Toledo: Gustav may relocate Tulane to B'ham

TUSCALOOSA | Tulane University has plans to relocate its football team to either Birmingham or Jackson, Miss., to prepare for next weekend’s game at Alabama if Tropical Storm Gustav impacts the New Orleans area.

Tulane athletic officials met Thursday morning to discuss plans.

“We just had a meeting,” head football coach Bob Toledo told The Tuscaloosa News. “We’re going to wait probably until Friday and/or Saturday to make decisions.

“We have a plan to get all our student-athletes moving, and football-wise we have a plan as a team. We’re either going to Jackson or Birmingham. I don’t know which yet, but we have a plan.”

If Tulane relocates to Birmingham, the Green Wave will practice at Samford University.

“You’re trying to get ready to play a game, so it’s unsettling,” Toledo said. “It’s hard to focus when something like this happens. It’s a possibility.”

Toledo addressed his players about the situation on Wednesday.

“I told them I’ll take care of them,” he said. “We can’t panic. The big thing is we do have a game to play. We’ll prepare the best we can for that.”

Toledo was at UCLA when Tulane was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. He is impressed with Tulane’s planning for another disaster.

“They’re obviously a lot more organized than they were before,” he said. “It looks like they’ve got a plan in place and they’ve got an answer for anything.”

Tulane will play at Alabama next Saturday, Sept. 6, in a 6 p.m. game at Bryant-Denny Stadium.