Tulane Fan Tuesdays

Section 143 representin'...

Actually we were just kicking off the silly season for the SMU game. Oh the #2 jokes just abounded. We just thought it was sooo funny that #2 was throwing long and missing. "#2 is stinking up the place! Throw long again #2!" Until he didn't miss and then it was just not as funny anymore. Sigh.

So to raise our spirits, I am changing my rules (I can do that since this is my blog) and featuring this week's SuperFan edition on Tuesday. Except that it's Monday night, but whatever.

So being that this weekend's tailgate menu is going to be Leatha's in Louisiana , I chose a Die Hard Greenie Dat who attended and graduated from USM. I kid you not.

side note....If Her Highness Scott Cody comes back for the USM game, we can maybe actually pull out the Brett Favre themed posters we threatened to do, but chickened out. 'HEY SCOTT, STOP TEXTING ME - BRETT' or on a similar vein 'HEY SCOTT, BRETT SAYS HE NEEDS HIS PHONE BACK' and 'NO SCOTT, I WILL NOT MEET YOU AT A HOTEL!'

Okay, so back to one of my favorite Greenie Dats: Lee.


Lee and I are furious e-pen pals about Greenwave Football. We vent, we analyze, we compare notes, we dream about on campus stadiums, we pirate copies of the 1998 season DVD (what?!).... and what I love most about Lee is that he wore a Tulane outfit for the game in Hattiesburg last year. It brought tears to my eyes! Childhood loyalty wins out over tuition payments - what a beautiful thing to behold!

I also vastly admire Lee because he has made friends with Tammy Nunez, which I am not yet mature enough to do. She royally teed me off with her "witty" banter in some of her articles last year - siding with Coach Toledo on blaming the fans (remember that?!) and then a few stupid lines about the Greenwave "getting their bell rung" in the Battle for the Bell. Yes, we lost. I was there and that was one of my lowest moments as a Greenwave fan to see our team emotionally fall apart. So we really didn't need the hometown rag to add additional embellishment. I would honestly rather "embarassing omissions" and "technical difficulties in getting feed from local affiliates" (ahem, Scott Cody) than bullshit patronizing articles. Or just offer us the plain news and save your cleverness for when you get to Star Magazine or wherever the next career rung is. (a side, side note: Tammy has since grown by leaps and bounds in the quality of her coverage. Mrs. Hullabaloo just immaturely holds grudges.)

So without further ado, Lee, my favoritest SuperFan...

How and When did you know you were a true Tulane fan?

Since I was 5 (I'm 40 now). Every Saturday my mom and dad would take me to 4:30PM Mass. There was an entire row of people in green Tulane shirts who went to church and then to the game. Every time I'd see them, I told my parents, "I want to go too!" So they took me. The game that did it for me was a thriller some six years later in 1981 against Vanderbilt. We sat in the terrace endzone and I remember all of the green pom poms waving like crazy on both sidelines, and the crowd screaming "GO WAVE GO! GO WAVE GO!" We won at the last minute 14-10 and that place erupted. That's when I knew this was my team.

What was the #1 most exciting/memorable moment for you as a Tulane fan?

This one is easy - the Louisville game in 1998. I think I shredded my vocal chords that day. Runner-up (TIE) : 1987 vs. LSU in the Dome when we scored our final touchdown to make the score 36-35 (even though the Tiggers won 41-36). Second was against USL in 1986 with the Beach Boys concert after the game in the Dome. okay Lee that's three, but you're cool so I will allow you to break the rules

Which is your #1 favorite Tulane student athlete (past or current)?

Shaun King - a true class act, and an amazing player and leader. Even a broken hand couldn't slow him down. Runner up: Mike McKay and Reggie Reginelli (I think we all know why), and Steve Barrios.(1, 2, 3, 4...you are testing me Mr. C)

Do you have any pre-game rituals or lucky outfits/accessories?

Yep, I wear the same outfit every game - jeans, running shoes, dark green Tulane t-shirt, and light blue button down (unbuttoned and untucked) over it.

Are there any past Tulane fans that you have admired and thankful you got to know?

[as of the writing of this blog post, both of these fans are still alive, so mental note to interview Lee again about dead fans] First and foremost, Mrs. Hullabaloo. Who has more passion and fire for the team, huh? Secondly is the foursome that sits in section 201 with us, particularly one of them - Ms. Nell. She is about 65 years old, and she and her husband drive in from Donaldsonville every week. She screams and hollers more than I do! On top of that, she NEVER misses a game, even when she isn't feeling well.

UPDATE: Lee shared with us his favorite no longer with us SuperFan. Lee writes: "I get carried away when I'm "interviewed" LOL! (yes I know the feeling!) And of course points off for not reading directions about the dead person question. (that's okay! I sort of feel immortalized!) Truthfully, my answer should have been Stocker Fontelieu, who received his MFA in Theatre from Tulane in 1959, and was Artistic Director at Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre for 30 years. He said, "Tulane games were the only sporting events where martinis were acceptable to drink." Gotta love it.

YES, I do love that!