Tulane's Curtis Johnson makes Football Scoop's Top 10 "exceeding expectations list"

http://www.nola.com/tulane/index.ssf/2013/09/tulane_football_coach_curtis_j_32.html

http://footballscoop.com/news/10902-the-top-ten-most-impressive-head-coaches-through-three-weeks

Tulane Presidential Search Update

Below you will find information on the search for a new President and links to different areas. I wanted to point something out that a friend brought to my attention because I admit I didn't begin to read it yet. I wanted to put this at the top before you became tired of reading because the position description is about 26 pages and in it you will find this

Enhance the University Experience 

Tulane is dedicated to providing an outstanding educational experience for its students. In order to constantly improve student retention and graduation rates in the coming decade, it will be incumbent on the new President to ensure that the university optimize the value-proposition of the educational programs, insure affordability and accessibility to foster a diverse student population, and explore ways to secure and enhance the University’s brand and position as a leading private research university. Capitalizing on new athletic facilities and conference affiliation will also help to enhance the campus and alumni experience and give the new president the opportunity to enhance athletics, consistent with the university’s mission and commitment to being a leader in education, research and service.

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September 16, 2013   

It is with great pleasure that we write today to provide you with an update on our Presidential Search. As you know, a Search Committee was appointed by the Board of Administrators in mid-June following the announcement by President Cowen of his retirement effective July 1, 2014.   

The Search Committee was busy earlier this summer interviewing and subsequently hiring a search consultant. We announced in early July that the Committee had selected the firm of Russell Reynolds Associates, one of the world’s leading executive recruiting firms, as its search consultant. We are fortunate that Ilene Nagel, the head of the firm’s higher education practice, is leading the search for Russell Reynolds.   

The Search Committee, with significant input from the Board of Administrators, administrators and other constituents, completed the Position Description that is posted on the Presidential Search website at http://tulane.edu/presidentialsearch/upload/Tulane-Profile-New-Draft-9-13_13.pdf   

The search is very much on schedule. As a result of our efforts to recruit a national pool of outstanding leaders, we now have a significant number of individuals who have agreed to discuss this exciting opportunity with us in strict confidence. We expect the pool to continue to grow as the search proceeds. The candidate pool currently includes individuals nominated by members of the Tulane community, those recruited by our search consultant and those who have responded to our position advertising. This distinguished group features a diverse set of backgrounds and academic disciplines. It is also populated by men, women and minority candidates, the vast majority of whom are presently in leadership positions in AAU research universities and other distinguished colleges and universities. We encourage you to continue to submit nominations until the process is concluded. You may do so at http://tulane.edu/presidentialsearch/feedback.cfm     

We are delighted with the input our Committee has received from faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of Tulane. In order to further inform our process, we will be hosting three town hall meetings to solicit additional input. The first meeting is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 14 from 5:30-6:30 p.m., and is intended for uptown campus faculty and staff. The meeting will be held in the Qatar Ballroom in the Lavin-Bernick Center.  On Tuesday, Oct. 15 from 3:30-4:30 p.m. we will host a town hall meeting for downtown faculty and staff in the Tidewater Auditorium. Finally, on Oct. 15 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. we will host a town hall meeting for students in the Kendall Cram Room in the Lavin-Bernick Center. You may view the schedule of town hall meetings at http://tulane.edu/presidentialsearch/town-hall-meetings.cfm. We encourage you to attend these meetings with members of the Search Committee.   

We anticipate we will begin to interview candidates within the next 60 days, with a goal of selecting our finalists by the end of the year. Rest assured, the Committee will perform significant reference checking on the finalists and will spend considerable time with each candidate before making its recommendation to the Board of Administrators. We believe we will be in a position to announce a new President early in 2014.     

We are pleased with the progress we have made and with the quality of the candidate pool, which is a testament to the outstanding reputation of Tulane. That said, we are still in the early stages of this search, and a number of candidates are in multiple searches, so we and our search consultant will continue our efforts to recruit and attract outstanding candidates and work diligently to make Tulane their number one choice.  We will be providing additional updates as appropriate, which will be posted on the Presidential Search website. As ever, please feel free to make your thoughts and comments known to the Search Committee via the feedback function on the Search website.   

