University of Tulsa Football - School Size - Education - College and University

The University of Tulsa is notable for academic and athletic accomplishments to say nothing of the fascinating nature in which the college began as the Presbyterian School for Indian Girls way back in 1882. To this day the university is still considered to be a higher learning institution affiliated from a historical basis with the Presbyterian Church. With a storied history that encapsulates student life, academic prowess, and historic significance many people find the most interesting fact about the University of Tulsa to be that Tulsa has the smallest undergraduate population of any school competing at the highest level of collegiate football.

Under the auspicious nickname the Golden Hurricanes the men of the Tulsa football squad compete against behemoth college football programs with resources and fan bases that dwarf the limited resources available at the much more modestly sized University of Tulsa. Despite an undergraduate enrollment of just 2,987 students (the size of some large high schools) U of Tulsa fields eighteen varsity sports teams including a men's football team that successfully battles with rival opponents in the highly competitive Conference USA.

Conference USA (often abbreviated simply as C-USA)is an athletic conference located in the Southeastern United States. In addition to the University of Tulsa the twelve member conference includes a West Division comprised of the University of Houston, Rice University, Southern Methodist University (SMU), University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), and Tulane University. The equally competitive East Division is made up of the following schools: University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), University of Central Florida (UCF), East Carolina University (ECU), Marshall University, University of Memphis, and the University of Southern Mississippi. When the University of Tulsa plays conference opponents like the University of Central Florida (UCF) with an enrollment of over 45,000 students (approximately fifteen times larger than the Tulsa) it is a wonder that the teams battle into the fourth quarter for victory.

The discrepancy in student body size is less of a factor in college football where teams are allowed to recruit than in high school football where teams are supposed to make do with the cream of their local crop of athletes. This comparison can be taken a step further with the example of professional football where everyone realizes that a game between the Green Bay Packers and the New York Giants is not simply a contest of the best athletes in Green Bay, Wisconsin versus the best athletes that can be found in all of New York City (New York City has a metropolitan population that is about 190 times greater than that of Green Bay Wisconsin).

In most collegiate circumstances the size differential in universities has the biggest impact in terms of revenue generated that is then reinvested back into the athletic programs. Generally speaking, high student enrollment leads to more fans buying tickets and merchandise and more importantly a dramatically larger pool of alumni to reach to for donations and support.

Despite a student population that is dwarfed by competitors the University of Tulsa has by and large overcome these obstacles to achieve surprising success that is due in part to a rich football history that includes record bowl appearances dating as far back as the 1940's and the pride that comes with having placed three alumni to date in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. As a result of the school's size the University of Tulsa football team can serve as an inspiration to underdogs everywhere.

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