1931 Tulane Green Wave football team


The 1931 Tulane Green Wave football team represented the Tulane Green Wave of Tulane University during the 1931 Southern Conference football season. The team posted an undefeated regular season, but lost in the Rose Bowl to national champion USC. It is one of the best teams in school history.

Before the season

was elected captain.

Schedule

Season summary

Ole Miss

Tulane opened the season with a 31–0 victory over Ole Miss. The starting lineup was DeColigny, Cunningham, Calhoun, Lodrigues, Scafide, Upton, Dalrymple, Dawson, Glover, Zimmerman, Felts.

Texas A&M

In the second week of play, Tulane defeated Texas A&M 7-0. The starting lineup was DeColigny, Cunningham, Calhoun, Lodrigues, Scafide, Upton, Dalrymple, Dawson, Glover, Zimmerman, Felts.

Spring Hill

The Spring Hill College Badgers lost to Tulane 40–0 .

Vanderbilt

Against Vanderbilt, Tulane won 19-0.

Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech was beaten 33-0.

Mississippi A&M

Mississippi A&M was beaten 59–7. The starting lineup was Haynes, Bankston, Scafide, Lodrigues, Calhoun, Upton, Dalrymple, Richardson, Roberts, Hodgins, Lemmon.

Auburn

eclipsed 100 yards rushing in the 27–0 defeat of Auburn. Felts scored three touchdowns.

Georgia

Tulane defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 20–7. Tulane scored first on a 33-yard pass from Zimmerman to Vernon Haynes. Nollie Felts plunged in from the 1-yard line for the next touchdown. A pass from Georgia's Homey Key to Buster Mott netted 60 yards and a touchdown. After a botched punt, a double pass play led to Payne sprinting around left end for Tulane's final score.

Sewanee

Tulane shut out the Sewanee Tigers 40–0 .

LSU

Tulane defeated rival LSU 34-7. The starting lineup was Haynes, DeColigny, Scafide, Lodrigues, McCormick, Upton, Dalrymple, Dawson, Zimmerman, Glover, Felts.

Washington State

Tulane had an intersectional victory to close the regular season, over Washington State 28–14.

Postseason

Rose Bowl

Tulane lost in the Rose Bowl to Southern California by a 21–12 score. The Trojans had six All-Americans in their lineup: tackle Ernie Smith, guards Johnny Baker and Aaron "Rosy" Rosenberg, halfback Erny Pinckert and quarterbacks Orville Mohler and Gaius Shaver.
Down 21 to 0 in the third quarter, Zimmerman led a running attack which ended with a 6-yard pass to Haynes for the score. Tulane's other score was a run by "Wop" Glover set up by 11 and 15 yard passes from Zimmerman to Jerry Dalrymple. Tulane still managed a Rose Bowl record for yardage gained.

Awards and honors

One article which attempts to retroactively name Heisman Trophy winners before 1936 named Dalrymple as the recipient for 1931. He was the season's only unanimous All-American; and is still the only unanimous All-American in school history.
Felts was elected next year's captain.

Players

Line

Backfield