TULANE FAN ZONE

Tulane Green Wave News, Schedule, Pictures and Players

Former Green Wave star Jack Cressend named assistant coach

Tulane offensive lineman Troy Kropog is a much happier camper this summer.

To go with football at the Youth Impact Program at Tulane this month, there's math, reading and a session on life skills

Tulane associate head baseball coach Mark Kingston is leaving to become the coach-designate at Illinois State.

Tulane and LSU have agreed in principle to move their 2009 game from the Superdome to Tiger Stadium, but the rivalry will return to New Orleans for games in 2010 and 2011.

Last year, Conference USA coaches underestimated Tulane in their preseason predictions.

Staff / Times-PicayuneCan LSU win the SEC?

With so much going on in the New Orleans sports community, it's easy to lose sight of things.

That's where NOLA.com comes in. David Gladow offers a weekend preview of sorts every Friday at noon in the form of a live chat with the New Orleans community.

Want to talk about the Hornets' latest moves or the upcoming Saints season? Want to vent your frustrations over the Zephyrs' losing? This is your time to sound off. Send in your questions and comments, and Dave will touch on your hot topics every week.

Tulane baseball coach Rick Jones was selected head coach of the 2009 USA Baseball National Team on Tuesday.

"This is a tremendous honor and one that I'm certainly proud to have had the opportunity," he said.

Tulane skipper was also part of 1989 Presidential Cup and 1990 National Team coaching staffs

The Green Wave four-time All-American competed at her first Olympic Trials

Green Wave places five athletes among the top three in the state during 2008

TU's newest class also features former Wave standouts Pat Ramsey, John Olagues and Pam Buff

Former Tulane record-setting quarterback Shaun King has only one regret from his playing days with the Green Wave. He wishes he and teammates on the 1998 team that went undefeated and captured the Conference USA title were playing under the current NCAA system and given an opportunity to play in a BCS bowl game.

Instead, the Green Wave finished its 12-0 campaign with a decisive 41-27 win against Brigham Young in the Liberty Bowl and were left with thoughts of what could have been.

Booras helped LSU to 10 straight NCAA Tournament appearances

5.) 1934 Tulane football (10-1) - won Sugar Bowl

Staff / Times-PicayuneClaude "Little Monk" Simons excelled all over the field for Tulane.

Back in the 1930s, bowl game invitations weren't exactly handed out like candy like they are today. Only a few games even existed, and the ones that did still hold a certain level of prestige today (Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Sun Bowl, etc.).

It was in that kind of environment that the 1934 Tulane Green Wave football team powered itself to a Sugar Bowl invitation -- and an eventual win over Temple - in posting a 10-win season in the SEC.

That's nothing to sneeze at. (Just ask LSU.)

A perfect 7-0 conference mark may have been one of the team's most impressive feats (though that came courtesy of no match-up with co-champ Alabama), and the season really couldn't be classified as a fluke either ... Tulane was already in the habit of posting winning seasons.

7.) 1998 Tulane football (12-0) - won Liberty Bowl

Staff / Times-PicayuneTulane QB Shaun King devastated defenses with his legs and his arm.

Perfection.

Perfection isn't something easily attained, yet the 1998 Tulane football team achieved just such a feat, running the table thanks to an inspired coaching staff and an elite college passer.

Tommy Bowden, the son of legendary coach Bobby Bowden, helped put Tulane football back on the map, thanks in large part to an offense that would take the nation by storm, the spread, and one of its earliest proponents, offensive coordinator Rich Rodriguez.

TU Alumnus spent the last five years in the Kansas Athletic Department

8.) 1959 Tulane men's tennis - NCAA National Champions

Staff / Times-PicayuneEmmet Pare coached the 1959 Tulane men's tennis team to a national title.

Plenty of younger folks are sure to scratch their heads over this one, so let's get to the rationale for this choice right out of the gate.

Competing in a non-revenue sport being played at the collegiate level, the 1959 Tulane men's tennis team has the distinction of being the lowest profile team on this list. Indeed, with no high school teams making the cut (sorry St. Augustine!), it's easily the hardest team in the entire Top 10 to compare to all the others. After all, every single other team was either a member of a professional sports league or from one of the so-called revenue sports at the collegiate level (football and baseball). How can a tennis team honestly compare?

How about by doing something no other team in the history of this city can claim: winning an NCAA title?

10.) 1984 UNO baseball (46-26) - lost in CWS;
2001 Tulane baseball (56-13) - lost in CWS;
2005 Tulane baseball (56-12) - lost in CWS

Staff / Times-PicayuneJim Bullinger went on to have a great pro career after his time at UNO.

