1925 Tulane Green Wave football team

The 1925 Tulane Green Wave football team represented the Tulane Green Wave of Tulane University in the sport of American football during the 1925 Southern Conference football season.

1925 Tulane Green Wave football
SoCon co-champion
ConferenceSouthern Conference
Record9–0–1 (5–0 SoCon)
Head coach
Offensive schemeSingle wing
CaptainLester Lautenschlaeger
Home stadiumSecond Tulane Stadium
Uniform
Seasons
← 1924
1926 →
1925 Southern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 2 Alabama + 7 0 0 10 0 0
No. 6 Tulane + 5 0 0 9 0 1
North Carolina 4 0 1 7 1 1
Washington and Lee 5 1 0 5 5 0
Virginia 4 1 1 7 1 1
Georgia Tech 4 1 1 6 2 1
Kentucky 4 2 0 6 3 0
Florida 3 2 0 8 2 0
Auburn 3 2 1 5 3 1
VPI 3 3 1 5 3 2
Vanderbilt 3 3 0 6 3 0
Tennessee 2 2 1 5 2 1
South Carolina 2 2 0 7 3 0
Georgia 2 4 0 4 5 0
Sewanee 1 4 0 4 4 1
Mississippi A&M 1 4 0 3 4 1
VMI 1 5 0 5 5 0
LSU 0 2 1 5 3 1
NC State 0 4 1 3 5 1
Ole Miss 0 4 0 5 5 0
Clemson 0 4 0 1 7 0
Maryland 0 4 0 2 5 1
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from Dickinson System

Tulane shut out 6 of its 10 opponents, with its only blemish a tie to Missouri Valley champion Missouri. For the second year in a row, Tulane set a school record for wins in a season.[1] Most notable was the defeat of Northwestern, a game which helped herald the arrival of Southern football.[2] The team was ranked No. 6 in the nation in the Dickinson System ratings released in January 1926.[3]

Peggy Flournoy was the nation's leading scorer with 128 points.[4]

Before the season

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Coach Shaughnessy never had such a wealth of material as 1925.[5] The backfield included captain and Hall of Fame quarterback Lester Lautenschlaeger and halfback Peggy Flournoy. Though he was famous for later using the T formation,[6] at Tulane coach Shaughnessy employed the single wing. Assistant Bierman left for the Mississippi A&M job.

1925 saw the south's widespread use of the forward pass.[7]

Schedule

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DateTimeOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 262:30 p. m.Louisiana College*
W 77–04,500[8]
October 32:30 p. m.Missouri*
  • Tulane Stadium
  • New Orleans, LA
T 6–68,500[9]
October 102:30 p. m.Ole Miss
  • Tulane Stadium
  • New Orleans, LA (rivalry)
W 26–7[10]
October 17Mississippi A&M
  • Tulane Stadium
  • New Orleans, LA
W 25–3[11]
October 24at Northwestern*W 18–715,000[12]
October 31at AuburnW 13–08,000[13]
November 7Louisiana Tech*
  • Tulane Stadium
  • New Orleans, LA
W 37–0[14]
November 14Sewanee
  • Tulane Stadium
  • New Orleans, LA
W 14–015,000[15]
November 21at LSUW 16–021,000[16]
November 26at Centenary*
W 14–010,000[17]
  • *Non-conference game

Game summaries

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Flournoy

Louisiana College

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Louisiana College at Tulane
1 234Total
Louisiana 0 000 0
Tulane 20 62526 77
  • Date: September 26
  • Location: New Orleans, LA
  • Game start: 2:30 p. m.
  • Game attendance: 4,500

The season opened on a wet, sloppy field. Tulane beat Louisiana College of Pineville 77–0.[18] Coach Shaughnessy only allowed his regulars to play half of the game.[19] Lester Lautenschlaeger was probably the star of the game.[19]

Missouri

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Missouri at Tulane
1 234Total
Missouri 6 000 6
Tulane 0 600 6
  • Date: October 3
  • Location: New Orleans, LA
  • Game start: 2:30 p. m.
  • Game attendance: 8,500

