Matt Forte

[winwave]

Workhorse to the stable:

http://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/ ... abcf8.html

[tpstulane]

Matt was probably the hardest working athlete I knew. When he was in school at Tulane I would see him in the off-season working out like a dog at the Reily Center. He was relentless. Then he would run up levees and hills to build up his leg strength. No one outworked him. He got every last bit of ability out of his body. For him to retire he probably knew his body and it was time. Great Tulane guy. He would occasionally come back in town and play in the Tulane Golf Classic. I’m glad to say I saw him play and got to know him a little from the gym and out on the golf course. Definitely would rank in the top three Tulane NFL greats in my book.

[swampnik]

Enjoy your retirement Matt! You've earned it.

[ajcalhoun]

Definitely would rank in the top three Tulane NFL greats in my book.

I'm just curious, t, who would be thd other two and who just got knocked out? (Whomever it was leave him in and make it a Mount Rushmore of Tulane NFL greats.)

Possiblities:

Eddie Murray
Steve Foley
Lionel Washington
Tommy Mason
Richie Petibon
Max Magee
Mewelde Moore

I'm sure I'm forgetting others.

Who ya got?

[galvezwave]

Definitely would rank in the top three Tulane NFL greats in my book.

I'm just curious, t, who would be thd other two and who just got knocked out? (Whomever it was leave him in and make it a Mount Rushmore of Tulane NFL greats.)

Possiblities:

Eddie Murray
Steve Foley
Lionel Washington
Tommy Mason
Richie Petibon
Max Magee
Mewelde Moore

I'm sure I'm forgetting others.

Who ya got?

Forte is probably the best NFL player Tulane has sent. Rodney Holman was a solid TE for several years. I think mewelde was more talented , just didn't have the size.

[MicMan]

There is discussion as to whether Forte is HOF material. Likely not, but he was a solid citizen and seldom-seen weapon on offense whose best years were wasted-- as at Tulane -- in Chicago:

Five 1,000-yard rushing seasons.
14,468 combined yards from scrimmage top in the NFL over his 10-year career.
102 receptions in 2014 a record for running backs.
28th all-time yards from scrimmage. Nearly everyone ahead of him is in Canton or on the way.

[tpstulane]

Definitely would rank in the top three Tulane NFL greats in my book.

I'm just curious, t, who would be thd other two and who just got knocked out? (Whomever it was leave him in and make it a Mount Rushmore of Tulane NFL greats.)

Possiblities:

Eddie Murray
Steve Foley
Lionel Washington
Tommy Mason
Richie Petibon
Max Magee
Mewelde Moore

I'm sure I'm forgetting others.

Who ya got?

Forte is probably the best NFL player Tulane has sent. Rodney Holman was a solid TE for several years. I think mewelde was more talented , just didn't have the size.

Strictly NFL performance and longevity:
Here’s how I would rank them:
Forte
Murray
Foley
Washington
Brister
Holdman
Petition
Laakso
Kingrea
King
Maggs
Moore
Sowell
Chambers
Mason
Duhon
Bankston
Moore
McGee
Price
Ramsey
Williams
Losman
Hester
I didn’t include active guys

Here’s an entire list of NFL guys drafted from Tulane :
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/ ... rafted.htm

NFL alums
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/schools/tulane/

[winwave]

No longer obscure:

http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/20 ... iver_index

Good article. He won't be a first ballot guy but he should make it in the HOF. He did it all consistently well.

[ajcalhoun]

No longer obscure:

http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/20 ... iver_index

Good article. He won't be a first ballot guy but he should make it in the HOF. He did it all consistently well.

It helps that he played in Chicago. If it had been Tampa Bay or Arizona I don't think we'd be having this conversation.

[swampnik]

1943 and 1951 seemed to be "the golden years" for getting TU players drafted into the pros.

[DfromCT]

Definitely would rank in the top three Tulane NFL greats in my book.

I'm just curious, t, who would be thd other two and who just got knocked out? (Whomever it was leave him in and make it a Mount Rushmore of Tulane NFL greats.)

Possiblities:

Eddie Murray
Steve Foley
Lionel Washington
Tommy Mason
Richie Petibon
Max Magee
Mewelde Moore

I'm sure I'm forgetting others.

Who ya got?

Forte is probably the best NFL player Tulane has sent. Rodney Holman was a solid TE for several years. I think mewelde was more talented , just didn't have the size.

Strictly NFL performance and longevity:
Here’s how I would rank them:
Forte
Murray
Foley
Washington
Brister
Holdman
Petition
Laakso
Kingrea
King
Maggs
Moore
Sowell
Chambers
Mason
Duhon
Bankston
Moore
McGee
Price
Ramsey
Williams
Losman
Hester
I didn’t include active guys

Here’s an entire list of NFL guys drafted from Tulane :
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/ ... rafted.htm

NFL alums
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/schools/tulane/

I always thought of Brister as a journeyman QB, but looking at his stats, he had longevity. Funny thing: His total passing yardage in the NFL is almost identical to Forte's yards from scrimmage.

