Athletic Staff
ball and softball. She also was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Campbell Athletic Department website, as well as assisting in various departmental projects. In her earlier stint as a graduate assistant at Memphis, DeGroff was responsible for the promotion of the volleyball, track and tennis teams. She also assisted at home football games, and was an instrumental part of the women’s basketball stat crew. Prior to the U of M, DeGroff served as the assistant information director for the Gulf South Conference where she was responsible for soccer, women’s basketball and softball. She has also served as an intern at the MidContinent Conference. A native of Rio, Wis., DeGroff graduated from Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 1995 with a degree in journalism. She worked as a student assistant in the SID office for two years while working on her bachelor’s degree.
SALLY ANDREWS Asst. Director of Compliance Sally Andrews, who served as women's golf coach for the Lady Tigers, is in her 12th year as Assistant Compliance Coordinator for the U of M. A 1982 graduate of Christian Brothers College in Memphis, Andrews lettered for four years in basketball and volleyball. A golfer who took up the game at an early age, the native Memphian established herself as one of the top women players in the MidSouth. She was a six-time Memphis city women's champion. Andrews was named as the head women's golf coach in 1987 and remained in that position for five years. Her 1988 team won the UAB Lady Blazer Tournament, the first victory ever for a Lady Tiger golf team.
SYRA THIBAULT Director of Marketing/Promotions Syra Thibault, who served as the Marketing and Promotions Director at the University of South Alabama for two years, is entering her third year as the Director of Marketing and Promotions for The U of M. Thibault joined the staff from the University of South Alabama where she served in the same capacity for three years.
She graduated from USA in 2000 with a bachelor's degree in sports and event marketing. She assisted in organizing such events as the GMAC Bowl, Sun Belt Conference Tournaments, NCAA Regionals and Bay Fest. A native of Baton Rouge, LA, Thibault worked at Casino Magic in Bay St. Louis and Biloxi, MS, prior to attending USA. From 199498, she worked with the marketing, sales and special events staff for both properties.
AL BROWN Director of M Club Al Brown is in his 12th year as the Director of The University of Memphis M Club. The M Club is the letterman's organization for the institution. A former letterman himself, Brown played baseball for the Tigers from 1947-48. He played professional baseball and worked as a professional scout for the Chicago White Sox in the 1950s and returned to Memphis in the 1960s as head baseball coach. During his tenure as the Tigers baseball coach, Brown compiled an overall record of 156-118-4 in nine seasons. His 1964 and 1965 teams won 21 games marking the first 20-win seasons in the school's history. When he left The U of M in 1971, he joined the Memphis Park Commission and later was named as the manager of Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. He remained with the city of Memphis until rejoining the staff at Memphis in 1991.
RON MEARS Assistant Media Relations Director Ron Mears begins his sixth season as the primary contact for men’s basketball in the Office of Athletic Media Relations after a 10year stint as the director of sports information at Nicholls State University. Mears, a 1986 graduate of Oklahoma State University, was named Nicholls State’s SID in 1988 and received additional responsibilities as the assistant director of university relations in 1991. While at the south Louisiana university, Mears produced the 1996 Nicholls State football media guide which was named Best in the Nation by CoSIDA. The football publication was named one of the top five nationally 273
three times during Mears’ final four years at the university. Mears was also honored in 1995 by CoSIDA, penning the Best Historical Feature. While at Nicholls State, Mears was involved with the Louisiana Sports Writers Association, coordinating the LSWA’s basketball player of the week program for five years as well as various LSWA all-Louisiana teams. He served a two-year term as the LSWA’s treasurer. He has also assisted with media coordination at several NCAA and amateur athletic events including the 1992 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials and two NCAA Final Fours. Mears previously worked as a sports writer at the Bartlesville, Okla., Examiner-Enterprise covering Big 8 and prep athletics.
JENNIFER RODRIGUES Associate Media Relations Director Jennifer Rodrigues enters her sixth year as the associate athletic media relations director at The University of Memphis. She is responsible for the publicity and promotion of The U of M women's athletic programs. The primary media contact for women's basketball, Rodrigues also assists with game-day operations for football, and is responsible for overseeing the work of the athletic media relations graduate and student assistants. In the spring of 2000, Rodrigues served as the media coordinator for the NCAA Women's Basketball Mideast Regional. A 1995 graduate of the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, Rodrigues joined The U of M after serving two years as an assistant media relations director at Mississippi State where she was the primary contact for women's basketball and softball.She also assisted in the game-day operations for football, volleyball and men's basketball. Her 1998 softball media guide was judged third in the nation by CoSIDA and her cover received the Best In the Nation honor. Prior to MSU, Rodrigues served as assistant SID for women's athletics at Northern Arizona University. She also served as interim SID at NAU and handled men's basketball and football prior to accepting the job at MSU. The New Orleans, La., native received her bachelor's degree in journalism at ULL. While at ULL, she served as a student assistant in the sports information office, where she was the media contact for volleyball and the nationally-ranked ULL softball team. Rodrigues, and her husband Mike Rodrigues, have one daughter, Alyssa, who was born in November 2002.