The only blemish on the year was a 6–6 tie to Missouri. Missouri scored on a 30-yard pass.[20] Peggy Flournoy plunged over for the tying touchdown.[21]

The starting lineup was Gamble (left end), Wight (left tackle), Levy (left guard), H. Wilson (center), Blackledge (right guard), Talbot (right tackle), Brown (right end), Lautenschlaeger (quarterback), Morgan (left halfback), Flournoy (right halfback), Norman (fullback).[20]

Ole Miss

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Ole Miss at Tulane
1 234Total
Miss. 0 007 7
Tulane 13 706 26
  • Date: October 10
  • Location: New Orleans, LA
  • Game start: 2:30 p. m.

The Green Wave used the forward pass to beat coach Homer Hazel's Ole Miss Rebels 26–7.[22]

The starting lineup was Gamble (left end), Wight (left tackle), Levy (left guard), H. Wilson (center), Blackledge (right guard), Talbot (right tackle), G. Wilson (right end), Lautenschlaeger (quarterback), Morgan (left halfback), Flournoy (right halfback), Lamprecht (fullback).[23]

Mississippi A&M

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Mississippi A&M at Tulane
1 234Total
Miss. A&M 3 000 3
Tulane 0 6136 25
  • Date: October 17
  • Location: New Orleans, LA

Former assistant Bernie Bierman's Mississippi Aggies took the lead 3–0 in the opening quarter with a drop kick.[24] Harry P. Gamble blocked a couple of kicks and Tulane came back to win 25–3.[24] After the defeat of the Aggies, some Tulane supporters felt the Wave would defeat Alabama.[25]

The starting lineup was Gamble (left end), Wight (left tackle), Levy (left guard), H. Wilson (center), Blackledge (right guard), P. Brown (right tackle), D. Wilson (right end), Lautenschlaeger (quarterback), Flournoy (left halfback), Morgan (right halfback), Lamprecht (fullback).[26][27]

Northwestern

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Tulane at Northwestern
1 234Total
Tulane 6 660 18
Northwestern 0 700 7
  • Date: November 14
  • Location: Stagg Field
    Chicago, IL

In the 18–7 triumph over Northwestern, Flournoy scored three touchdowns and skied his punts.[24] Northwestern's score came in the second period.[28]

The starting lineup was Gamble (left end), Wight (left tackle), Levy (left guard), H. Wilson (center), Blackledge (right guard), Talbot (right tackle), Wilson (right end), Lautenschlaeger (quarterback), Flournoy (left halfback), Morgan (right halfback), Lamprecht (fullback).[29][30]

Auburn

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Auburn at Tulane
1 234Total
Auburn 0 000 0
Tulane 0 076 13

On a field thick with muddy, Alabama clay in Montgomery, the Green Wave won over the Auburn Tigers 13–0,[31] scoring all points in the second half.[32]

Louisiana Tech

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Flournoy scored 31 of Tulane's 37 points in the win over Louisiana Polytechnic[33] despite Tulane using mostly reserves.

The starting lineup was Gamble (left end), Browne (left tackle), Levy (left guard), H. Wilson (center), Blackledge (right guard), Wight (right tackle), D. Wilson (right end), Lautenschlaeger (quarterback), Menville (left halfback), Flournoy (right halfback), Lamprecht (fullback).[34]

Sewanee

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Sewanee at Tulane
1 234Total
Sewanee 0 000 0
Tulane 0 0140 14
  • Date: November 14
  • Location: New Orleans, LA
  • Game attendance: 15,000

Tulane defeated the Sewanee Tigers 14–0. All scores took place in the third quarter.[35] A 32-yard pass from Lautenschlaeger to Brown set up the first score.[36] On the second, Flournoy got loose for a 68-yard run off tackle.[33]

Tulane at LSU
1 234Total
Tulane 0 079 16
LSU 0 000 0
  • Date: November 21
  • Location: Baton Rouge, LA
  • Game attendance: 21,000
  • Referee: Ed Finlay

