Tulane Football Coach Shows Care for His Players off the Field on Special Day

Tulane Green Wave football coach invited faculty members responsible for his players' success beyond the field to watch spring practice.

Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

NEW ORLEANS, La. — The Tulane Green Wave football team had an important group of visitors at their Friday session of spring practice.

Tulane football players are ultimately student athletes, attending a university renowned for its academic excellence.

Head coach Jon Sumrall began an important event while he was with the Troy Trojans: Staff Appreciation Day. 

Sumrall brought that with him to the Green Wave last season, and on Friday he invited what appeared to be 40–50 faculty members who teach his football players in the classroom to watch practice. 

As the team prepared for their second scrimmage on Saturday, they did so in front of a new audience, some of whom had never been to Yulman Stadium.

Sumrall spoke about the importance of the day with reporters following practice. 

“For us, it's so cool for our players to invite a professor they interact with on campus and bring them over here and show them a day in the life,” Sumrall said. “Guys are up at 5:30. It's a day. You look at the schedule from 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., and they put in a ton of work. So, we want them to be able to see what our guys do day in and day out.”

The schedule for a Tulane football player is vigorous as a student-athlete, and it’s difficult to understand that without a close-up perspective.

It’s a simple and straightforward gesture that extends far, as the athletic and academic sides of Tulane were much further apart and felt disconnected a decade ago.

Sumrall was a co-defensive coordinator on staff from 2012-14, when the sides were more detached. 

“We also want to show appreciation for what those people do in our players' lives on the other side of campus,” Sumrall continued. “Too often it's like they live two separate lives. It's trying to get them to understand we're all connected here. The professors, the faculty, staff, people, and everyone are trying to help everyone on this campus grow and develop in every area of their life.”

He allowed faculty to ask questions following practice and sees value in exposing them to the football side of things for his players. 

It ultimately shows a level of care for his players that extends past the field, particularly somewhere that has considerable demands in the classroom.

While football teams conduct their spring practices, they’re doing so in the middle of a semester.

Winning games matters, but Sumrall is interested in the long-term development of his players, and that is illustrated in his efforts in multiple facets of their lives.