1979 Tulane Green Wave football team

1979 Tulane Green Wave football
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Liberty Bowl, L 6–9 vs. Penn State
Conference	Independent
1979 record	9–3
Head coach	Larry Smith
Home stadium	Louisiana Superdome (Capacity: 71,330)

1979 Division I-A independents football records
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
#6 Florida State		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
#7 Pittsburgh		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
UNLV		–		–				9	–	1	–	2
#17 Temple		–		–				10	–	2	–	0
Tulane		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
Rutgers		–		–				8	–	3	–	0
East Carolina		–		–				7	–	3	–	1
#20 Penn State		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
South Carolina		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
Navy		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Notre Dame		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–				6	–	4	–	1
Syracuse		–		–				7	–	5	–	0
Colgate		–		–				5	–	4	–	1
Boston College		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Holy Cross		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Memphis		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Miami		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
North Texas		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Villanova		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Virginia Tech		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
West Virginia		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Georgia Tech		–		–				4	–	6	–	1
Louisville		–		–				4	–	6	–	1
Connecticut		–		–				3	–	6	–	2
William & Mary		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Northwestern State		–		–				3	–	6	–	0
Illinois State		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Northeast Louisiana		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Army		–		–				2	–	8	–	1
Air Force		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Cincinnati		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Richmond		–		–				0	–	11	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1979 Tulane Green Wave football team represented Tulane University in the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was led by Larry Smith. The Green Wave played home games in the Louisiana Superdome. The team finished with a record of 9–3 and played in the 1979 Liberty Bowl, losing 6–9 to Penn State. The offense scored 318 points while the defense allowed 179 points. Two members of the Green Wave team were drafted into the National Football League. In the 77th edition of the Battle for the Flag, Tulane beat LSU 24–13.

Schedule

Date	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	Result
September 8	#13 Stanford*		Louisiana Superdome • New Orleans, LA	W 33–10
September 15	at Rice*		Rice Stadium • Houston, TX	L 17–21
September 22	at TCU*		Amon G. Carter Stadium • Fort Worth, TX	W 33–19
September 29	#19 SMU*		Louisiana Superdome • New Orleans, LA	W 24–17
October 6	Vanderbilt*		Louisiana Superdome • New Orleans, LA	W 42–14
October 13	at Southern Miss*		M. M. Roberts Stadium • Hattiesburg, MS (Battle for the Bell)	W 20–19
October 20	at West Virginia*		Mountaineer Field • Morgantown, WV	L 17–27
October 27	Georgia Tech*		Louisiana Superdome • New Orleans, LA	W 12–7
November 3	at Boston College*		Alumni Stadium • Chestnut Hill, MA	W 43–8
November 10	Ole Miss*		Louisiana Superdome • New Orleans, LA	W 49–15
November 24	LSU*	#18	Louisiana Superdome • New Orleans, LA (Battle for the Flag)	W 24–13
December 22	at Penn State*	#15	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN (Liberty Bowl)	L 6–9
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game.

Team players in the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL Team
Eddie Murray	Kicker	7	166	Detroit Lions
Alton Alexis	Wide Receiver	11	281	Cincinnati Bengals
Marty Wetzel	Linebacker	10	251	New York Jets
Rodney Holman	Tight End	3	82	Cincinnati Bengals
Marvin Lewis	Running Back	6	142	New Orleans Saints
Joe Silipo	Center	FA	0	Kansas City Chiefs
Nickie Hall	Quarterback	10	255	Green Bay Packers
Jeff Roberts	Defensive End	7	168	New England Patriots
Chuck Pitcock	Center	FA	0	New England Patriots
Lionel Washington	Cornerback	4	103	St. Louis Cardinals