Rick Rees and Andy Wisdom Co-chairs, Presidential Search Committee

A summary of Curtis Johnson at the Tulane team meeting this morning

Was told about this

"Enjoy this until about 12:00pm today (when film/meetings about the game are over) and then we move on to Syracuse. This was a nice win on the road but we have to get better. We need to get the next one. It's not time to celebrate or party. We have not reached our goals yet. I promise you I will throw you a big party after we win the bowl game"

He stressed that this win does not make us a team that is no longer desperate. We are not desperate for a win. We are a program that needs wins. Our desperation this year ends (momentarily) when we have reached our goals of winning this thing. The overall tone was that CJ was proud of his guys but made sure they realized that the job is not done and that everyone (including the staff) needs to work to get better every day. The best teams want to be great, want to dominate all the time and that is what we need to be aiming for.

Tulane Lands great pickup with #16, WR Niguel Veal-Falkins

Video http://www.hudl.com/athlete/o/3261119/niguel-veal-falkins#.UjOa7EsWjIs.email

http://247sports.com/Player/Niguel-Falkins-20144?Institution=12005

http://highschoolsports.nola.com/recruiting/

http://highschoolsports.nola.com/player/niguel-falkins/

http://www.nola.com/recruiting/index.ssf/2013/07/the_nolacom_nifty_50_updated.html#incart_special-report

"The younger brother of Alabama commit Raheem Falkins, Niguel is a tremendous athlete that could play on either side of the ball at the next level. His best fit might be at cornerback or slot receiver. Currently holds offers from Ole Miss, Western Kentucky and SMU."

"Niguel Falkins, ATH, West Jefferson, 5-10, 170 There may not be a better player in the state that gets less fanfare than Falkins. He's a dynamic, versatile football player that could play on either side of the ball at a high level in college. Look for him to have a big year for West Jefferson and don't be surprised if he has one of the most productive collegiate careers of all the prospects in this class. "

Official commitment
http://sportsnola.com/sports/tulane/599703-recruiting-niguel-veal-falkins-commits-to-tulane.html

"I think he brings big play ability to Tulane," Scott said. "He is the kind of guy Curtis Johnson is looking for, the kind of player from this area, who can make plays and make grades. I've never seen him make less than a "B" on his transcripts. He has a 20 on his ACT. He can catch and he can run and he can make you miss. When you combine speed, elusiveness and good hands, you have a pretty good combination." Scott is happy that Veal-Falkins is staying home. "Niguel's recruitment has been interesting," Scott said. "We have Parry Nickerson already at Tulane. Their staff did a wonderful job of recruiting him. We want our kids at Tulane. We like to go to the games and see our kids play here. Veal-Falkins is the 16th commitment for Tulane.

http://recruiting.scout.com/2/1326160.html

West Jeff Head Coach

"Let me say this," he explained. "He's rated 25th in the state and there's no way there are 25 better players in what's a loaded Louisiana (2014) class.  "He doesn't have one C on his transcript. He has a 20 on the ACT, and is as humble a kid as you'll meet." 

http://www.nola.com/recruiting/index.ssf/2013/09/tulane_lands_commitment_from_n.html#incart_river

More on #15 Trey Scott from The Advocate

http://theneworleansadvocate.com/sports/7011182-171/dual-role-georgia-prospect-scott-commits

Tulane lands #15

Trey Scott. TE from Powder Springs, GA. Coaches have been wanting him for a long time.

http://www.hudl.com/athlete/o/387709/trey-scott?nextAthlete=

TREY DOOSK #⃣9⃣ ‏@TreyScott__42m

I have verbally committed to the university of #TULANE... #ROLLWAVE🌊🌊

https://twitter.com/TreyScott__

Devon Walker, 1 year later & ESPN’s 'College GameDay' to feature Tulane’s own Devon Walker

http://tulane.edu/news/newwave/090513_gameday.cfm

Tulane Football ‏@GreenWaveFB
@ESPNGameDay's feature on #Tulane's Devon Walker will air on Saturday at 9:30 am CST. #pray4devon

Local coverage on the 1 year anniversary of Devon's injury.

http://theadvocate.com/sports/stateschools/6976329-123/ex-player-inspires-tulane

http://www.nola.com/tulane/index.ssf/2013/09/tulane_question_of_the_day_how_2.html#incart_river

http://tulane.edu/administration/president/tulane_talk/tt_090613.cfm

Good Morning: 


It is so good to have our students back and a new semester underway. Of all the returning students I was lucky enough to greet personally, I remember my meeting with Devon Walker most vividly. Devon has been on our minds and in our hearts since last September, when he was paralyzed during a football game against Tulsa. 

