Dear Tulane Community:
Ten years ago today, we hosted the first home football game at Yulman Stadium. After witnessing moments like the magical AAC championship win that led us to victory in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, and memorable Commencement ceremonies with Ken Jeong, Leslie Odom Jr. and Jon Meacham, it’s hard to imagine a more remarkable first decade. Yulman is the latest chapter in a rich history of Tulane campus stadiums dating back to the early 20th century.
Yulman’s predecessor, Tulane Stadium, plays an important role in the annals of football, both collegiate and professional. The stadium hosted the Sugar Bowl for nearly fifty years, starting with its inaugural game in 1935. As the home stadium for the New Orleans Saints for the first seven years of the franchise, Tulane Stadium also hosted the first professional football game ever played in New Orleans – in addition to hosting three out of the first ten Super Bowls. And that’s not all: the former stadium holds an important place in the history of New Orleans music festivals as the host of Soul Bowl ’70, a legendary concert that featured a jaw-dropping lineup of artists including James Brown, Tina Turner, and Isaac Hayes.
When the Louisiana Superdome (now Caesars Superdome) opened in 1975, the Saints and the Green Wave both moved downtown. The Green Wave appreciated the opportunity to play in such an iconic arena, but the community missed the energy and camaraderie of the campus stadium. Over the years, die-hard fans began to wonder: was it time to bring football back uptown?
Ten years after Yulman’s debut, there’s no denying that the answer to that question is an unqualified yes.
We are so grateful for the visionary lead donors who made Yulman Stadium a reality: Mrs. Gayle Benson and her late husband Tom Benson, who provided the naming gift for Benson Field; Jill and Avie Glazer, who established the Jill H. and Avram A. Glazer Family Club; and of course, Richard Yulman, his late wife, Janet, and the Yulman family, whose name graces the stadium. The transformative gifts of these founding donors have united the Tulane community and strengthened our ties with our New Orleans neighbors, bringing together Green Wave fans from all over the world and from all walks of life to bridge our differences as we cheer for the same team.
The Green Wave heads into tomorrow’s match-up versus nationally-ranked Kansas State with a 1-0 record, led by Coach Jon Sumrall, who was an assistant coach for Tulane when Yulman opened in 2014. Meanwhile, Yulman Stadium is kicking off the season with new concessions from an array of beloved local food and beverage vendors, leaning into the distinctly New Orleans flavor that recently helped earn it a ranking among the top 30 college stadiums in the country.
Yulman has become such an integral part of the fabric of this institution and city that it’s hard to believe it’s only a decade old. I hope to see you in the stands tomorrow as we celebrate the stadium’s tenth anniversary with the resounding cheer:
Roll Wave!
