The Evolution of the Tulane University Mascot: From Greenie to Riptide the Pelican
The Tulane Green Wave boasts a storied history in intercollegiate sports. Their success in the 2022 college football season, a remarkable fairytale-esque turnaround, made the Tulane Green Wave one of the most loved programs of the year. But, how much do you know about the Tulane Green Wave mascot, the nickname, or about the history of the program? With the pageantry that’s on full display every game day, two things are constant yet ever-changing, Green Wave mascots and logos. Tulane is home to some of the most memorable mascots and logos in college athletics history and owns one of the most unique brand elements and color palettes in the country. Since the 1920s the Green Wave mascot has been a symbol of pride for fans of Tulane University athletics.
The "Green Wave" Nickname: A Liquid Legacy
Tulane University’s athletic teams, belonging to the American Athletic Conference, are affectionately referred to as the ‘Green Wave,’ owing to the school’s previous location on the banks of Lake Pontchartrain. Tulane Green Waves name’s origin can be traced back to the university’s erstwhile campus at the periphery of Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans, where gusty winds would generate large waves with a greenish hue.
From 1893 to 1919, the Tulane football team was known simply as the Olive and Blue, referring to the unique color combination that they retain to this day. In 1919, the Tulane Weekly renamed them the Greenbacks. The "Tulane Weekly" ― one of the school's newspapers ― started referring to the teams as the "Greenbacks" in 1919.
However, on Oct. 20, 1920, Earl Sparling, the editor of the Tulane Hullabaloo, wrote a song that appeared in the newspaper titled "The Rolling Green Wave." A month later, after the new nickname gained acceptance, the student newspaper referred to the team as the Green Wave in a game report for Tulane-Mississippi A&M.
By the end of the 1920 season, the Green Wave nickname was used across athletics as the name for the Tulane used by the Hullabaloo. Newspapers followed suit, though a few still referred to Tulane as the "Greenbacks" through 1923. The Tulane Green Waves boasts a storied history in intercollegiate sports. The Green Waves have bagged several conference championships and have given rise to several renowned athletes, such as NFL quarterback Shaun King and NBA player Jerald Honeycutt.
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It's also likely the Green Wave moniker is also closely related to the university's proximity to water - though no direct mention was made by Tulane's explanation of the nickname. The university not only is nestled between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, but also within 5 miles of the nearest point on the Gulf of Mexico.
Early Mascots: Pelicans and a Mischievous Boy
The very first logo by the brand was an image of a white and yellow pelican. It wore a green t-shirt with the letter ‘T’ on it. Pelican was depicted surfing a large wave. Utilizing the state bird of Louisiana and with a subtle nod to the university seal, Pete the Pelican arrived on the scene in 1950. surfing craze of the late 1950s and early 1960s. The beach-inspired Pete represented Tulane into the next decade. The earliest mascot, a pelican riding a surfboard, was introduced.
In 1945, editorial cartoonist and Tulane history instructor John Churchill Chase created the lovable Greenie. George G. Tulane officials commissioned John Chase in 1945 to illustrate the covers of its football game programs. He came up with Greenie, a mischievous boy who would be considered an unofficial mascot by many fans. Fitted in olive green and white football attire with a helmet to match, Greenie was a small child with a button of a nose and a signature mischievous grin. For football games, advertisements frequently featured Greenie playing tricks on other schools. Comedy always ensued because Greenie’s forever mission was to one-up opponents. Greenie lasted for almost 20 years as Tulane’s mascot. Greenie’s high jinks were endless until the arrival of Tulane athletic director Rix Yard.
The Angry Wave Era
In 1963, Tulane athletics director Dr. Rix Yard felt the school needed a "more virile symbol for its athletic teams." Yard set out to establish a more fierce-looking symbol, and so the transition was on from Greenie’s kid jokes. Working with Art Evans, the art director for Angelus-Pacific Co., in Fullerton, California - and the creator of such Purdue's "Boilermaker" and USC's "Trojan" - the Green Wave design was born. Eldon Endacott, manager of the Tulane Bookstore, and Art Evans, art director for Angelus-Pacific Co., collaborated on sketches. The Green Wave mascot became the main symbol of the Tulane football program in 1964. A fiercer logo - the Angry Wave - was commissioned by athletic director Rix Yard in 1964. It was adopted in 1964, though various mascots were used in the ensuing 20 years it was in use.
The original Green Wave mascot became known as the “Angry Wave.” It was meant to depict how a wave looks as it breaks, but the costume for the mascot was essentially a giant green sack with a face. The Angry Wave mascot was born and was popular with fans of the program for nearly 20 years. The Angry Wave logo inspired the first real mascot to cheer on the sidelines in the 1970s. The original Angry Wave mascot was a 7-foot, 6-inch, sack-like figure with intense eyes and hair bangs resembling foamy whitecaps. Steve Jordon (A&S ’81), who dressed as the mascot, once said, “It’s such an odd-looking mascot. It was a larger-than-life figure. Eventually, though, the tides turned against the angry wave.
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Taking inspiration from its student-given nickname “Gumby,” the Angry Wave mascot evolved from its original unwieldy wave-shape to a more upright iteration in 1983. The new Gumby mascot more closely resembled a green banana or pea pod with white hair than a wave, but he was always spirited and much beloved by the students for his uniqueness. In 1986, Tulane replaced the angry wave with a sleeker, slimmer, happier Green Wave. The jolly green mascot became lovingly known as “Gumby” due to its resemblance to Gumby, the cartoon character.
