Vintage Fans: Tell Us a Tulane Stadium Story?

Marlboro Man · 03-19-2011, 11:34 PM

I remember the day I was at Chalmette High School for a game on Fri. night and they announced over the speakers that New Orleans had been awarded a franchise. Everyone went insane, jumping up and down hugging each other and screaming and crying. It was wild.

The team was going to start play in 1967 and I just had to be involved in some way. There was this company called Andrew D. Frain Security and they were hiring ticket takers and security for the games at Tulane Stadium. While I'm not one of those guys that looks older than he is, I went in and applied for the job even though I was under age, and got the job.

I turned 14 in August of the Saints inaugural season and was in the stands looking for people throwing glass beer bottles down onto the walkway or sitting in the wrong areas and helping people to their seats. All of a sudden, a huge roar came up from the crowd and people started standing up and as I turned to the field, I saw John Gilliam (SP) take the opening kick all the way back for a touchdown!!

It was an incredible and exciting moment in a young man's eyes and cemented my love for the Saints through all the hard years to come.

One thing I will also relate is that we used to take tickets at the gates to the games too, and there were some really dark back alley gates there. we used to sell ticket stubs to people who didn't have tickets to make extra money as they didn't pay us all that well back in those days. I guess cause we were kids. I was also able to be at the game where Dempsey kicked the record field goal. Lots of great memories and moments but nothing compared to losing my job to watch the Saints beat Indy in Super Bowl 44.

Saint_LB · 03-20-2011, 03:14 AM

Originally Posted by Marlboro Man

but nothing compared to losing my job to watch the Saints beat Indy in Super Bowl 44.

I'm not sure if I missed something in one of the previous posts or whether you are saying that this happened to you...but whichever doesn't really matter because it reminds me of a similar story.

This is not a TS story, but what the hey...

I can't remember exactly which year it was, but I'm thinking it was September of 1979. I was living in Hattiesburg, MS, my wife had a math degree and was working as a secretary for the math dept. (for all of you that are wondering, that's what kind of job a math degree got you back then)

I had been attending USM as a student myself for that last year and a half after getting out of the Navy in '77. I had been drawing GI Bill and unemployment, but they both eventually ran-out and I had to go out and get a job.

I was working for a company called Martin-Decker, and they sold and serviced oil rig instrumentation. I had just returned home the Friday night before the opening game of the season from a trip down to the mouth of the Mississippi River, I think it was Belle Chase, where we were installing some equipment on a jack-up rig. One thing I remember in particular about that was that my boss waited until they jacked the rig 400 feet into the air before he decided to run the cable from one end of the drill floor to the other. The cables ran under the floor and I had to get out on a cable run that was under the floor and catch the cables as he dropped them through holes and hand them back up to him on the other end. I was 400 feet above the river with nothing in between me and the river but those cables I was laying on. It literally freaked me out for a good long while. When driving back across the GNO I was barely moving and could not look to the side at the river.

The reason I had to go down to that rig with my boss was so that two of the more Sr. guys could stay behind and finish building some portable drilling stations for Shell.

Well, I finally made it back to Hattiesburg and got a call on Sunday afternoon just at the opening kick-off of the first regular season game...and I can't remember whether it was in Tulane Stadium or where. All I know is that my boss is calling me right then and telling me that he needs me to come to the office and help him finish those portable stations that the other guys didn't finish. It was right then that I no longer worked for Martin-Decker.

Edit--It just came to me...that game couldn't have been in Tulane Stadium...because I remember that when that rig was jacked up 400 ft. I could actually see the Superdome.

skymike · 03-21-2011, 04:36 PM

Is anyone else surprised at how many vintage fans we have on B&G.com? I was not expecting all this!
Originally Posted by SaintsBro

...I remember seeing the Dolphins kinda beat up on the Saints at Tulane Stadium during their heyday. Bob Griese, Larry Czonka, Mercury Morris, the No Name defense, all those dudes. ... we went and watched them leave, just some plain NOPD barricades between us and them, and those guys looked so badass and mean up close. ...

wish we could still have that up-close-personal barricade thing again. those of you who went to Tiger Stadium after the Storm, might have got that deal, as the teams left behind barricades--since Tiger doesnt have the Get Smart tunnel system the Dome has. It was cool seeing the players up close. One of the few positives of that year. thanks, Bro.
Originally Posted by Marlboro Man

I remember the day I was at Chalmette High School for a game on Fri. night and they announced over the speakers that New Orleans had been awarded a franchise. Everyone went insane, jumping up and down hugging each other and screaming and crying. It was wild...

