Sumrall's Tulane Future Still Up in the Air as of Saturday Night
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Tulane defeated the Charlotte 49ers 27-0, wrapping up their regular season football slate with a 10-2 record, 7-1 in American Conference play. Because of that, the Green Wave will host North Texas for the league trophy game on Friday night in Yulman Stadium.
Most of the post-game media conference was about the contest, which you can read about here. However, coach Jon Sumrall, who has been the subject of rumors to take over coaching jobs at other locales, was asked after the game about leaving New Orleans.
"I want tonight to be about this football team," Sumrall told the media assembled in the Tulane squad room. "I'll talk to (Tulane athletic director) David Harris a little bit tonight. Then, my wife and I will talk in the morning. Any opportunities I have, have to do with so many other people other than myself."
He continued to fawn over the University when asked if he would coach the Green Wave in the AAC championship game this Friday if he decides to leave Tulane.
"I love this place. I love Tulane," Sumrall said. "This place has given my family a lot. My oldest two kids were born here. I love these guys (referring to his team). I love what we're doing. I want to coach this thing out no matter what comes next."
The Tulane football coach was his usual honest self, saying he didn't like the way the NCAA calendar falls, but he has to live with it.
"I don't like any of it, the timing," Sumrall shared after the game, "but it is what it is. I'd like for tonight to be about this football team, and tomorrow I'll wake up and there's some things that have been presented that I will have to discuss and make a decision on."
Tulane sources have told us that there will be a media conference Sunday once Sumrall's decision is made.
Doug has covered a gamut of sporting events in his fifty-plus years in the field. He started doing sideline reporting for Louisiana Tech football games for the student radio station. Doug was Sports Director for KNOE-AM/FM in Monroe in the mid-80s, winning numerous awards from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association for Best Sportscast and Best Play-by-Play. High school play-by-play for teams in Monroe, Natchitoches, New Orleans, and Thibodaux, LA dot his resume. He did college play-by-play for Northwestern State University in Natchitoches for nine years. Then, moving to the Crescent City, Doug did television PBP of Tulane games and even filled in for legendary Tulane broadcaster, Ken Berthelot in the only game Kenny ever missed while doing the Green Wave games. His father was an alumnus of Tulane in the 1940s, so Doug has attended Tulane football games in old Tulane Stadium, the Superdome, and Yulman. He was one of the 86,000 plus on December 1, 1973, sitting in the North End Zone to seeTulane shutout the LSU Tigers, 14-0. He was there when the Posse ruled Fogelman and in Turchin when the Wave made it to the World Series. He currently is the public address voice of the Tulane baseball team.