  After we learned the extent of his injuries, we all joined Devon's family in praying that he would be able to rejoin his classmates and team. In less than a year, he has done just that. Devon is back at school working toward completing his Tulane degree in cell and molecular biology and is once again part of the Green Wave football team. A flag emblazoned with 18, his jersey number, leads the Green Wave onto the field at the beginning of each game. On the sidelines, Devon serves as a motivating and inspiring force for his Green Wave brothers and fans alike. On Saturday, ESPN will feature him as part of its College GameDay coverage.  Students arrive at Tulane from all over the world looking to our faculty, staff and administrators for inspiration. Devon came just up the road, from Destrehan, La., with inspiration for us all.  

Have a great weekend,  Scott Cowen

P.S. Some of you may notice that the color of my hair will be different tomorrow at the South Alabama football game. In honor of Devon, the team and our last full season in the Superdome, I promised our team that each time they won, I would dye my hair the color of their choice at the following home game. I am looking forward to sporting every color of the rainbow this season.

General Tulane Football news from the area post JSU, pre South Bama

South Bama
9/3 Weekly press conference from Times Pic http://www.nola.com/tulane/index.ssf/2013/09/tulane_football_coach_curtis_j_30.html
9/3 Weekly Press conference transcript http://www.tulanegreenwave.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/090313aaa.html
9/3 http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2013/09/learning_from_season-opening_l.html#incart_flyout_sports
9/3 Tommy Hicks ‏@TheTommyHicks

3m

South Alabama's Tuesday practice takes on serious, busineslike tone in preparation for Tulane game http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2013/09/south_alabamas_tuesday_practic.html#incart_river …

Followed by Pigskin Pete and 6 others

http://theadvocate.com/sports/stateschools/6941129-123/johnson-still-plenty-to-work

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2013/08/south_alabamas_football_progra.html

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2013/08/next_phase_of_south_alabama_fo.html

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2013/08/loss_to_southern_utah_places_g.html

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2013/08/south_alabama_football_has_arr.html



JSU Game
http://theadvocate.com/sports/stateschools/6872916-123/tulane-rushes-past-jackson-state

http://www.nola.com/tulane/index.ssf/2013/08/an_analysis_of_tulane_football.html#incart_river

http://www.nola.com/tulane/index.ssf/2013/08/tulane_cb_lorenzo_doss_was_one.html#incart_river

http://www.nola.com/tulane/index.ssf/2013/08/tulane_cb_lorenzo_doss_was_one.html#incart_river

http://videos.nola.com/times-picayune/2013/08/tulane_receiver_ryan_grant_tal_1.html#incart_river

"Bury me upside down....."

Watching sports news and reflecting back this morning.

It is funny.

If Tulane or a program similar to the CUSA level loses to an FCS team they get labeled as “not good enough” “we told you they were inferior” or in our case fans of CUSA/BIG EAST/AAC would say “We told you Tulane does not belong here” but when a team from one of the “big 5” loses to an FCS team it is “offensive scheme these days is so advanced” “the spread allows inferior teams to compete” “it is hard to be ready on week one and that is why you see this” or some other list of excuses why it is not a big deal for "those" schools. All those fans across the country that ignorantly talked smack about Tulane moving up make me smile this morning. Doesn't matter how you win as long as you win and we handled our business. All these talking heads on sports shows that say the "big 5" deserve to be in their own little universe because they are so much more dominant than everyone else makes me laugh. Another 4-8 FCS teams beat FBS teams that are "better than" Tulane this weekend.

Don't cast stones. Uconn and USF got the ____ slapped out of them and comparing their opponents to JSU does not matter because they are supposed to be such better programs than Tulane…. Right? 

*sigh*

Oh. Not to be a jerk (okay maybe I am) but how did San Diego State fair with their new offensive coordinator Bob Toledo this weekend....