It started that early -- wow. I didnt realize everyone was that excited even before we had a team. would love to hear more stories about this.
Originally Posted by Marlboro Man

...nothing compared to losing my job to watch the Saints beat Indy in Super Bowl 44.

enquiring minds want to know. I know its a Tulane Stadium thread, but go for it. We'll stay on track, dont worry.
Originally Posted by ALLSAINTS66

Faddarekkid, I'm that *chick*, but ...if you're goin' to sit in the last row and not be part of that

Originally Posted by ALLSAINTS66

racket, trade seats with someone who will. It's AWESOME
NOISE!!!

BANG BANG BANG BANG! "Defense!" Our chicks know more than other teams dudes. good to have you here.
Originally Posted by st thomas

mike , it was the most people i've seen in my life, i remember holding my dads pants pocket so i would'nt lose him getting to our seats, we were on the saints side about the 25 yardline 20 rows up about.it was so loud,nothing like the dome. i was in jaw dropping mode for the game. the uniforms were the best i ever saw. .... it was pandomonium. can't remember if we won or loss. i was 9 lol

See, I get the feeling that the NFL experience in those days was much more powerful than now. They didnt have extra breaks for tv timeouts. You didnt have every inch covered with ads, and most of all, the people decided when to make noise-- it was spontaneous & real. I love going to the Dome, but I think I really missed out, not sitting in Tulane Sta.
Originally Posted by Saint_LB

...I was 400 feet above the river with nothing in between me and the river but those cables I was laying on. It literally freaked me out for a good long while..

As someone who worked up high for years, I dont consider discomfort a "fear," so much as a sign of intelligence. I never know when its going to bother me, sometimes. just have to remind myself to look at objects and focus on something. Thats my trick.

Great story, as always, LB.

skymike · 04-14-2011, 04:48 PM

bumping this thread up for our new members-- I notice we have some vintage fans recently joining.

One question I did have, and dont remember seeing an answer for:

Tulane Stadium was apparently built in sections, not all in one piece. Did this happen while the Saints were already playing, or was this pre-Saints?

Does anybody remember the earlier stages of Tulane?

03-20-2011, 03:14 AM	#2
Saint_LB Deuce Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 2,894	Originally Posted by Marlboro Man but nothing compared to losing my job to watch the Saints beat Indy in Super Bowl 44. I'm not sure if I missed something in one of the previous posts or whether you are saying that this happened to you...but whichever doesn't really matter because it reminds me of a similar story. This is not a TS story, but what the hey... I can't remember exactly which year it was, but I'm thinking it was September of 1979. I was living in Hattiesburg, MS, my wife had a math degree and was working as a secretary for the math dept. (for all of you that are wondering, that's what kind of job a math degree got you back then) I had been attending USM as a student myself for that last year and a half after getting out of the Navy in '77. I had been drawing GI Bill and unemployment, but they both eventually ran-out and I had to go out and get a job. I was working for a company called Martin-Decker, and they sold and serviced oil rig instrumentation. I had just returned home the Friday night before the opening game of the season from a trip down to the mouth of the Mississippi River, I think it was Belle Chase, where we were installing some equipment on a jack-up rig. One thing I remember in particular about that was that my boss waited until they jacked the rig 400 feet into the air before he decided to run the cable from one end of the drill floor to the other. The cables ran under the floor and I had to get out on a cable run that was under the floor and catch the cables as he dropped them through holes and hand them back up to him on the other end. I was 400 feet above the river with nothing in between me and the river but those cables I was laying on. It literally freaked me out for a good long while. When driving back across the GNO I was barely moving and could not look to the side at the river. The reason I had to go down to that rig with my boss was so that two of the more Sr. guys could stay behind and finish building some portable drilling stations for Shell. Well, I finally made it back to Hattiesburg and got a call on Sunday afternoon just at the opening kick-off of the first regular season game...and I can't remember whether it was in Tulane Stadium or where. All I know is that my boss is calling me right then and telling me that he needs me to come to the office and help him finish those portable stations that the other guys didn't finish. It was right then that I no longer worked for Martin-Decker. Edit--It just came to me...that game couldn't have been in Tulane Stadium...because I remember that when that rig was jacked up 400 ft. I could actually see the Superdome.
Saint_LB Deuce Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 2,894	Whether you think you can or think you can't...you're right! Last edited by Saint_LB; 03-20-2011 at 05:23 AM..