After a scoreless first half, Tulane beat the rival LSU Tigers by a 16–0 score.[33] A pass from Lautenschlaeger to Menville got the first touchdown.[37] The final points were scored by Irish Levy dropping the LSU quarterback for a safety.[38][16]

Centenary

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Something of an anticlimax after the LSU game, Tulane beat Centenary 14–0 to cap an undefeated season.[38]

Postseason

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Tulane shared the SoCon title with Wallace Wade's Alabama Crimson Tide, which went on to win the Rose Bowl. Tulane's administration declined a Rose Bowl invitation, in order to keep their student-athletes in class.[39]

 
Lester Lautenschlaeger

One account reads "In the South they call "Peggy" Flournoy of Tulane University, the greatest all-round gridder in that section."[40] Flournoy led the nation in scoring in scoring with 128 points,[4] and was awarded the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award by the Veteran Athletic's Association.[41] He was selected by Billy Evans and Norman E. Brown as a first-team halfback on their 1925 College Football All-America Teams.[42][43] He was also named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press and the All-America Board.[44][45] Flournoy and Irish Levy were All-Southern. Levy was never taken out of a game for an injury during his playing career.[46] Lautenschlaeger made Billy Evans' Southern Honor Roll.

Flournoy's school record of 128 points was not broken until 2007 by Matt Forte.

Personnel

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Depth chart

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The following chart provides a visual depiction of Tulane's lineup during the 1925 season with games started at the position reflected in parentheses. The chart mimics a single wing on offense.

Line

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Number Player Position Games
started
Hometown Prep school Height Weight Age
27 Roy Blackledge guard
12 Pat Browne tackle Spring Hill College
7 Harry P. Gamble end New Orleans Warren Easton High 165 21
23 Irish Levy guard New Orleans 21
19 Virgil Robinson guard
22 Hoss Talbot tackle
31 Benny Wight tackle
6 Doc Wilson end
24 Harvey Wilson end

Backfield

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Number Player Position Games
started
Hometown Prep school Height Weight Age
15 Peggy Flournoy halfback Rugby Academy 6'1" 165 21
11 Ellis Henican back New Orleans
1 Lester Lautenschlaeger quarterback New Orleans
10 Fred Lamprecht fullback
3 Cajin Lorio back
21 Johnny Menville halfback New Orleans Jesuit High
17 Eddie Morgan halfback
25 David Norman fullback

Unlisted

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Number Player Position Games
started
Hometown Prep school Height Weight Age
2 Thomas Killeen
5 Walter Moss
13 Alfred Stoessel
14 Earl Evans
16 Reginald Watson
18 Bill Duren
26 Rosenhouse
28 Carre
32 Pascal Palermo

[18]

