It’s Great to Be Green. Yes, I said GREAT.

I’ve been cheering on Tulane since I was a kid, thanks to my family full of Greenies. I remember following Shaun King and the Wave to Memphis TWICE when I was 8 years old during 1998’s Perfect Season. Once to see the Wave beat the Tigers during regular season and again to watch them win the Liberty Bowl. I even got a picture with the trophy! I still follow Shaun King, only now it's on Twitter. I also remember chasing foul balls in 2001, then waiting by the dugout after the game to snag autographs from Michael Aubrey, Jonny Kaplan, Jake Gautreau, and others that were part of Tulane’s historical win against LSU and first trip to Omaha.  Ah, the glory days!

Check out me and centerfielder Jon Kaplan - my favorite baseball player back when I was 12! 

Now, I’m 22, a Tulane graduate, and constantly nagged by my coworkers and non-Tulane friends for my puzzling passion for a weak athletics organization. It seems like Tulane has had nothing but bad hype lately. Rick Jones had the fewest wins of his tenure, finishing this season at 30-28. Successful coaches like women’s golf coach Andrew Pratt and sand volleyball coach Alan Segal are both leaving Tulane for lesser jobs. Six basketball players have transferred. Our 2013 football schedule is pretty much the laughing stock of the NCAA. Being a Greenie seems to get tougher every year, but I’ll never stop sporting my love for Tulane.

Here are my 7 reasons why:

1. I DO see light at the end of the tunnel:  One year from now, we’ll have a new University President, we’ll officially be a part of the new American Athletic Conference, and we’ll be preparing for opening night in Yulman Stadium. These are three HUGE shifts for the Green Wave that have amazing potential to completely change the nature of this organization into something great. It’s truly the start of a new era for Tulane Athletics. I recently came across this article on SBNation.com and, although I initilally rolled my eyes at the seemingly sarcastic "Baby Steps" headline, I found it pretty spot-on. The Author, Bill Connelly, points out that Tulane is on the right track to slowly reshape their program into a great one - but that doesn't happen overnight! Finally, a winning season is within reach and 2013 is shaping up to be a promising year and a significant baby step for Curtis Johnson's team.

2. Rich in history and stuck on traditions. I could sit and listen to a Tulane Alumn sit and tell stories of the good ole days, back when they went to games at the old Tulane Stadium, all. day. long. The history and traditions that have been rooted in Tulane culture over the years are really fascinating. Tulane has one of the oldest and most storied athletic programs in the south.

• Did you know we hosted AND won the very first Sugar Bowl back in 1935?

-I saw a couple of tweets going around a few weeks ago about Tulane’s 3 SEC Championships. It’s pretty cool that we have more SEC Championship titles than both Kentucky and Mississippi State.  And yes, LSU has beat us significantly more times than we’ve beat them, BUT… we did shut them out in both the first matchup ever in 1893 AND the last matchup played in Tulane Stadium in 1973. That has to count for something, right?
;-)

Oh, and have you ever eaten at Reginelli's Pizza? The owner is the brother of a community hero! Reggie Reginelli had a 32-yd reception to beat LSU 31-28 in 1982 that will go down in infamy.. in the hearts of Tulane fans, at least. (Note: I wasn’t born yet, but with the way my aunts and uncles talk about this game, I feel like I was there!) 

....And then there was that famous perfect 12-0 season with Tommy Bowden.

-One of my absolute favorite traditions: I LOVE hearing stories about he Wheelbarrows after The Battle for the Rag. Our rivalry with LSU is one of the oldest college football rivalries in the nation! The winner would receive “The Rag” – a half Tulane, half LSU banner. It disappeared in the early 1980s (rumor has it that some Tulane students destroyed it after our 48-7 victory in ’81). A new one was created in 2001. The most fun part about the Battle for the Rag is the ridiculous wager that occurs year after year. In the  70s, frequenters of Norby’s Bar (which no longer exists) would wager that whatever team won earned the right to be pushed around the block in a decorated wheelbarrow by the opposing team’s fans. The tradition lived on at Henry’s Bar with a second line and parade the Sunday following the Tulane-LSU game... up until LSU decided we weren't worth their time. I certainly don't miss getting my butt kicked by the Tigers, but it is a shame that our football rivalry is no longer an annual event. 

-The history behind our school colors is another interesting mystery! It’s said that LSU and Tulane’s colors were picked at the same time.. back in the late 1890s around Mardi Gras season. I’ve read a Baton Rouge article that states the LSU football coach at the time went  to purchase ribbon for their gray jerseys in preparation for their first football game. Apparently stores were stocking ribbons in the colors of Mardi Gras, but the green had not yet arrived, so LSU went with purple and gold, leaving the green for Tulane to later claim. I’ve also read similar stories that the teams were picking colors during Mardi Gras time, so stores were stocked with purple, green, and gold fabric. LSU had the privilege of choosing first, so they left just Green for the Wave. Then again, I’ve heard some Tulane fans claim it’s the other way around. I’ll never really know the TRUTH, but it’s an interesting concept behind the schools’ colors!