03-21-2011, 04:36 PM	#3
skymike E. Side Cholo Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: The Barrio, H-town Posts: 6,089	Is anyone else surprised at how many vintage fans we have on B&G.com? I was not expecting all this! Originally Posted by SaintsBro ...I remember seeing the Dolphins kinda beat up on the Saints at Tulane Stadium during their heyday. Bob Griese, Larry Czonka, Mercury Morris, the No Name defense, all those dudes. ... we went and watched them leave, just some plain NOPD barricades between us and them, and those guys looked so badass and mean up close. ... wish we could still have that up-close-personal barricade thing again. those of you who went to Tiger Stadium after the Storm, might have got that deal, as the teams left behind barricades--since Tiger doesnt have the Get Smart tunnel system the Dome has. It was cool seeing the players up close. One of the few positives of that year. thanks, Bro. Originally Posted by Marlboro Man I remember the day I was at Chalmette High School for a game on Fri. night and they announced over the speakers that New Orleans had been awarded a franchise. Everyone went insane, jumping up and down hugging each other and screaming and crying. It was wild... It started that early -- wow. I didnt realize everyone was that excited even before we had a team. would love to hear more stories about this. Originally Posted by Marlboro Man ...nothing compared to losing my job to watch the Saints beat Indy in Super Bowl 44. enquiring minds want to know. I know its a Tulane Stadium thread, but go for it. We'll stay on track, dont worry. Originally Posted by ALLSAINTS66 Faddarekkid, I'm that chick, but ...if you're goin' to sit in the last row and not be part of that Originally Posted by ALLSAINTS66 racket, trade seats with someone who will. It's AWESOME NOISE!!! BANG BANG BANG BANG! "Defense!" Our chicks know more than other teams dudes. good to have you here. Originally Posted by st thomas mike , it was the most people i've seen in my life, i remember holding my dads pants pocket so i would'nt lose him getting to our seats, we were on the saints side about the 25 yardline 20 rows up about.it was so loud,nothing like the dome. i was in jaw dropping mode for the game. the uniforms were the best i ever saw. .... it was pandomonium. can't remember if we won or loss. i was 9 lol See, I get the feeling that the NFL experience in those days was much more powerful than now. They didnt have extra breaks for tv timeouts. You didnt have every inch covered with ads, and most of all, the people decided when to make noise-- it was spontaneous & real. I love going to the Dome, but I think I really missed out, not sitting in Tulane Sta. Originally Posted by Saint_LB ...I was 400 feet above the river with nothing in between me and the river but those cables I was laying on. It literally freaked me out for a good long while.. As someone who worked up high for years, I dont consider discomfort a "fear," so much as a sign of intelligence. I never know when its going to bother me, sometimes. just have to remind myself to look at objects and focus on something. Thats my trick. Great story, as always, LB.
	Last edited by skymike; 03-21-2011 at 04:39 PM..

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03-19-2011, 11:34 PM	#1
Marlboro Man 1000 Posts + Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 1,469	I remember the day I was at Chalmette High School for a game on Fri. night and they announced over the speakers that New Orleans had been awarded a franchise. Everyone went insane, jumping up and down hugging each other and screaming and crying. It was wild. The team was going to start play in 1967 and I just had to be involved in some way. There was this company called Andrew D. Frain Security and they were hiring ticket takers and security for the games at Tulane Stadium. While I'm not one of those guys that looks older than he is, I went in and applied for the job even though I was under age, and got the job. I turned 14 in August of the Saints inaugural season and was in the stands looking for people throwing glass beer bottles down onto the walkway or sitting in the wrong areas and helping people to their seats. All of a sudden, a huge roar came up from the crowd and people started standing up and as I turned to the field, I saw John Gilliam (SP) take the opening kick all the way back for a touchdown!! It was an incredible and exciting moment in a young man's eyes and cemented my love for the Saints through all the hard years to come. One thing I will also relate is that we used to take tickets at the gates to the games too, and there were some really dark back alley gates there. we used to sell ticket stubs to people who didn't have tickets to make extra money as they didn't pay us all that well back in those days. I guess cause we were kids. I was also able to be at the game where Dempsey kicked the record field goal. Lots of great memories and moments but nothing compared to losing my job to watch the Saints beat Indy in Super Bowl 44.

04-14-2011, 04:48 PM	#4
skymike E. Side Cholo Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: The Barrio, H-town Posts: 6,089	bumping this thread up for our new members-- I notice we have some vintage fans recently joining. One question I did have, and dont remember seeing an answer for: Tulane Stadium was apparently built in sections, not all in one piece. Did this happen while the Saints were already playing, or was this pre-Saints? Does anybody remember the earlier stages of Tulane?