Alumni prep for campus tailgating

Throngs of Tulane University alumni are finalizing their preparations for the first season of on-campus football in nearly 40 years. Tickets have been purchased, locations have been scouted and recipes have been tested as graduates and fans alike prepare to roll onto the uptown campus to tailgate with fellow Tulane faithful.

“Our crew is ready,” says Jeff Darling, a 2011 Tulane grad and president of the Gumby Social Aid & Pleasure Club, a young alumni booster club. “We can"t wait to set up our tent and fire up the grill before the first game this weekend. It"s going to be a helluva hullabaloo!”

As Tulane prepares for kick off against Georgia Tech at Yulman Stadium on Saturday (Sept. 6) at 3 p.m., events are being held throughout the week to celebrate the opening of the new facility. The inaugural on-campus tailgate village will open at 11 a.m. on Saturday on the uptown campus.

“This weekend is a huge moment for our university and our alumni,” says James Stofan, vice president of alumni relations. “Alumni near and far have shared memories of football on campus and their enthusiasm for the new stadium. We are excited to welcome them back to the home of the Wave.”

Dan Hurley of the Tulane class of 1951, who also received a law degree from Tulane in 1954, is one alumnus who cannot wait for football to return to campus. As a freshman in 1947, Hurley saw the Green Wave defeat the Alabama Crimson Tide 21–20 in his first game at the old Tulane Stadium on the uptown campus. He fondly remembers how the games energized students, alumni and the surrounding community.

“Making the trip uptown each Saturday to tailgate and cheer on the Green Wave will give alumni a chance to remember our college experience and support the university that provided us with the tools to succeed in life.”

Bradley Charlesworth is associate director of marketing and communications in the Office of Alumni Relations.