Steering away from football… did you know that TUMB was founded in 1920 as a military band? They disappeared for a while, but returned in 2006 just in time for me to start school there. Now I couldn’t be prouder of my younger brother for being a part of this Krewe that really makes a difference at our home games!

 

-How about that old tradition of throwing Mardi Gras beads onto the Fogelman court at the basketball game before Fat Tuesday? Only at Tulane would that be a tradition! Unfortunately, the beads were banned after the Perry Clark era when an opposing player was hit in the eye. In 2012, some students (including your future GSAPC founders *cough cough*) tried to revive this tradition. It led to a technical foul, just like it used to….

 

3. I actually DID go to school there. I typically claim Prairieville, LA as my hometown, but on occasion I will admit the truth: I was born in the heart of Tigerland. When I share my Baton Rouge roots with others, the first thing I hear is, “So why aren’t you an LSU fan?” It’s no secret that a pretty good chunk of “Die-hard LSU fans” never actually attended Louisiana State University. I'm not saying you can't be a fan of any university that you did not attend.. but I worked hard to be able to go to school at Tulane. Then, I worked hard to finish school at Tulane. When I’m watching the Green Wave play, I feel a sense of pride and ownership to this team. That’s MY school and I’ve got a diploma to prove it!

4. The Hullabaloo: I just LOVE that no one else knows what we are talking about. Hell, I don’t even know what we’re talking about but it’s a helluva a good time chanting this during the games and watching the opposing fans look around in confusion.

5. Thanking the fans: Every team will claim they have the best fans, so of course I am biased. But, come on. How can you not tip your hat to Tulane fans. Look at what we put up with! Losing season after losing season, “Tiger Bait” chant after “Tiger Bait” chant… we still wear our green with pride.

6. Only at Tulane, Only in New Orleans: Duh! I can't tell you how many times I have repeated this university motto. We're one of the very few teams that can claim NEW ORLEANS as our home. We have the best food, the best culture, the best music, the best nightlife, and the best people! Win or Lose – we still booze, and we still have a damn good time in our city!

7. I was born this way: Last, but certainly not least, I was born this way. Bandwagons, fairweather fans, and poor sportsmanship have always been my biggest pet peeves.I was introduced to Tulane when I was born and embraced the fact that Olive & Blue is in my blood. Now, I have instant respect for anyone who is born with this similar blessing. :-)

GSAPC has the potential to really make a difference on Tulane Athletics. I am really looking forward to uniting with my fellow "Wave Council" members to get young alumni excited about Tulane sports. We desparately need to boost a new generation of fans and I couldn't be happer to be a part of spearheading such a campaign. So -spread the word and keep an eye out for fun GSPAC events!

Cheers & Roll Wave

Lynne

Hey fellow Gumbys and Green Wave fans!

Jeff here with the first letter from the President. I'm writing to you while hunkered down in my Broadmoor home hiding from the summer shower flooding people's cars outside. Second floor apartment for the win mirite? Locked in the house is a good thing today though as it gives me time to sit and relax and get to this inaugural blog post. Here we go!

It has been quite a busy month for us at the Gumby Social Aid & Pleasure Club! We have had our founders meeting, a launch party, a trip to the northshore for an Eric Lindell concert, a trip to Tiger Country (smelled like corn dogs and dead fish) for Bayou Country Super Fest, and our first pub crawl (to celebrate member Asyl Nachabe's birthday). Here are some pictures from the events!:

Here are the founding members of GSAPC! From left to right-

Pat Baldwin, Eric Peterson, Lynne Firmin, John Scimeca, Alex Bernadett, Jeff Darling (thats me)

We made a trip over to Mobile, Alabama to see John and tell him about the epicness that was the Dalai Lama. What a great speaker! Way to go Tulane! And to think, poor Loyola only got Tim Brokaw, who had the nerve to throw a jab at us during his speech. Haters gonna hate, mirite? Anyway we went to Mobile and drew up our founding father document (to be revealed at a later date, La Constituzione). And to celebrate we hopped along with the Krewe de something or other as they crawled from bar to bar. I forget the Krewe name but Mobile gras is fake anyway!

We did meet this lady though who was doing the Hullabaloo when she heard about our founding.

But who cares about Mobile? 

