The Sugar Bowl | |
 Willow Street entrance in 1979 | |
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| Address | Willow Street and Ben Weiner Drive |
|---|---|
| Location | Tulane University New Orleans,Louisiana |
| Coordinates | 29°56′34″N90°7′3″W / 29.94278°N 90.11750°W /29.94278; -90.11750 |
| Owner | Tulane University |
| Operator | Tulane University |
| Capacity | 80,985 (1956–1975) 80,735 (1947–1955) 69,000 (1939–1946) 49,000 (1937–1938) 35,000 (1926–1936) |
| Record attendance | 86,598 (December 1, 1973) |
| Surface | Poly-Turf (1971–1979) Natural grass (1926–1970) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | April 7, 1924 |
| Opened | October 23, 1926; 99 years ago (1926-10-23) |
| Closed | November 3, 1979; 46 years ago (1979-11-03) |
| Demolished | November 18, 1979– June 15, 1980 |
| Construction cost | $295,968[1] ($60.8 million adjusted for inflation[2]) |
| Tenants | |
| Tulane Green Wave (NCAA) 1926–1974 Sugar Bowl (NCAA) 1935–1974 New Orleans Saints (NFL) 1967–1974 Pelican Bowl (NCAA) 1974 | |
Tulane Stadium was an outdoorfootball stadium in theSouthern United States on the campus ofTulane University inNew Orleans, Louisiana. It stood from 1926 to 1980 and was officially theThird Tulane Stadium, following the "Second Tulane Stadium", which was located where the Telephone Exchange Building is now.[1]
The former site is currently bound by Willow Street to the south, Ben Weiner Drive to the east, the Tulane University property line west ofMcAlister Place, and the Hertz Basketball/Volleyball Practice Facility and the Green Wave's current home,Yulman Stadium, to the north.
Tulane Stadium hosted theSugar Bowl through December1974 and three of the first nineSuper Bowls, in January1970,1972, and1975.
The stadium was opened in 1926 with aseating capacity of roughly 35,000—the lower level of the final configuration's sideline seats. Tulane Stadium was built on Tulane University's campus (before 1871, Tulane's campus was a backwoods portion of Paul Foucher's property, where on a plantation closer to the river, Foucher's father-in-law,Étienne de Boré, had first granulated sugar from cane syrup).
Since the institution of the annualSugar Bowl game, Tulane Stadium itself was often informally referred to locally as "the Sugar Bowl". It was also billed as "The Queen of Southern Stadiums". It was in a portion ofTulane University's main campus inUptown New Orleans fronting Willow Street, with parking stretching to Claiborne Avenue. The original 1926 structure was mostly ofbrick andconcrete.
Track meets were once held in the stadium.[3]
The first Sugar Bowl game was played at the stadium on January 1,1935, matching hostTulane against theTemple Owls fromPhiladelphia. The term "Sugar Bowl" had been coined byFred Digby, sports editor of theNew Orleans Item, who had been pushing for an annual New Year's Day football game since 1927.[4]
The Sugar Bowl proved to be a hit, and in response the north end was enclosed in 1937, creating a 49,000-seat horseshoe. In 1939, the north end and sides were double-decked, expanding capacity to 69,000. The south end was enclosed in 1947, expanding capacity to 80,735. A seating adjustment in 1955 brought the stadium to its final capacity of 80,985.
In its final configuration, the stadium included four concrete and steel sections (separated at the corners of the field), with a short steel upper deck wrapping around the sides and north end of the stadium. The press box was located on the western side of the field, and the main gate (pictured above) was at the southern end of the field facing Willow Street. The support structure for the upper deck was entirely open, exposing the ramps and lattice work, and hiding the original brick facade underneath with the exception of the Willow Street end of the stadium. Lights were installed in 1957.
