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Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall has accused Northwestern of blocking a planned tribute to the victims and survivors of Hurricane Katrina at their game on Saturday.
To mark the 20th anniversary of the devastating 2005 storm, Tulane took to the field in no-decal helmets, a nod to the Green Wave team that played its first post-Katrina game without markings in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Tulane had also hoped to wear white jerseys - matching the full uniform worn during that historic game - but said Northwestern denied the request.
'That's their prerogative, but when you show disrespect to the city of New Orleans, that's what's going to happen to you,' Sumrall said after their dominant 23–3 win.
'You're going to run into a team like this. They had a chip on their shoulder. We might have used that for a little bit of motivation to represent the city. So don't disrespect New Orleans ever.'
According to Northwestern, the uniform request came in on August 17 - just over two weeks before the game - and clashed with standard scheduling protocol.
Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall has accused Northwestern of blocking a planned tribute to the victims and survivors of Hurricane Katrina at their game
To mark the 20th anniversary of the 2005 storm, Tulane took the field in no-decal helmets
"Don't disrespect New Orleans": Tulane Head Coach Jon Sumrall kept it simple when it came to Northwestern denying the Wave the right to wear their white jerseys, the same ones they wore in their first game after Hurricane Katrina. pic.twitter.com/EMujKlNx7U
— wdsu (@wdsu) August 30, 2025Regardless of the dispute, Tulane backed up Sumrall's comments with a commanding performance at Yulman Stadium.
The victory marked Tulane's first home win over a Big Ten opponent in 70 years - the last also coming against Northwestern back in 1955.
And while the tribute wasn't carried out exactly as planned, Tulane's performance ensured the city of New Orleans was honored in full force.
Hurricane Katrina stands as one of the deadliest and most destructive natural disasters in American history, leaving a majority of New Orleans flooded and claiming over 1,000 lives.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Tulane was forced to cancel its entire fall semester in 2005, and the football team played all 12 of its games on the road due to extensive damage to the Louisiana Superdome.
With stadiums across Louisiana and neighboring states already booked, the Green Wave had to stage their 'home' games at six different venues throughout the season.