Homesick we returned to NOLA and threw one helluva launch party. 40 Greenwave fans, Tulane employees, Roberts regulars, and Sarah the bartendress, gathered to throw one helluva hullabaloo party. Pool/Pingpong/Abita/more Abita.... did I say we had a lot of Abita? A good time was had. No other pics! I might run for the other President one day...

Here is a pic from our first GSAPC Pub Crawl, costumes required

Happy birthday Asyl! One of our members celebrated her birthday so naturally we all dawned costumes and invaded Magazine, Roberts, Mayfair, Prytania, Snakes, and any other bar that would take us. The theme was pick your own theme and that turned into outer space, dress as your best friend, bar whench, Irish, and what not. We live in Nawlins, no questions were asked. 

Here we have BCSF, aka that country thing in enemy territory

Some of us stayed outside and tailgated while the other 15 went in and enjoyed the country. The whole time our Tulane flag flew freely and there was not a thing those Tiger fans could say about it.

ROLL WAVE!

Our most recent outing was a trip to Mandeville for an Eric Lindell show. 

The northshore? When and why do you think we ventured there? Well good music, libations, and visiting the Sunseri crew. Hannah Sunseri hosted an event at her casa in Mandeville and showed the rest of us GSAPC'ers how them northerners do it. We did notice a suspiciously low number of roaches outside. Mandeville is a strange place... but Eric Lindell was awesome! As was Ruby's Roadhouse, a Mandeville classic and Tulane lovin' place. Check out this sign!: 

_________________________________________________________________

Needless to say, a lot of fun has been had so far! 

But remember, not everything about the GSAPC is pleasure. Sometimes we work in that social aid! Here is a project we're considering for Tulane Outreach, August 30th:

This is a paint picture of a Tulane mural on I-10 near the prison. In 1998 our football team went undefeated (roll wave) and in honor of that achievement this baby was put up! Sadly, like our football team's records as of late, this piece of artwork has seen hard times. We're thinking of rehabbing it and fixing her up! Let us know if you want to get involved. 

_________________________________________________________________

We have a lot planned coming up. June's Monday meeting is over with but the events are building up! We've decided to officially make our meetings open to the public and GSAPC followers every 1st Monday night of each month at Roberts, 7 pm. We'll have speakers, music, and libations. Additional events in the works:

July 1st, Monday, a going away countdown party for Scotty C. at (where else) Robert's.
July 4th, Thursday, a trip to Baton Rouge for the USS Kidd fireworks display. Rides available. Fireworks, food, tailgating, frisbee, football. Last year we made the Advocate!
August 16th, Friday, Ryan Griffin debut with Saints game, buying tickets!
August 24th, Saturday, a pub crawl raffle fundraiser to gear us up for football season.
August 29th, Thursday, our first home game of the season vs. Jackson State arrives (Yeehaw and thank the lord!  What a dismal off season)
August 31st, Saturday, Tulane Outreach. Regardless as to if we do the mural or not you betcha that GSAPC will be in full force lending that social aid.

_________________________________________________________________

In addition to all the events we've been having, our techies have been hard at work getting our website (launch date still TBD) and logos up and running! We've got some GSAPC logos. Here they are in all their glory-

To close, I want to say how humbled and thrilled I am with the outreach and support from the Tulane community so far. More people have called/emailed/tweeted/texted me about this in support of the GSAPC and Tulane than I already would've ever thunk. Its been an awesome ride that we hope to keep growing! We started this club to bridge a gap between new alumni and older networking/booster groups and its already turned into so much more. Thank you for the support and more importantly if you're thinking about joining, get off your butt and do it!


Make sure and follow us on twitter @gumbysapc, on facebook at facebook.com/gsapc, and on this blogspot. If you want to join our news letter send us an email at gumbysapc@gmail.com with Newsletter sign up in the subject line. Dues, t shirts, coozies, and more swag are in the works so stay tuned!


I have to go move my car, its raining cats n tigers outside!


Your President,
Jeff Darling '11
ROLL WAVE

Checking in from NoLA!

Hey Green Wave Blogging Fans, Bored Students, and People Looking For gap.blogspot.com!

I wanted to stretch out the new digs (ie the blogosphere) before hitting the hay tonight. 

I'll be spending the next four weeks spreading the word of GSAPC, Tulane, and New Orleans in Olla, LA while completing a Rural Medicine Elective through TUSOM. Olla is in La Salle Parish, which is considered Northern Louisiana (get it, NoLA!).

This is the guideline packet that we received for my program:

This is the guideline program now:

Roll Wave, 

Secretary Alex

P.S. The Official GSAPC Title of Sexretary cannot be used on a public forum. We're trying to remain dignified and what not.

P.P.S. Shoot! Secretary fail.