References

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  1. ^ "Year-By-Year Summaries (1920s) - TulaneGreenWave.com - Tulane Athletics".
  2. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 12, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ "Dickison Football Rating System: Dartmouth Declared National Champion". The Pantagraph. January 8, 1926. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b "Charles "Peggy" Flournoy". Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
  5. ^ "Tulane University Football Program; Tulane Green Wave vs. Louisiana College :: Tulane University Football Programs". Archived from the original on January 13, 2017. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  6. ^ Huber, Leonard Victor (January 1, 1971). New Orleans: A Pictorial History. Pelican Publishing. ISBN 9781455609314 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ Schmidt, Raymond (June 18, 2007). Shaping College Football. ISBN 9780815608868.
  8. ^ "Louisiana Cats badly beaten by Tulane warriors". The Shreveport Times. September 27, 1925. Retrieved December 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Missouri Champions Held to Draw Game By Tulane Greenbacks". The Shreveport Times. October 4, 1925. p. 11. Retrieved December 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Tulane Tries Aerial Attack for First Time and Ole Miss Is Loser". The Shreveport Times. October 11, 1925. p. 13.
  11. ^ "Tulane triumphs over Mississippi Aggies, 25 to 3". The Shreveport Times. October 18, 1925. p. 14. Retrieved December 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ French Lane (October 25, 1925). "Tulane eleven too strong for Northwestern". Chicago Tribune. p. II-1. Retrieved December 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Auburn Loses Hard Battle To Tulane: Green Wave Pounds Down Strong Defense of Tiger". The Montgomery Advertister. November 1, 1925. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Bulldogs of Ruston Make Game Fight But Greenwave Too Strong". The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. November 8, 1925. p. 9. Retrieved July 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com  .
  15. ^ "Tulane Green Romps To Win Over Sewanee". The Anniston Star. November 15, 1925. p. 8. Retrieved January 1, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.  
  16. ^ a b "Louisiana Fights Big Green Team". The Index-Journal. November 22, 1925. p. 6. Retrieved January 1, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.  
  17. ^ "10,000 fans see Greenies win from Gentlemen". The Shreveport Times. November 27, 1925. Retrieved July 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ a b "Tulane University Football Program; Tulane Green Wave vs. Missouri Tigers :: Tulane University Football Programs". Archived from the original on July 1, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  19. ^ a b "Tulane Piles Up Record Score". The Monroe News-Star. September 28, 1925. p. 8. Retrieved June 1, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.  
  20. ^ a b Woodruff 1928, pp. 78–79
  21. ^ Jambalaya 1926, p. 199
  22. ^ Jambalaya 1926, p. 200
  23. ^ Woodruff 1928, p. 82
  24. ^ a b c Jambalaya 1926, p. 201
  25. ^ "Tulane Gridders Striking Hard Pace; Flournoy Wins Praise of Sports Writers". The Monroe News-Star. November 7, 1925. p. 6. Retrieved June 1, 2016.  
  26. ^ Woodruff 1928, p. 92
  27. ^ "Tulane University Football Programs".
  28. ^ "Tulane University Beats Northwestern". The Billings Gazette. October 25, 1925. p. 9. Retrieved January 1, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.  
  29. ^ Woodruff 1928, p. 97
  30. ^ French Lane (October 25, 1925). "Tulane Eleven Too Strong for Northwestern". Chicago Tribune. p. II-1 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ Jambalaya 1926, p. 202
  32. ^ "Big Green Eleven Downs Plainsmen". The Index Journal. November 1, 1925. Retrieved January 1, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.  
  33. ^ a b c Jambalaya 1926, p. 203
  34. ^ "Tulane University Football Program; Tulane Green Wave vs. Louisiana Polytech :: Tulane University Football Programs". Archived from the original on January 13, 2017. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  35. ^ "Tulane Green Romps To Win Over Sewanee". The Anniston Star. November 15, 1925. p. 8. Retrieved January 1, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.  
  36. ^ Woodruff 1928, p. 116
  37. ^ Woodruff 1928, p. 118
  38. ^ a b Jambalaya 1926, p. 204
  39. ^ "Tulane Football History". TulaneGreenWave.com. Archived from the original on March 31, 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2012.
  40. ^ ""Peggy" Flournoy Rates High in Southern Grid Circles". Reading Times. December 6, 1925. p. 17. Retrieved June 1, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.  
  41. ^ "Player To Be Honor Guest". The Morning Herald. December 19, 1925. p. 13. Retrieved June 1, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.  
  42. ^ Evans, Billy (December 5, 1925). "Here's Billy Evans' All-Americans". The Fitchburg Sentinel.
  43. ^ Brown, Norman E. (December 7, 1925). "Here Are Brown's All-American Selections: All Sections of Country On Writer's All-American". Galveston County Daily News.
  44. ^ "Associated Press Announces All-American Teams". Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune. December 14, 1925.
  45. ^ Tad Jones; Knute Rockne & Glenn Warner (December 4, 1925). "Red Grange Placed on Second All-American Team: Coaches Keep Star Off First: Rockne, Jones and Warner Claim He Has Two Main Weak Points; Friedman Is Captain; Two Michigan Men Honored; Pacific Coast Stars in the Backfield". The Davenport Democrat.
  46. ^ "Claim Tulane's Star Guard Best On Southern Gridiron". November 30, 1925. p. 19. Retrieved March 16, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.  

Bibliography

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  • Jambalaya. 1926.
  • Woodruff, Fuzzy (1928). A History of Southern Football 1890–1928. Vol. 3.