The Unofficial Reign of Poseidon
For no clear reason, students began to represent Tulane using Poseidon with horns, sometimes referred to as Neptune. Poseidon - god of the sea, earthquakes, and horses - became a popular character at Tulane games. Neptune was a can’t-miss figure. Trident in hand and horns sticking out of flowing white hair, the god of the sea made a memorable impression with a muscular frame, toga wardrobe and a head reminiscent of a Kern Studios-built caricature. The god of the sea wore a Tulane-branded toga and frequented our football games throughout the 80s. Urban legend says that at football games in 1990, Neptune rode out of the Superdome tunnel on mobilized Jet Skis, emulating the motion of the ocean. So far, no photographic proof of this has been found. Although he was popular with fans, Poseidon - or Neptune as he was oft-referred to - was never the official Tulane Green Wave mascot.
The Modern Era: Riptide the Pelican
From 1986 to 1997, a block "T" with waves running through it was added as an athletic logo. It was the primary symbol for the athletic programs and was worn on Tulane uniforms until the newest logo. A full redesign of all athletics logos and marks was commissioned in 1998, replacing the "angry wave" and "wavy T" designs with a green and blue oblique T crested by a foamy wave. In late 1989, Neptune was introduced in Fogelman Arena when basketball returned after a five-year hiatus. Despite a unique flair, Neptune would soon get the boot.
What is Tulane's mascot? The current Green Wave mascot is Riptide the Pelican, who has served as the mascot since 1998. Gumby was replaced with a new pelican mascot named Riptide. Riptide the Pelican, introduced by Tulane in August 1998, is the current Tulane Green Wave mascot. The pelican mascot name may have been so voted as the student body had also overwhelmingly voted for Poseidon to be the mascot. Poseidon was rejected by the administration and student body government because it could be portrayed as a white male. The students voted on the nickname "Riptide" for the official mascot, which harkens back to the earliest mascot for the school: a pelican riding on a surfboard. The name "Riptide" was selected for the performing pelican by the administration after a vote of the student body in which the students actually voted that the pelican be named "Pecker." In 1998, Riptide the Pelican took the reins as the mascot of the Tulane Green Wave. Originally outlined with wings and a head of olive green and grey feathers, Riptide takes a cue from the original Greenie. Whether on the gridiron or the hardwood, Riptide carries the capacity to wear the athletic attire of the Tulane team in play - sans the helmet. Riptide has taken on slight alterations of eye coloring and feathers through the years.
Logos and Branding: A Constant Evolution
Another logo was literally a white and green wave which had the hands and feet. The 1986 version of the brand logo was a large green letter ‘T’. For the 1998 logo, the designers showed us its full name, written in a tilted typeface. The letters had a gray outline, and the space between them was colored deep blue. Above the name, there were two waves turned in opposite sides. The 2005 logotype features a big tilted letter ‘T’ written with a tilt. It’s colored dark green with grey and blue contours. Eventually, the team adopted a logo showcasing an anthropomorphized wave. In 2017, the design team decided to reuse the old 1964 team logo (a wave with the flag design). This time, they mirrored it and gave it a white speaker with the team name instead of a flag.
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Actually, the Alternate logo of the Tulane Green Wave program, repeats its primary one, with a cool cartoonish green wave holding a white old-school loudspeaker. The only notable difference is the intensity of the green shaded used for the body of the main character - since in the alternate version it’s darker and deeper.
The Secondary logo is much simpler - just a wave in green with a white “T”-letter crest in a double green and blue outline. It’s clean and easy to recognize, not trying to be flashy. This one works well for hats, banners, or anything where you want a classic look. It’s calmer than the alternate logo but still clearly represents the team.
The design of the Tulane Green Wave players’ helmets features a plain white color and green and blue stripe pattern coming down the center. Sometimes the recognizable Wave logo is drawn on each side. The faceguard grilles are plain black, which switched the attention to fresh colors and laconic lines.
The mascot of the program has quite an intimidating name, Riptide the Pelican,and looks the same: it has an oversized head, a beak that is slightly crooked, and the wings uneven. Body is gray, mostly navy with patchy green highlights. Legs are chunky, and the posture is leaning forward slightly. The creature does not look very friendly, yet it evokes a sense of energy, which is way more important.
Tulane Green Waves employ a sans-serif typeface, namely Futura, renowned for its geometric and immaculate architecture, composed of uniformly spaced characters with a consistent weight. Typically, bold or medium styles are applied, lending a contemporary and robust appearance.
The official chromatic schema of Tulane Green Waves is composed of a duo of green hues and a shade of white. The color white is also a crucial aspect of the palette, often utilized as the background or for highlights.
A Look Back and a Glimpse Ahead
In 2016, a new and improved Angry Wave was designed for the Tulane Athletics logo. The Angry Wave is stationed at the entrance and on the scoreboard at Yulman Stadium. In recent years, Pete the Pelican and Greenie have found themselves back in the national spotlight due to throwback nostalgic Tulane football social media threads. The Angry Wave remains a beloved figure for Tulanians and opponents alike. In 2017, Tulane Athletics officially designated the Angry Wave as the primary logo.
The future is bright for Tulane and its mascots - both current and old. And you never know if Neptune will make a comeback. Rest assured, Tulane mascots from Greenie to Riptide have all played a role in elevating the Tulane Green Wave brand to prominence.
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