What Is 1931 Tulane Green Wave football

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Last updated: April 14, 2026

Quick Answer: The 1931 Tulane Green Wave football team represented Tulane University during the 1931 college football season, finishing with a 6–1–1 record under head coach Bernie Bierman and playing home games at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans.

Key Facts

The 1931 Tulane Green Wave football team finished the season with a 6–1–1 overall record
Head coach Bernie Bierman led the team in his final season before leaving for Minnesota
Tulane played home games at the newly constructed Tulane Stadium, which opened in 1926
The team was independent, not belonging to a conference, during the 1931 season
Tulane defeated rivals such as Mississippi and tied with the powerful 1931 Alabama Crimson Tide

Overview

The 1931 Tulane Green Wave football team represented Tulane University in New Orleans during the 1931 college football season. Competing as an independent, the team was led by head coach Bernie Bierman, who was in his final year at Tulane before accepting the head coaching position at the University of Minnesota.

Playing their home games at Tulane Stadium, the Green Wave compiled a 6–1–1 record, showcasing a balanced offense and a disciplined defense. The season included a notable tie against the undefeated 1931 Alabama Crimson Tide, a team that would later be retroactively awarded a national championship.

Record: The Green Wave finished the season with a 6–1–1 overall record, including five wins by double-digit margins.
Coach: Bernie Bierman, who later became a Hall of Fame coach at Minnesota, led Tulane for four seasons before departing after 1931.
Stadium: Tulane Stadium, located on campus in New Orleans, hosted all home games and had a capacity of over 30,000 by 1931.
Schedule: The team faced regional opponents such as Mississippi, LSU, and Texas, reflecting the geographic footprint of Southern football at the time.
Highlight Game: A 0–0 tie with Alabama on November 28, 1931, was considered a moral victory given Alabama’s eventual national title.

How It Works

The 1931 season operated under standard college football rules of the era, with teams playing a mix of regional and national opponents without conference alignment. Tulane’s schedule was curated independently, a common practice for Southern schools not in formal leagues.

Independent Status:Tulane was not part of a conference in 1931, allowing flexibility in scheduling but limiting postseason opportunities.
Game Format:Each game lasted 60 minutes divided into four 15-minute quarters, with minimal substitutions due to limited roster sizes.
Offensive Scheme: The team utilized a single-wing formation, emphasizing power running and short passing plays.
Player Roles: Most athletes played both offense and defense, with limited specialization compared to modern standards.
Scoring Rules: A touchdown was worth six points, and the point-after-touchdown was a one-point kick, unchanged since 1912.
Season Length: The Green Wave played eight official games, typical for Southern teams during the early 1930s.

Comparison at a Glance

Below is a comparison of the 1931 Tulane Green Wave with other notable teams from the same season:

Team	Record	Head Coach	Notable Result	Final Ranking (Retroactive)
Tulane Green Wave	6–1–1	Bernie Bierman	Tied Alabama 0–0	Unranked (AP Poll not yet established)
Alabama Crimson Tide	9–0–0	Wallace Wade	Won Rose Bowl, National Champions	No. 1 (multiple selectors)
Notre Dame Fighting Irish	5–2–1	Knute Rockne (d. March 1931), replaced by Hunk Anderson	Lost to USC 13–0	Unranked
USC Trojans	10–1–0	Howard Jones	Won Rose Bowl	No. 3 (Boand System)
Michigan Wolverines	5–2–1	Fritz Crisler	Lost to Minnesota 34–0	Unranked

While Tulane did not finish the season ranked—partly because the AP Poll did not begin until 1936—their tie against Alabama remains a point of pride. The performance demonstrated that Southern programs outside the traditional powerhouses could compete at a high level, foreshadowing the region’s growing influence in college football.

Why It Matters

The 1931 season was a transitional moment for Tulane football, marking the end of the Bernie Bierman era and the beginning of a new chapter in the program’s history. It also highlighted the rising competitiveness of Southern football programs on the national stage.

Legacy of Bierman: Bernie Bierman went on to win five national titles at Minnesota, making his tenure at Tulane a crucial developmental phase.
Stadium Significance: Tulane Stadium became a landmark, later hosting Super Bowls and the Saints, cementing its place in football history.
Regional Rivalries: Games against LSU and Mississippi helped solidify long-standing regional rivalries still active today.
Independent Model: Tulane’s scheduling autonomy in 1931 reflected a common Southern approach before widespread conference expansion.
Historical Benchmark: The 0–0 tie with Alabama is cited in multiple retrospectives on undefeated national champions.
Program Identity: The 1931 season contributed to Tulane’s identity as a competitive Southern program during college football’s formative decades.

Though overshadowed by national champions like Alabama, the 1931 Tulane Green Wave remains a symbol of regional pride and athletic resilience during a pivotal era in college sports history.