What Is 1989 Tulane Green Wave football team

Overview

The 1989 Tulane Green Wave football team represented Tulane University during the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season. Competing as an independent program, the team was led by head coach Greg Davis in his second year at the helm. The Green Wave finished the season with a 5–6 overall record, narrowly missing a winning season and failing to qualify for a bowl game.

Tulane's 1989 campaign featured a mix of competitive performances and close losses, highlighting both offensive struggles and defensive inconsistencies. The team played its home games at the Louisiana Superdome, a venue that provided a large-capacity setting but limited home-field advantage due to inconsistent fan turnout. Despite a promising start, the season ultimately ended without postseason play.

• Head coach Greg Davis led the team to a 5–6 record in his second season, showing modest improvement from the prior year’s 4–7 mark.
• The Green Wave scored 203 total points across 11 games, averaging 18.5 points per game, ranking them below the national average.
• Tulane played as an independent in 1989, meaning they were not affiliated with any athletic conference, which affected scheduling and postseason eligibility.
• Home games were held at the Louisiana Superdome, a 70,000-seat stadium that hosted multiple college and professional teams.
• The team’s non-conference schedule included matchups against teams like LSU, Mississippi State, and Southern Miss, all of which were challenging opponents.

Season Performance and Key Games

The 1989 season featured several tightly contested games, with Tulane often within striking distance in the fourth quarter. The team showed flashes of potential but struggled with consistency, particularly on defense, where they allowed 284 total points.

• Opening game victory against Southeastern Louisiana, a 38–14 win, set an optimistic tone for the season under Greg Davis.
• Loss to LSU by a 35–33 margin demonstrated the team’s ability to compete with regional powerhouses despite falling short.
• A 34–14 loss to Southern Miss highlighted defensive vulnerabilities against strong rushing attacks and disciplined play-calling.
• Tied at halftime in four games, showing the team’s ability to stay competitive but inability to close out victories.
• The season finale against Vanderbilt ended in a 24–21 loss, sealing their 5–6 record and ending postseason hopes.
• Quarterback performance was inconsistent, with starter Tony Licari throwing for 1,238 yards and 7 touchdowns, but also 12 interceptions.

Comparison at a Glance

Tulane’s 1989 season can be better understood when compared to prior and subsequent years under Greg Davis:

The data shows that 1989 was the most successful season during Davis’s early tenure, with the only near-.500 record between 1988 and 1991. While offensive output improved slightly, defensive performance remained a persistent challenge, preventing deeper progress.

Why It Matters

The 1989 Tulane Green Wave season is a footnote in college football history but offers insight into the struggles of independent programs during the late 1980s. It reflects the transitional phase of Tulane football as it sought stability and competitiveness before joining Conference USA in the 1990s.

• The season underscored the difficulty of scheduling as an independent, lacking the structure and automatic bowl bids of conference teams.
• Greg Davis’s tenure highlighted the challenges of rebuilding a program with limited resources and recruiting reach.
• Tulane’s use of the Superdome illustrated the disconnect between large venues and fan engagement for smaller programs.
• The team’s performance contributed to ongoing discussions about athletic department investment at private universities.
• It preceded the eventual move to Conference USA in 1996, which stabilized Tulane’s football future.
• The 1989 season remains a reference point for measuring long-term program growth and resilience.

Tulane football has since evolved significantly, but the 1989 campaign serves as a reminder of the program’s perseverance during lean years.