[ajcalhoun]

I always thought of Brister as a journeyman QB, but looking at his stats, he had longevity. Funny thing: His total passing yardage in the NFL is almost identical to Forte's yards from scrimmage.

Heck, he was a jouneyman before he even got to the NFL; signed with Alabama in football but then signed with the Detroit Tigers. Then Tulane, then Northeast Louisiana.

[DfromCT]

I always thought of Brister as a journeyman QB, but looking at his stats, he had longevity. Funny thing: His total passing yardage in the NFL is almost identical to Forte's yards from scrimmage.

Heck, he was a jouneyman before he even got to the NFL; signed with Alabama in football but then signed with the Detroit Tigers. Then Tulane, then Northeast Louisiana.

His daddy tried to have Eamon Kelly tell the Coach that Bubby should start (was it ahead of Ken Karcher or Jon English?) When Kelly refused to intervene, Bubby took his ball to another sandlot.

[tpstulane]

Definitely would rank in the top three Tulane NFL greats in my book.

I'm just curious, t, who would be thd other two and who just got knocked out? (Whomever it was leave him in and make it a Mount Rushmore of Tulane NFL greats.)

Possiblities:

Eddie Murray
Steve Foley
Lionel Washington
Tommy Mason
Richie Petibon
Max Magee
Mewelde Moore

I'm sure I'm forgetting others.

Who ya got?

Forte is probably the best NFL player Tulane has sent. Rodney Holman was a solid TE for several years. I think mewelde was more talented , just didn't have the size.

Strictly NFL performance and longevity:
Here’s how I would rank them:
Forte
Murray
Foley
Washington
Brister
Holdman
Petition
Laakso
Kingrea
King
Maggs
Moore
Sowell
Chambers
Mason
Duhon
Bankston
Moore
McGee
Price
Ramsey
Williams
Losman
Hester
I didn’t include active guys

Here’s an entire list of NFL guys drafted from Tulane :
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/ ... rafted.htm

NFL alums
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/schools/tulane/

I always thought of Brister as a journeyman QB, but looking at his stats, he had longevity. Funny thing: His total passing yardage in the NFL is almost identical to Forte's yards from scrimmage.

Bubby Brister had a nice career. He came to the opening of Yulman and he lives here in Covington so that’s nice he returned to Louisiana after his pro career ended. I know he didn’t finish at Tulane but he still has a fondness for the university.

[winwave]

I always thought of Brister as a journeyman QB, but looking at his stats, he had longevity. Funny thing: His total passing yardage in the NFL is almost identical to Forte's yards from scrimmage.

Heck, he was a jouneyman before he even got to the NFL; signed with Alabama in football but then signed with the Detroit Tigers. Then Tulane, then Northeast Louisiana.

His daddy tried to have Eamon Kelly tell the Coach that Bubby should start (was it ahead of Ken Karcher or Jon English?) When Kelly refused to intervene, Bubby took his ball to another sandlot.

It was English.

[ajcalhoun]

I always thought of Brister as a journeyman QB, but looking at his stats, he had longevity. Funny thing: His total passing yardage in the NFL is almost identical to Forte's yards from scrimmage.

Heck, he was a jouneyman before he even got to the NFL; signed with Alabama in football but then signed with the Detroit Tigers. Then Tulane, then Northeast Louisiana.

His daddy tried to have Eamon Kelly tell the Coach that Bubby should start (was it ahead of Ken Karcher or Jon English?) When Kelly refused to intervene, Bubby took his ball to another sandlot.

He should have started ahead of Jon English. He was the much better quarterback and he was eligible to play while the coach's son was not, thus causing us to have to forfeit victories later, including one over Florida State. And we paid good money for Brister.

[pansdad]

How about Eddie Price, and before out time Bobby Kellogg, Monk Simon?

[swampnik]

I always thought of Brister as a journeyman QB, but looking at his stats, he had longevity. Funny thing: His total passing yardage in the NFL is almost identical to Forte's yards from scrimmage.

Heck, he was a jouneyman before he even got to the NFL; signed with Alabama in football but then signed with the Detroit Tigers. Then Tulane, then Northeast Louisiana.

His daddy tried to have Eamon Kelly tell the Coach that Bubby should start (was it ahead of Ken Karcher or Jon English?) When Kelly refused to intervene, Bubby took his ball to another sandlot.

He should have started ahead of Jon English. He was the much better quarterback and he was eligible to play while the coach's son was not, thus causing us to have to forfeit victories later, including one over Florida State. And we paid good money for Brister.

If English as a QB was not that good how the heck could he lead the team to a vicotry again ranked Florida State on that day?
Any videos anywhere of Jon English slinging ball for Tulane?

