2002 Diary February 17, 2002 Memphis head coach Tommy West was the guest on Inside the Lines on WHBQ radio on Sunday evening to talk about spring football. February 18, 2002 Craig Boller, who coached on Richard Williamson’s U of M staff in 1978-79, came to Memphis to interview for the defensive line position on Tommy West’s staff. Boller has coached on both college and professional staffs since he left Memphis. He served for several years as the defensive line coach for the Dallas Cowboys and was a member of their Super Bowl championship staff. February 19, 2002 Craig Boller continued his interview with head coach Tommy West. Boller has received recommendations from numerous coaches including Johnny Majors, Barry Switzer and Larry Lacewell.
Craig Boller
February 20, 2002 Tiger secondary coach Tim Walton has accepted a position on the staff at Syracuse University and becomes the second Tiger coach to leave Tommy West’s staff. Walton had coached for Memphis for two seasons. He joins defensive line coach Joe Cullen as departures from the staff. February 23, 2002 Over 80 high school juniors attended the Memphis vs. DePaul basketball game at The Pyramid as part of the Tigers Junior Day. Possible future Tiger recruits came from as far away as western Arkansas and Nashville, Tennessee to get a better look at Memphis football and the Tiger staff. February 24, 2002 DeAngelo Williams, the much heralded and highly recruited running back from Wynne, Arkansas, signed with the Tigers on Sunday afternoon and faxed his scholarship to the Tiger football offices. Williams was the central figure in a recruiting battle between Memphis, Arkansas and Ole Miss. The all-state back had ruled Ole Miss out of his search several weeks ago but had verbally committed to Arkansas on the eve of National Signing Day. However, the SuperPrep All-American had changed his mind by February 6th. He made an additional unofficial visit to Memphis and Arkansas before deciding to sign with the Tigers. Williams cited his opportunity to play early and the Tigers' spread offense as two main reasons he selected the U of M. February 25, 2002 Memphis media flocked to the Athletic Office Building to talk to Tommy West about the signing of DeAngelo Williams. West confirmed that he had received the faxed scholarship and National Letter of Intent from the Williams family. West stated that Williams was an outstand-
ing prep back with great speed and strength. He said that Williams would work behind senior Dante Brown in the fall of 2002.
The renovation and construction project at Murphy Athletic Complex was well underway in March as good weather prevailed throughout the winter months.
Februar y 26, 2002 Tiger head coach Tommy West interviewed Tim Keane for the vacated secondary coaching position. Keane, who last coached the secondary at Kentucky under Hal Mumme, is seeking the position left open by the departure of Tim Walton to the Syracuse staff. Keane has coaching stints at Tennessee. Louisiana Tech and Arkansas State in addition to spending four years at UK. February 27, 2002 Craig Boller, who served on Richard Williamson’s staff at Memphis in the late 1970s, has again been hired as defensive line coach for the Tigers. After leaving Memphis, the Iowa State graduate coached at Oregon State University and Iowa State University before becoming the defensive line coach for the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL. Boller was a member of the 1996 Super Bowl champions. He replaces Joe Cullen as the Tiger line coach. Cullen left Memphis to rejoin Gerry DiNardo at Indiana. February 28, 2002 Tim Keane has been recommended to the Tennessee State Board of Regents by Tommy West and is expected to be hired prior to the start of spring drills in March. He has coached for over 25 years at such schools as Arkansas State, Tennessee, Kentucky and Louisiana Tech. March 1, 2002 Tim Keane, who worked with Tommy West on the staff at Tennessee in 1990, has been officially hired as the defensive secondary coach at the University of Memphis. Keane, a graduate of Arkansas State, most Tim Keane recently served on the staff at the University of Kentucky. Tiger football players will leave campus this afternoon to begin spring break. The team will return on Sunday, March 10 and will begin spring practice on Tuesday, March 12. March 2, 2002 Tiger offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner traveled to Fort Smith, Arkansas, to speak at a football clinic. Fichtner will also be a featured speaker at a football clinic in Mississippi next week.
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March 4, 2002 Work is proceeding on the renovation of Murphy Athletic Complex despite it being the middle of the winter. With mild conditions construction crews have been able to make progress on the foundation of the new addition which will include the new football locker room. The outer wall, which runs along the north end of fields one and two is almost completed. It is hoped that the new locker room will be ready for use by early October. March 12, 2002 The Tiger football team returned to the field on Tuesday for the start of spring football practice. With one year of the spread offense under their belts and two new coaches aboard, the Tigers are ready to begin their preparations for the 2002 season and a possible bowl bid. “This helps us get a bad taste out of our mouths,” said head coach Tommy West. “We have had to live with the Cincinnati game for the past three months and it didn’t sit well. Now we are back on the field and can set our sights on next fall. It feels a lot better.” March 13, 2002 For the second consecutive day of spring drills, the Tigers practiced indoors at Murphy Athletic Complex. With fields remaining damp from two inches of rain on Monday, the team participated in conditioning drills in the Murphy turf room. The offense worked for one and a half hours, followed by the Tiger defense. “Since we had to have two days in shorts, we felt we could accomplish as much in the turf room as outdoors,” said head coach Tommy West. “ You never want to take a chance on pulling a muscle on a wet field, especially in the spring.” The Tigers will practice outdoors today and in full pads. Memphis quarterback Scott Scherer received national attention when it was announced that he leads all college football players with seven consecutive semesters of 4.0 GPA. He has never made a grade lower than an “A” since his arrival at Memphis. March 14, 2002 Taking advantage of beautiful weather, the Tiger football team went through their third practice of the spring and their first in full pads. The final three periods of the practice were used to scrimmage for the first time this spring. Leonard