| Year: | 1942 |
| Team: | Tulane Green Wave |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Southeastern Conference |
| Short Conf: | SEC |
| Record: | 4–5 |
| Conf Record: | 1–4 |
| Head Coach: | Claude Simons Jr. |
| Hc Year: | 1st |
| Captain: | James Ely, Walter McDonald |
| Stadium: | Tulane Stadium |
The 1942 Tulane Green Wave football team represented Tulane University as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1942 college football season. Led by first-year head coach Claude Simons Jr., the Green Wave played their home games at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. Tulane finished the season with an overall record of 4–5 and a mark of 1–4 in conference play, placing tenth in the SEC.
Tulane was ranked at No. 31 (out of 590 college and military teams) in the final rankings under the Litkenhous Difference by Score System for 1942.[1]