The record attendance for the stadium was set on December 1, 1973, when 86,598 watchedTulane defeat in-state rivalLSU 14–0, ending a 25-year winless streak for the Green Wave against the Bayou Bengals. It was the last installment of the LSU–Tulane rivalry played on the Tulane campus. Thirty days later, aSugar Bowl-record crowd of 85,161 watchedNotre Dame edgeAlabama 24–23 in the first meeting between the traditional powers, allowing the Fighting Irish to capture theAssociated Press national championship (the Crimson Tide was voted champion by theUnited Press International coaches poll, which did not take a poll after bowl games until the next season).
Almost exactly one year later, Tulane Stadium hosted its final Green Wave game, a 26–10 loss toOle Miss on November 30, 1974 (the game was originally scheduled to be the season opener for both teams, but was postponed due anticipated bad weather fromHurricane Carmen). Tulane would not play another on-campus game untilYulman Stadium opened in2014.
One month after the Ole Miss–Tulane game,Nebraska won the final college game in the stadium, defeatingFlorida 13–10 in theSugar Bowl on December 31.
In addition to hosting Tulane University football games and the Sugar Bowl, the stadium was also home to theNational Football League'sNew Orleans Saints for the first seven years of the franchise, from1967 through1974. The Saints' first home game was a 27-13 loss to theLos Angeles Rams on September 17,1967, although the Saints provided fans with a memorable highlight whenJohn Gilliam returned the opening kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown. The Saints won their last game in the stadium, 14-0 over theSt. Louis Cardinals on December 8,1974.
The largest crowd for a Saints game at Tulane Stadium came on November 26, 1967 when 83,437 fans showed up for the first meeting of theSaints-Falcons Rivalry, which the Saints won 27-24.
Tulane Stadium was the site of three earlySuper Bowls:IV,VI, andIX. Super Bowl IX was the final professional league game ever played at the stadium.The stadium hosted the two coldest outdoor Super Bowls, Super Bowl VI on January 16, 1972, at 39 °F (4 °C); and Super Bowl IX on January 12, 1975, at 46 °F (8 °C). Super Bowl IX had been originally scheduled to be played in the Superdome, but it was unfinished.
| Date | Super Bowl | Team (Visitor) | Points | Team (Home) | Points | Spectators |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 11, 1970 | IV | Minnesota Vikings | 7 | Kansas City Chiefs | 23 | 80,562 |
| January 16, 1972 | VI | Dallas Cowboys | 24 | Miami Dolphins | 3 | 81,023 |
| January 12, 1975 | IX | Pittsburgh Steelers | 16 | Minnesota Vikings | 6 | 80,997 |
Aside from the various bowls, the most memorable moment at the stadium might have been the Saints victory over theDetroit Lions on November 8,1970. In the NFL prior to the1974 season, the goal posts were on the goal line instead of the end line. With seconds remaining, the Saints attempted a place kick with holderJoe Scarpati spotting at the Saints' own 37-yard line. KickerTom Dempsey nailed the 63-yard field goal with a couple of feet to spare, and the Saints won the game 19-17, one of only two games the Saints won that year. That record would stand alone for 28 years before it was tied byJason Elam of theDenver Broncos,Sebastian Janikowski of theOakland Raiders, andDavid Akers of theSan Francisco 49ers. Late in the2013 NFL season,Denver Broncos kickerMatt Prater broke the shared record with a 64-yard field goal against theTennessee Titans. On September 26, 2021,Baltimore Ravens kickerJustin Tucker set a new NFL record, hitting a 66-yard field goal on the final play of the game, beating the Detroit Lions 19-17. (TheJacksonville Jaguars'Cam Little kicked a 70-yard field goal in a 2025 exhibition game, but exhibition game statistics do not count towards NFL records.)
On August 4, 1975, the day after the newLouisiana Superdome was opened, Tulane Stadium was condemned. Upon appeal by the university, the older concrete-and-brick section was deemed fit to use. However, the newer metal upper deck was declared unsafe, having rusted badly due to 36 years of exposure to New Orleans' humid climate. The stadium then continued in more limited use for five years with the smaller seating area, used for football practice, high school games, and other smaller events.
John Curtis Christian School wonLouisiana High School Athletic Association Class AA state championship games at the stadium in 1977 and '78.
