One of nation’s oldest rivalries ends

Once upon a time, an intense football rivalry known as Tulane vs. LSU existed on the campuses of the two major universities in Louisiana. It began in 1893 when both colleges were new to the sport. Tulane won that game and many more until . . .

The school de-emphasized the sport at mid-last-century for awhile by leaving the Southeastern Conference that included many of the top ten regulars. That was not long after Tulane scored its biggest win of the series, 46-0, in 1948. Within that first half of the series, there were many important battles that brought bowl bids to both teams. They engendered the spirit that made football the biggest athletic attraction to watch on a Saturday afternoon.

After that midway point, Tulane didn’t beat LSU in their annual battles until 1973 when they upset the Orange Bowl headed Tigers 14-0. Another resurgence came in the late seventies and early eighties when the Greenies won three games in four years, one by an almost record setting score of 48-7. The last of those remarkable four years was a spectacular Wave win of 31-28 when Reggie Reginelli caught a beat-the-blitz pass  and ran it 31 yards into the end zone as the game ended.

But that was the last win for the Wave.

After 1993, LSU begged out of the annual series and a few games were played when the Tigers agreed to them. Now, both teams are ready to end competition between the two teams forever, it seems.

Of course, Tulane has not put its best foot forward on the football field for ever so long. But it is still out there every weekend in the fall, trying to topple Conference USA teams and others that are not quite the calibre of the Fighting Tigers.

Maybe the series should end. It certainly is not the highlight of the football season in Louisiana anymore.
The two schools offered many years of spirited contests, some of which ended in free-for-alls. But everyone remained friends, just waiting for the next year to come along.
And maybe someday we will see a renewal of one of the oldest football rivalries in the country. In the meantime, we’ll enjoy the memories.

 

About Allen Lottinger 433 Articles
Publisher Emeritus

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