[wave97]

I always thought of Brister as a journeyman QB, but looking at his stats, he had longevity. Funny thing: His total passing yardage in the NFL is almost identical to Forte's yards from scrimmage.

Heck, he was a jouneyman before he even got to the NFL; signed with Alabama in football but then signed with the Detroit Tigers. Then Tulane, then Northeast Louisiana.

His daddy tried to have Eamon Kelly tell the Coach that Bubby should start (was it ahead of Ken Karcher or Jon English?) When Kelly refused to intervene, Bubby took his ball to another sandlot.

Eamon Kelly would have been wise to intervene on his own account on having the sixth year Son of the Head Coach start in front of Bubba. Brister was a remarkably talented QB who developed a badly injured throwing arm at camp prior the start of the 1983 season. As a result, he did not perform well against State & Ole Miss. Enter Jon English for the FSU game and thereafter English started until the NCAA struck down his appeals.
If Garth Hall (OC), had his choice Bubba Brister would have been on the field for the remainder of the 1983 season and Tulane would have one less coulda-shoulda-woulda story to tell.
BTW: Brister Senior was rightly upset about the way that Bubba's camp injury was handled by the staff.

[winwave]

I always thought of Brister as a journeyman QB, but looking at his stats, he had longevity. Funny thing: His total passing yardage in the NFL is almost identical to Forte's yards from scrimmage.

Heck, he was a jouneyman before he even got to the NFL; signed with Alabama in football but then signed with the Detroit Tigers. Then Tulane, then Northeast Louisiana.

His daddy tried to have Eamon Kelly tell the Coach that Bubby should start (was it ahead of Ken Karcher or Jon English?) When Kelly refused to intervene, Bubby took his ball to another sandlot.

Eamon Kelly would have been wise to intervene on his own account on having the sixth year Son of the Head Coach start in front of Bubba. Brister was a remarkably talented QB who developed a badly injured throwing arm at camp prior the start of the 1983 season. As a result, he did not perform well against State & Ole Miss. Enter Jon English for the FSU game and thereafter English started until the NCAA struck down his appeals.
If Garth Hall (OC), had his choice Bubba Brister would have been on the field for the remainder of the 1983 season and Tulane would have one less coulda-shoulda-woulda story to tell.
BTW: Brister Senior was rightly upset about the way that Bubba's camp injury was handled by the staff.

Just another in a long line of Tulane football blunders.

[DfromCT]

I always thought of Brister as a journeyman QB, but looking at his stats, he had longevity. Funny thing: His total passing yardage in the NFL is almost identical to Forte's yards from scrimmage.

Heck, he was a jouneyman before he even got to the NFL; signed with Alabama in football but then signed with the Detroit Tigers. Then Tulane, then Northeast Louisiana.

His daddy tried to have Eamon Kelly tell the Coach that Bubby should start (was it ahead of Ken Karcher or Jon English?) When Kelly refused to intervene, Bubby took his ball to another sandlot.

Eamon Kelly would have been wise to intervene on his own account on having the sixth year Son of the Head Coach start in front of Bubba. Brister was a remarkably talented QB who developed a badly injured throwing arm at camp prior the start of the 1983 season. As a result, he did not perform well against State & Ole Miss. Enter Jon English for the FSU game and thereafter English started until the NCAA struck down his appeals.
If Garth Hall (OC), had his choice Bubba Brister would have been on the field for the remainder of the 1983 season and Tulane would have one less coulda-shoulda-woulda story to tell.
BTW: Brister Senior was rightly upset about the way that Bubba's camp injury was handled by the staff.

This is easy to say in retrospect. But the facts were, at the time, the (and I know nothing about the injury) Jon English was better on Gameday than Brister was. English was trying to get the 6th year due to injuries, and it just failed. And yes, IN RETROSPECT we would have been better not getting court injunctions or whatever it was that stayed the NCAA pending appeals. But we probably don't win that FSU game with Bubby at the helm. At least not the same Bubby we saw in the first few games.

If Bubby had an injury and it was mishandled by the Coaching staff, that's something for his dad to be upset about. But being a student that was WAY into Tulane athletics, the story I remember was his father complaining about his son being benched, then transferring when the President of the University would do nothing about it.

Obviously Brister went on to have a solid NFL career, and by all accounts is a great guy and supports Tulane Athletics. I just wish his stay at Tulane didn't end the way it did.

Back to Matt Forte: I admire that he came back after his rookie year and finished his business degree. He'll be successful in the years to come. Way to go, Matt!

[tpstulane]

Jets tribute as Matt comes home:
https://www.facebook.com/Jets/videos/10155181736886231/

[swampnik]

Did Pettibon or Mason get inducted in the HOF? If not,what year did it start the selction process?

[tpstulane]

[winwave]

Thanks. Great stuff.