned the Bear's sanity. The Sooners were not only ranked number one, but had a 31 game win streak dating back three seasons.

Bryant's strategy to stop the speedy Sooner squad was to put his biggest players on the defensive line. He knew that OU would be able to gain yards, but felt they weren't strong enough to push it in the endzone once they got down close to the Kentucky goal. He was right. The Wildcats jumped to an early 13-0 lead and never looked back. The Sooners were able to cut the lead to six mid-way through the 4th quarter, but never came close to scoring again.

At the time it was the biggest win in Bryant's career. When asked what he was going to do with the game ball he replied, "I'm going to take this here football, get the score put on it in great big numbers and I'm gonna bring it into that new coliseum that they've just finished at Kentucky. I'm gonna go right up to where they put all those shiny basketball trophies, you know those shiny round things. Then I'm going to take this ball and put it right where everybody can see it."

ALABAMA vs. NOTRE DAME 12/31/73
Prior to the '73 Sugar Bowl, Dave Lagarde of the New Orleans Times-Picayune wrote, "Look at the possibilities, Alabama undefeated and untied; Notre Dame undefeated and untied; North against South; Catholic against Protestant; Parseghian against Bryant; the Bear against the Pope."

Yes, Alabama versus Notre Dame for the 1973 National Championship. It doesn't get much bigger than that. The game was nip-and-tuck the whole way. The lead changed three times in the first half and at the intermission the Irish led 14-10. The see-saw battle continued in the second half with Notre Dame taking a 24-23 lead with only 4:12 remaining. It would've been 24-24, but Alabama place kicker Bill Davis had earlier in the fourth quarter missed an extra point. The Irish held Bama on the Tide's next possession, but Alabama punter Greg Gantt boomed a kick that was downed on the ND one yard line. If the Tide cold hold the Irish on this possession there was plenty of time left to get the ball back and kick the winning field goal. Two plays netted 4 yards. With 2:12 left in the contest Notre Dame was faced with a 3rd and six from their own five. Before the next play could be snapped an offsides call against the Irish pushed the ball back to the two. Would the Irish play it safe or try to make a first down, thus allowing them to run out the clock. Bill Davis, whose two brothers were also one time kickers for the Tide (and had kicked field goals in two previous Sugar Bowls), anxiously waited for redemption.

I wonder if thoughts of the 1966 Notre Dame/Michigan State game ran through Parseghian's mind. In that contest he was criticized for settling for a 10-10 tie in the game's waning moments. That day on the Irish's final drive he kept the ball on the ground instead of opening up his offense and trying to get in field goal range. The criticism had stung Parseghian, but now it was his turn to finally get that monkey off his back.

Bear Bryant also remembered that 10-10 game. The week after the Michigan State game, Notre Dame pounded Southern Cal and were voted number one by both the UPI and the AP. Bryant felt like his '66 squad deserved that honor. The Tide went 10-0 in the regular season, shutting out 6 opponents (including their last four that year). In Mickey Herskowitz's book, The Legend of Bear Bryant, the author wrote that Bryant thought it was a sin to give the title to a team that had played for a tie. The Bear probably thought that the Irish were going to play it safe again. That's why he was busy on the sidelines meeting with his punt return team and why he missed one the greatest plays in the history of Tulane Stadium.

Faced with a 3rd and 9 from his own two, Parseghian sent in two tight ends. Seeing this, the Tide expected a run, but QB Tom Clements dropped back and hit a wide open Robin Weber for a 36 yard gain (and a national championship).

In his book The Sugar Bowl: The First 50 Years, Marty Mule' described the play like this:
{Dave Casper was the intended receiver, but an Alabama defensive back, expecting the run, froze. Suddenly Casper was double teamed, and Weber was alone. "Dave was held up," said Clements, "and I saw the safetyman come up to protect on the run. Robin ran by him and all I had to do was hit him." Weber, cutting diagonally, thought, "Oh (bleep), this is one I better not miss."}

"I was the outside linebacker on the play, and we were completely fooled by it," said Mike Dubose, now currently the head coach at Alabama. "It caught us off guard. Third-and-nine in 1973 wasn't exactly the way it is now, as easy to pick up. In that situation in 1973, you're thinking run. It was a great call on their part."

"We beat a great football team and they lost to a great football team," Parseghian said afterwards. "There were no losers in that game."

Where do the Gators fit into the Tulane Stadium's history?

UF holds an all-time 3-4-1 record in games played there. 3-2-1 against the Green Wave and 0-2 in Sugar Bowls. In the late Fifties, when the Gators would play LSU in Baton Rouge, they'd fly to New Orleans a few days early and practice at Tulane Stadium.

Even though the Gators lost each of the Sugar Bowls they played there, both were memorable games. On New Year's Eve 1974, UF lost to Nebraska 13-10 in the final Sugar Bowl played at Tulane Stadium. The other loss was a 20-18 defeat at the hands of the Missouri Tigers in one of the weirdest bowl games ever.

The Gators fell behind 20-0 and had showed little offense spark the first three quarters. Finally with just under 11 minutes left, Gator quarterback Steve Spurrier hit Jack Harper for a 22 yard touchdown pass. UF head coach Ray Graves decided to go for a two point conversion, but it failed (when asked later about this decision, he would say, "20-8 sounded better than 20-7"). Five plays later, following a Missouri fumble, Spurrier plunged into the endzone for the Gators' second touchdown. Once again the two point conversion try was unsuccessful and Florida trailed 20-12. After a Tiger punt the Gators took over at there own 19 with 4:52 left. Spurrier masterfully led UF down field and with 2:13 remaining hit Charles Casey for a 21 yard touchdown. Now UF was forced to go for two just to salvage a tie. Once again it failed.

Spurrier got the ball back one last time, but the drive started at the Gators' three. UF managed to make it out to the Mizzou 22, but time ran out on the Gators' gallant comeback effort. Spurrier was named the games Most Valuable Player the first time the Sugar Bowl ever presented the trophy to a member of a losing team.

This is the 16th stadium I've written about in this series on stadiums of the South. Unfortunately I never made it to a game at Tulane Stadium. It's kind of weird writing about a place you've never been to, much less a place that doesn't exist anymore. A few years ago I drove by where it used to be. A dorm stands there now. I tried to imagine what a 85,000 seat stadium once looked like resting on the Northern end of Tulane's campus, but I just couldn't visualize it.

I wish I owned a time machine and go back in the past and revisit old stadiums and old games. But I don't know how well, "Honey, I'm off to the 1952 Tulane/Georgia game, I'll be back later tonight" would go over with my wife, so it's just as well such a machine doesn't exist.

I hope I've been able to bring this wonderful old place back to life. The next stop on this stadium tour is Jacksonville's Gator Bowl. A place I've seen many games. Though some of them are rather hazy.

Jeff "The Stats-man" Brown
"Just sitting here waiting for football season"