# 1931 Tulane Green Wave football team

The 1931 Tulane Green Wave football team represented Tulane University during the 1931 Southern Conference football season. The team posted an undefeated regular season, but lost in the Rose Bowl to national champion USC. It is one of the best teams in school history.

## Before the season

Jerry Dalrymple was elected captain.

## Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 26 | Ole Miss | Tulane StadiumNew Orleans, LA (rivalry) | W 31–0 | 12,000 |
| October 3 | Texas A&M* | Tulane StadiumNew Orleans, LA | W 7–0 | |
| October 10 | at Spring Hill* | Tulane StadiumNew Orleans, LA | W 40–0 | |
| October 17 | at Vanderbilt | Dudley FieldNashville, TN | W 19–0 | |
| October 24 | Georgia Tech | Tulane StadiumNew Orleans, LA | W 33–0 | 17,000 |
| October 31 | Mississippi A&M | Tulane StadiumNew Orleans, LA | W 59–7 | 4,000 |
| November 7 | vs. Auburn | Cramton BowlMontgomery, AL (rivalry) | W 27–0 | |
| November 14 | at Georgia | Sanford StadiumAthens, GA | W 20–7 | 35,000 |
| November 21 | Sewanee | Tulane StadiumNew Orleans, LA | W 40–0 | 8,000 |
| November 28 | LSU | Tulane StadiumNew Orleans, LA (Battle for the Rag) | W 34–7 | 30,000 |
| December 5 | Washington State* | Tulane StadiumNew Orleans, LA | W 28–14 | 20,000 |
| January 1, 1932 | vs. USC* | Rose BowlPasadena, CA (Rose Bowl) | L 12–21 | 84,000 |
| *Non-conference game ||||||

## Game summaries
### Ole Miss

Tulane opened the season with a 31–0 victory over Ole Miss. The starting lineup was DeColigny (left end), Cunningham (left tackle), Calhoun (left guard), Lodrigues (center), Scafide (right guard), Upton (right tackle), Dalrymple (right end), Dawson (quarterback), Glover (left halfback), Zimmerman (right halfback), Felts (fullback).

### Texas A&M

In the second week of play, Tulane defeated Texas A&M 7–0. The starting lineup was DeColigny (left end), Cunningham (left tackle), Calhoun (left guard), Lodrigues (center), Scafide (right guard), Upton (right tackle), Dalrymple (right end), Dawson (quarterback), Glover (left halfback), Zimmerman (right halfback), Felts (fullback).

### Spring Hill

The Spring Hill College Badgers lost to Tulane 40–0 .

### Vanderbilt

Against Vanderbilt, Tulane won 19–0.

### Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech was beaten 33–0.

### Mississippi A&M

Mississippi A&M was beaten 59–7. The starting lineup was Haynes (left end), Bankston (left tackle), Scafide (left guard), Lodrigues (center), Calhoun (right guard), Upton (right tackle), Dalrymple (right end), Richardson (quarterback), Roberts (left halfback), Hodgins (right halfback), Lemmon (fullback).

### Auburn

Don Zimmerman eclipsed 100 yards rushing in the 27–0 defeat of Auburn. Felts scored three touchdowns.

### Georgia

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Tulane | 7 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 20 |
| Georgia | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Tulane defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 20–7. Tulane scored first on a 33-yard pass from Zimmerman to Vernon Haynes. Nollie Felts plunged in from the 1-yard line for the next touchdown. A pass from Georgia's Homey Key to Buster Mott netted 60 yards and a touchdown. After a botched punt, a double pass play led to Payne sprinting around left end for Tulane's final score.

### Sewanee

Tulane shut out the Sewanee Tigers 40–0 .

### LSU

Tulane defeated rival LSU 34–7. The starting lineup was Haynes (left end), DeColigny (left tackle), Scafide (left guard), Lodrigues (center), McCormick (right guard), Upton (right tackle), Dalrymple (right end), Dawson (quarterback), Zimmerman (left halfback), Glover (right halfback), Felts (fullback).

