2001 Diary
March 17, 2001 The update on Tiger defensive back Bo Arnold was much better after 24-hours in theAtlanta Medical Center. The sophomore did indeed suffer head injuries but he never went into a coma. Arnold was being kept in a comatose state due to his facial injuries and his brain swelling. He was able to respond to his family when ask questions and was resting while still undergoing surgery to repair facial cuts. March 20, 2001 The Tigers held their first practice under new head coach Tommy West and to say the least, it was “upbeat”. Player excitement was evident at all positions but the new spread offense caught everyone’s attention. Using as many as four receivers, Tiger quarterbacks practiced throwing the ball to an array of pass catchers. West and his staff seemed pleased with the effort but indicated that the team has a long way to go before spring practice ends.
ing and two touchdowns. Junior Sugar Sanders added 58 yards and Jeremiah Bonds tacked on 26 yards. Freshman quarterback Danny Wimprine connected on a 70-yard scoring strike with sophomore receiver Darren Garcia. March 25, 2001 Powertel has signed an agreement to be the corporate sponsor of the 2001 Blue-Gray Spring Football Game. The game will be played on April 7 in Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. March 26, 2001 After a two day rest, the Memphis football team will return to the practice field for spring workout number six. The team worked out in shorts and pads in preparation for a Wednesday scrimmage at MurphyAthletic Complex. Defensive end Tony Brown was held out of practice while doctors checked his sore knee. Brown sustained a knee injury in Saturday’s scrimmage at the Liberty Bowl and it is feared that he may have suffered a torn ACL. If so, Brown could be lost for the 2001 season.
March 21, 2001 Memphis held its second conditioning practice at Murphy Athletic Complex. The spirited session last two and a half hours and again featured a fast-paced passing attack numerous high school coaches from the Mid-South attended the first two days of practice to observe the new Memphis offense.
March 27, 2001 The Football News has listed former Tiger safety Idrees Bashir as the 68th possible pick in the April pro football draft. Bashir, who came out a year early, has been projected as a late first or mid second round selection.
March 22, 2001 The Tiger football put on the pads for the first time this spring and practiced for over two hours at Murphy Athletic Complex. The session featured several full contact periods in which new head coach Tommy West singled out the play of defensive linemenTony Brown and Eric Taylor. Offensively, the Tigers continued to work on the newly installed spread offense.
March 28, 2001 In a steady downfall of rain the Tiger football team went through a full pad practice at Murphy Athletic Complex. The final 15-minutes of the practice involved a situation scrimmage in which quarterback Travis Anglin hit on passes of 40 and 25 yards and ran for 15 yards. Anglin connected with Darren Garcia for 40-yards and hit tight end Jeff Cameron with a 25-yard toss. The scrimmage was held to 36-plays in preparation for Saturday’s scrimmage.
March 23, 2001 Freshman fullback Shaka Hill pulled a hamstring in practice on Friday and will be held out of the first scrimmage. Head coach TommyWest singled out the play of senior quarterback Neil Suber and running back Jeremiah Bonds during the first week of practice. March 24, 2001 The Tigers scrimmaged for the first time this spring and indications are that the offense will be more “wide-open” this fall. Memphis backs rushed for more yards than in past spring scrimmages but due to windy conditions, Tiger quarterbacks threw fewer passes than expected. Senior Aaron Meadows led all backs with 77 yards rush-
March 29, 2001 Rain continued to hamper the Tiger practice sessions at MurphyAthletic Complex but Tommy West still managed to lead his team through a two hour workout in preparation for Saturday’s scrimmage. For the first time this spring, the players worked on special teams assignments and the punting game. Defensive endTony Brown attended the practice but watched from the sidelines as he awaited his exploratory knee surgery on Friday. Brown had an MRI earlier that did not reveal any knee damage but Memphis doctors wanted to make sure that he had torn a ligament during the Liberty Bowl scrimmage. He is expected to miss the remainder of the spring. 134
March 30, 2001 The Tigers scheduled scrimmage was called off due to heavy rains in the Memphis area. The additional practice session will be added on the week following the BlueGrayGame. March 31, 2001 The Memphis Tiger football team attended the Memphis Maniax XFL game against the Los Angeles Extreme. April 3, 2001 William Martin, a walk-on offensive tackle from Memphis, suffered a separated shoulder in practice on Tuesday and will be out for the remainder of the spring. Martin had moved to the number two spot at left tackle on the depth chart. Freshman tight end Eric Peterson left the Memphis football team for the second time in eight months. He is not expected top return. April 4, 2001 The Tiger football team went through a 65-play scrimmage at Murphy Athletic Complex but it was not totally pleasing to head coach Tommy West. “I thought we gave into being tired”, West said. “We are having to work real hard at just being an average football team”. Quarterback Travis Anglin and tailback SugarSandersled the rushers with 36 and 35 yards respectively. Quarterback Neil Suber completed 5-of-9 pass attempts for 93 yardsandatouchdown. Receiver Ryan Johnson caughttwopasses for 63 yards and a touchdown. Tight end Jason Johnson also had a TD reception. A coaching clinic for area coaches was held after the scrimmage and over 80 coaches attended the event. April 5, 2001 The Tigers worked in shorts and pads and tried to recover from the hard hitting on Wednesday during a 60playscrimmage.TigerquarterbackScottScherersuffered a mild concussion during the scrimmage and will likely be held out of the Blue-Gray Game on Saturday. April 6, 2001