ZZ Top played Tulane Stadium during itsWorldwide Texas Tour July 17, 1976. Fans rioted and threw objects atpolice officers, prompting Tulane to ban any future concerts on campus, a ban which has extended toYulman Stadium. Twelve years prior, Tulane refused to hostThe Beatles on their second U.S. tour, forcing the band to play at the smallerCity Park Stadium.
TheDenver Broncos used Tulane Stadium as its practice facility prior toSuper Bowl XII, the first Super Bowl played in the Superdome, as had the AFC champions who participated in the three Super Bowls played there.
The last game played in the stadium prior to its demolition was between New Orleans Catholic League teamsChalmette High School andJesuit High School on November 3, 1979. The final touchdown was on a 9-yard pass from Keith Mason to Craig Stieber with 4:08 remaining, helping Chalmette win by 23-9.
On November 2, 1979, Tulane PresidentSheldon Hackney announced that the stadium would be demolished. The demolition started on November 18, 1979 and ended in June 1980. While the storage areas underneath the seating in the stadium were being emptied prior to demolition, various neglected University possessions were rediscovered, including anAncient Egyptianmummy couple.[5]
The site of the former stadium is now home to the Aron and Willow student housing complexes, the Diboll parking structure, theReily Student-Recreation Center and Brown Quad.
Tulane Stadium is one of eight stadiums that had hosted a Super Bowl game which are no longer standing.Tampa Stadium, which hosted two Super Bowls, was demolished in April 1999;Stanford Stadium, which hosted one Super Bowl, was demolished and redeveloped in 2005–06; theOrange Bowl, which hosted five Super Bowls, was demolished in May 2008 withLoanDepot Park, the home ballpark of theMiami Marlins ofMajor League Baseball, built on its site; theHubert H. Humphrey Metrodome inMinneapolis, which hosted one Super Bowl, was demolished in March 2014 with its replacement,U.S. Bank Stadium, which itself hosted one Super Bowl to date, built on its site; theGeorgia Dome inAtlanta, which hosted two Super Bowls, was demolished in November 2017; thePontiac Silverdome in suburbanDetroit, which hosted one Super Bowl, was demolished a few months after the Georgia Dome in March 2018; andSan Diego Stadium, which hosted three Super Bowls, was demolished in March 2021.
| Events and tenants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Second Tulane Stadium[1] | Home of the Tulane Green Wave 1926–1974 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Second Tulane Stadium | Home of the Sugar Bowl 1935–1974 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by None | Home of the New Orleans Saints 1967–1974 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Host of theSuper Bowl IV 1970 VI 1972 IX 1975 | Succeeded by |
The Tulane football team played in the "Original Tulane Stadium" or "First Tulane Stadium" starting in 1909.[6] The final season the team played at the stadium was the 1916 season.[7]
The Tulane football team played in the "Second Tulane Stadium", where the Telephone Exchange Building is now located, starting in 1917.[6] Contemporaneous maps are difficult to locate but aSanborn map in theLibrary of Congress digital archives[8] indicates the stadium and track were located at present day Monroe Quad and surrounding buildings. The final season the team played at the stadium was the 1925 season.[7] The stadium also hosted high school football games.[9]
The Soul Bowl was a concert held at Tulane Stadium on October 24, 1970. It was sponsored by Tulane University to aid black and minority students. All proceeds were administered by the university's student faculty Committee on Expanding Educational Opportunity. The concert had an estimated attendance of over 25,000 during its six hours ofsoul music performed by some of the top soul acts of that era.[10]The performers includedJames Brown,Isaac Hayes movement,The Ike & Tina Turner Revue,Jr. Walker and the All Stars,Pacific Gas & Electric, andRare Earth.
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Former stadiums of the National Football League | |
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| Early era: 1920–1940 |
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| Post-war and pre-merger era: 1941–1969 |
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| Current era: 1970–present |
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| Stadiums used by NFL teams temporarily |
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†= Team's stadium under construction or refurbishment at time | |
