Support Staff
MIKE STARK
LEE YERTY
KEVIN WHITE
HEAD STRENGTH & CONDITIONING COACH
STRENGTH & CONDITIONING COACH
GRADUATE ASSISTANT
Mike Stark, who lettered for the Tigers for three years under former head coach Billy J. Murphy during the late 1960s and early 1970s, has returned to the University as the head strength and conditioning coach. Stark is entering his third year with the Tiger athletic department. A native Memphian, Stark comes to The U of M after serving as defensive coordinator and head strength coach at Cordova High School for two years (1998-99). In addition, he worked as the head wrestling coach for the Wolfpack. Prior to joining the staff at Cordova High, Stark spent 10 years as the defensive coordinator and strength coach at Bartlett High School in Memphis. During his tenure at Bartlett, the Panthers posted a 87-39 record, made seven appearances in the state playoffs and reached the quarterfinals four times. As the strength coach, his teams won eight City Weightlifting Championships and three Tennessee Weightlifting Championships. Stark began his coaching and strength career at Trezevant High School in Memphis. From 198389 the Bears posted an 42-8 record, made the state playoffs three times and won a state championship. A 1972 graduate of The University of Memphis (then Memphis State University), Stark played football for the Tigers for four years serving as an offensive lineman. He was selected to the All-MVC Freshman Team in 1968 and received AllMissouri Valley Conference honors for the next three seasons. Stark received All-Midlands honors as a junior and senior and was named AllAmerican by Associated Press, UPI and Kickoff Magazine as a senior. He received his master's degree in education from the U of M in 1982. Stark and his wife, the former Cindy Whitworth, have two children, daughter Keelie, age 15, and son Cody, age 7.
Lee Yerty begins his fourth season as a fulltime assistant strength and conditioning coach. Yerty, who works with all sports under the director of strength and conditioning, had served one year as an administrative assistant for women's athletics before he was appointed to his new position. Yerty, a 1986 graduate of Washington State University, was the assistant strength coach at WSU from 1985-90 before accepting the job of marketing director at Eastern Washington in 1991. Yerty was elevated to assistant athletic director in 1993 before becoming the recruiting coordinator for volleyball in 1995. Yerty is the husband of Carrie Yerty, Memphis' head volleyball coach. They have one son, Weslee, who is four years old.
Kevin White, a former Tiger walk-on football player and undergraduate assistant coach, will be entering his first season as the offensive graduate assistant for Tommy West's Tiger football program. White will assist the offensive line and will work with coach Rick Mallory. White came to the University of Memphis in 1998 after spending one year at Bethel College. He lettered as a freshman linebacker at Bethel where he registered 87 tackles as a freshman. White spent three semesters at the U of M as a player before deciding on a career in coaching. A native of Munford, TN, White lettered for two years in football. He was credited with 117 tackles as a senior and had three fumble recoveries. Playing for coach Mark Fisher, White had 202 career stops and three pass interceptions. He was named to Who's Who Among American High School Students as a senior at Munford High. White and his wife, Mary, have two sons, Tyler and Tucker.
PAT McLAUGHLIN Graduate Assistant Pat McLaughlin, who quarterbacked the University of Dayton football team to a 6-4 record in 1999, is entering his second season as a graduate assistant at The University of Memphis. McLaughlin will work with the Tiger defensive staff this fall. He was hired in September of 2001 as a graduate assistant for the strength & conditioning department at The University of Memphis. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, McLaughlin connected on 62-of-119 pass attempts in '99 for 1,063 yards and six touchdowns. In addition, he was the team's fourth leading rusher gaining 261 yards on 74 carries. He scored six rushing touchdowns. McLaughlin, who is the nephew of Tiger tight end coach/recruiting coordinator Russ Huesman, directed his Flyer team to wins over such teams as Austin Peay, Drake and San Diego in 1999. For his play, he was voted the recipient of the White-Allen Most Valuable Player Trophy in 1999. He was named first team All-PFL after finishing the season as the league's top passer. An education major at Dayton, McLaughlin prepped at Moeller High School in Cincinnati, where he set a school record for the most career yards passing.
34
MIKE MALONE GRADUATE ASSISTANT Mike Malone, who served as the assistant strength and conditioning coach at James Madison University in 2001, has joined the Memphis staff as a graduate assistant strength coach under Mike Stark. A graduate of Mount Union College, Malone played football for Lakeland College (1994-96). He has served internships with the Cleveland Browns, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Minnesota and Iowa State.
HEATH WEIR GRADUATE ASSISTANT Heath Weir, who served as the assistant strength and conditioning coach at Arkansas State University in 2000, has joined the Memphis staff as a graduate assistant strength coach under Mike Stark.