### Washington State

Tulane had an intersectional victory to close the regular season, over Washington State 28–14 . Dahlen scored the first touchdown. After starting on the bench, Dalrymple rallied the team when he entered the game. A pass from Zimmerman to Haynes got the first touchdown, with Haynes tackled by Sander at the goal line.
In the second quarter, Zimmerman connected with Dawson for a long pass, pushed out of bounds at the 6-yard line. Glover then got a touchdown on a double lateral pass play, scoring with two tacklers around his neck. After a Zimmerman interception and 30-yard return, another Zimmerman to Haynes pass got another touchdown.
After a blocked punt and then a fumble by Tulane on the next drive, Washington State was in scoring distance, with Schroeder scoring on a line plunge. At the start of the fourth quarter, Dalrymple caught 25-yard touchdown despite being covered.

## Postseason
### Rose Bowl

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • USC | 0 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
| Tulane | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 12 |
Tulane lost in the Rose Bowl to Southern California by a 21–12 score. The Trojans had six All-Americans in their lineup: tackle Ernie Smith, guards Johnny Baker and Aaron "Rosy" Rosenberg, halfback Erny Pinckert and quarterbacks Orville Mohler and Gaius Shaver.
Down 21 to 0 in the third quarter, Zimmerman led a running attack which ended with a 6-yard pass to Haynes for the score. Tulane's other score was a run by "Wop" Glover set up by 11 and 15 yard passes from Zimmerman to Jerry Dalrymple. Tulane still managed a Rose Bowl record for yardage gained.

### Awards and honors

One article which attempts to retroactively name Heisman Trophy winners before 1936 named Dalrymple as the recipient for 1931. He was the season's only unanimous All-American; and is still the only unanimous All-American in school history.
Felts was elected next year's captain.

## Players
### Line

| Light jersey number | Dark jersey number | Player | Position | Hometown | Prep school | Height | Weight |
| 41 | 73 | Thomas Cunningham | tackle | Pine Bluff, Arkansas | | | 220 |
| 33 | 55 | Jerry Dalrymple | end | Arkadelphia, Arkansas | Ouachita Junior College | 5'10" | 178 |
| 35 | 57 | Calvert DeColigny | end | New Orleans | | | 185 |
| 24 | 40 | William Drawe | end | New Orleans | | | 170 |
| 38 | 70 | William Featherngill | tackle | Independence, Kansas | | | 200 |
| 19 | 62 | Vernon Haynes | end | Arkansas City, Arkansas | | | 170 |
| 39 | 74 | Doyless Hill | center | Sand Springs, Oklahoma | | | 200 |
| 30 | 54 | Winnie Lodrigues | center | Patterson | | | 180 |
| 20 | 46 | Doyle Magee | end | Franklinton | | | 175 |
| 34 | 53 | John McCormick | guard | Monroe | | | 171 |
| 23 | 47 | William Penney | guard | Guatemala City, C. A. | | | 180 |
| 36 | 59 | John Read | center | Picayune, Mississippi | | | 195 |
| 42 | 72 | John Scafide | guard | Bay St. Louis, Mississippi | Saint Stanislaus College | 6'0" | 210 |
| 43 | 66 | Claggert Upton | tackle | New Orleans | | | 206 |
| 31 | 64 | Sam Zemurray | tackle | New Orleans | | | 195 |

### Backfield

| Light jersey number | Dark jersey number | Player | Position | Hometown | Prep school | Height | Weight |
| 26 | 43 | Red Dawson | quarterback | River Falls, Wisconsin | | | 165 |
| 37 | 63 | Nollie Felts | fullback | Hattiesburg, Mississippi | Southern Miss | | 185 |
| 10 | 38 | Wop Glover | halfback | Bay St. Louis, Mississippi | Saint Stanislaus College | | 165 |
| 12 | 39 | George Haik | halfback | Bogalusa | | | 165 |
| 27 | 41 | James Hodgins | halfback | Shreveport | | | 165 |
| 17 | 60 | Harold Lemmon | fullback | Patterson | | | 186 |
| 29 | 52 | Francis Payne | fullback | Winterville, Mississippi | | | 175 |
| 14 | 49 | Will Pat Richardson | quarterback | Ponchatoula | | | 165 |
| 25 | 42 | Edward Tschirn | halfback | New Orleans | | | 165 |
| 18 | 44 | Don Zimmerman | halfback | Lake Charles | | 5'11" | 176 |