We start our countdown off on the right foot ... by cheating and including three teams at the No. 10 spot. Hey, it's our list, and we can do what we want.

Seriously though, each of the teams here achieved a great deal and at the end of the day, there's not a whole lot separating them. They all topped 45 wins, they all featured great individual athletes, and they all reached the College World Series.

Credit the Tulane squads for more dominating regular seasons, but the 1984 University of New Orleans baseball team achieved the feat of a CWS appearance first, giving the Privateers some bragging rights of their own. And frankly, that UNO team was a good one.

Guarriello helped the Green Wave to a Conference USA title in 2004-05

Eliot Kamenitz / Times-PicayuneWho is the greatest?

As part of our determination of the best sports teams in the history of New Orleans, we're going to open the door to the fans to offer their say. Last week, you got to put in your two cents for who should be nominated. Now, it's time to pit your choices against one another.

Today, we vote on the best local college teams in the city. This is by no means a complete list, but rather a collection of fan submissions. And while there's no way to include everyone, these are some of the best teams this city has probably ever seen.

(Poll after the jump)

Green Wave graduate is one of 11 C-USA student-athletes to receive award in 2008

The Green Wave staff will make stops in six cities during a six-day tour

Van Norman adds an array of talented athletes

Junior right-hander garners honors from Baseball America, Ping! Baseball, the NCBWA and Rivals.com

Bolger has strong showing, Walshe goes undefeated

Rookie earns honor after hitting .322 with 59 RBI at the plate while posting five saves from the mound

Staff / Times-PicayuneThe Hornets were good, but were they the best ever?

After witnessing the wonderful season just turned in by the New Orleans Hornets, the folks at NOLA.com just had to wonder: Is this the best the local fans have ever had it?

After all, these Hornets compiled a staggering number of wins on their way to a division championship and the verge of the Western Conference Finals. But is this team really the best this city has ever had to offer?

NOLA.com wants to find out. We've begun the heavy lifting of digging through our archives (and the archives of some of your favorite teams) in search of the best of the best, but we want to hear from you too. What are your favorite teams from years gone by? Who would you rank amongst the best teams ever? Are the 2006 New Orleans Saints the best Saints team ever? Do the Tulane football squads of years gone by deserve inclusion? And what of the LSU Tigers? Do they deserve to be included at all?

Junior infielder/outfield only Wave veteran taken in drafts second day after hitting .322 with 12 homers

Junior right-hander earns honor after posting nine wins and 126 strikeouts in 100.2 innings in 2008

Tulane's Anthony Scelfo was taken in the eighth round, 233rd overall, by the Tampa Bay Rays.

Scelfo started 25 games at second base, 21 in centerfield, 11 in left, three at first and one at third. He was named first-team All-Conference USA after leading the team in home runs (12), triples (seven), runs scored (72), total bases (133), slugging percentage (.578), walks (54) and on-base percentage (.453) He was tied for team lead in batting average (.322) and was second on the team in hits (74), tied for second in RBI (54), and tied for fifth in stolen bases (eight).

He lead Conference USA in walks and triples, second in runs scored, sixth in on-base percentage, seventh in slugging percentage and total bases, tied for seventh in home runs and tied for 10th in RBI.

David Gladow / NOLA.comPlenty of folks are ready for the weekend to get here.

With so much going on in the New Orleans sports community, it's easy to lose sight of things.

That's where NOLA.com comes in. David Gladow offers a weekend preview of sorts every Friday at noon in the form of a live chat with the New Orleans community.

Want to talk about the Saints' latest moves or the upcoming VooDoo game? Want to vent your frustrations over the Hornets playcalling? This is your time to sound off. Send in your questions and comments, and Dave will touch on your hot topics every week.

Junior hurler goes 31st overall to Minnesota Twins; becomes the sixth first-rounder in Wave history

Tulane pitcher Shooter Hunt was the 31st overall pick, or the first pick in the compensation Round A, by the Minnesota Twins today in the major league baseball draft.

Hunt, a junior from Wyckoff, N.J., was 9-4 with a 2.68 ERA. In 16 starts, he threw 100 2/3 innings and gave up 62 hits and had 126 strikeouts.

His .175 opponent batting average in 2008 is a Tulane single-season record, surpassing the former mark of .203 set by Jason Navarro in 1997, and is fifth in strikeout-per-nine-inning average (11.26). Hunt's .204 career opponent batting average also tops Navarro's former school record of .224 (1995-97) and also ranks fifth in Tulane career history in K/9 and is seventh in career ERA.