2010 Memphis Football
H istory
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The University of Memphis
in the season held UTEP to just five yards rushing. Michael Grandberry was named the Tigers’ only CUSA Player of the Week after that game in which he logged 118 yards on two kick returns. • Perhaps the most memorable play of the 2006 season was against eventual C-USA champion Houston. With just over two minutes remaining on the clock, Brandon McDonald blocked UH’s 24-yard field goal attempt and linebacker Greg Jackson picked up the ball and ran it 80 yards for a TD that tied the game at 20 and forced overtime. Memphis fell short of the victory as UH booted a field goal to win the game, 23-20. • The 2007 season started off slow as the Tigers opened with a 1-3 record. And, just as the team was feeling about as down and out as possible, an unexpected tragedy brought the group together. On Sunday, Sept. 30, defensive lineman Taylor Bradford was killed in an act of violence, and the Tigers were facing a game two days later. Following a powerful campus vigil on Monday, Oct. 1, the Tiger football team set out on the emotional task of playing a game on ESPN on Tuesday against C-USA foe Marshall. Coach Tommy West and his squad entered the field arm-in-arm in a chilling showing of togetherness. The team snapped a twogame losing streak with a win over Marshall and that game is sure to be remembered for years to come. • After a disappointing mid-season loss to Middle Tennessee, the Tigers regrouped and welcomed Martin Hankins back under center. Hankins missed the Marshall and MTSU games with a hip injury. Hankins ultimately led the Tigers to wins in five of the final six games of the season. Memphis was back in a bowl game for the fourth time in five seasons. • With its loss to Florida Atlantic in the New Orleans Bowl, the Tigers finished the season with a 7-6 record, which was good for the fourth-best turnaround nationally. In addition, the Tigers finished C-USA action with a 6-2 record which placed the U of M tied for second in the East Division with East Carolina. The six wins were the most victories for the Tigers since beginning C-USA play in 1996. • Other key wins in 2007 included a 25-9 win over UAB that marked Memphis’ first win over the Blazers since 1999; the 29-26 win over Southern Miss in Hattiesburg that marked Memphis’ second straight win over USM on the road; and the 55-52 triple overtime shootout with SMU on Memphis’ senior day that lasted four hours and 33 minutes. • Memphis closed out the 2007 season ranked in the top 25 in several national categories, including total offense (23rd), sack denial (10th), passing offense (13th), turnover margin (15th), fumbles lost (tied 3rd), turnovers lost (tied 10th) and fourth down conversions (11th). • Several Tigers received C-USA honors, including offensive lineman Andy Smith, wide receiver Duke Calhoun and linebacker Jake Kasser. Offensive lineman Dominik Riley and deep snapper Keenan Bratcher were selected to the All-C-USA Freshman Team. • In 2007, Memphis was the only non-BCS team to participate in a bowl game, the NCAA men’s basketball tournament and the NCAA baseball tournament all in the same calendar year. • The Tigers found themselves in uncharted territory early in the 2008 season when they opened with three straight losses for the first time ever under head coach Tommy West. And while most counted the Tigers down and out, this squad refused to sit back and accept a losing season. Memphis rolled off consecutive wins over Nicholls State, Arkansas State and UAB to even the record at 3-3 at the halfway point. • Just as things started to pick up. the East Carolina game forced the Tiger coaching staff to become creative offensively. Memphis lost the services of quarterbacks Arkelon Hall (thumb) and Will Hudgens (knee) in the first quarter on the road at ECU. Walk-on junior Brett Toney was pressed into service and the U of M fell to 3-5 with the loss to the Pirates.Toney started the Southern Miss and SMU games, which the Tigers won and again evened their record at 5-5.
• Two open dates in a four-week period allowed for Hall to return to the lineup for the final two games of the season at home versus UCF and Tulane. With bowl hopes and a potential share in the C-USA East Division title on the line, costly mistakes against UCF left the Tigers with one more chance for post-season hopes on Senior Day versus Tulane. The squad came out with something to prove and earned the sixth win for bowl eligibility with a commanding 45-6 win over the Green Wave. • While the win over Tulane gave the Tigers something to celebrate, it was also a sad day for the Tiger family. Later that evening, the team learned that Murray Armstrong, who had served in many capacities with Tiger Athletics for 46 years, had lost his four-year battle with cancer. • Memphis was among 12 NCAA FBS teams that started the season with a 0-3 record in 2008. Of those 12 teams, only the Tigers and Rutgers played in bowl games. Rutgers entered the Papajohns.com Bowl with a 7-5 record, and Memphis went into the magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl with a 6-6 record. • In 2008, the Tigers were competing in the postseason for the fifth time in six years, and could count themselves among only 36 teams nationally who could make that claim of success. • Several Tigers received C-USA honors, including Brandon Pearce and Clinton McDonald who were named to the first team. Curtis Steele was selected to the second team and was also named the league’s Newcomer of the Year. Ronald Leary was selected to the All-C-USA Freshman Team. • Senior Brandon Patterson, who earned his master’s degree in Dec. ‘08, became the only Tiger football player to be named an Academic All-American two times in his career (2007-08). • While many Tiger fans may not recall the 2-10 record many years from now, they are sure to remember the 2009 season for Coach Tommy West being dismissed with three games remaining on the schedule and the impassioned speech he gave in his press conference announcing the firing. West was let go following the 56-28 loss at his alma mater, Tennessee, with the Tigers sitting at 2-7 and no chance of a return to the postseason. West finished his 10-year career with the Tigers (nine as head coach) with a 49-61 mark, and ranks third all-time in wins at the U of M. • Duke Calhoun and Carlos Singleton finished their Memphis careers as the No. 1 and No. 2 receivers in school history, while Curtis Steele closed out his two-year career as the No. 3 running back all-time. Calhoun also ended his career with the nation’s third-longest active receiving streak through the 2009 season with 49 consecutive career games with a reception. • Several Tigers were honored in 2009, including Curtis Steele, who was named to the All-C-USA first team, and punter/kicker Matt Reagan who was a third-team allAmerican as a punter by the Associated Press. Reagan is Memphis’ first AP all-American since DeAngelo Williams (2005, second-team), and was punting for the first time in his collegiate career in ‘09. Also named to the All-C-USA team were Duke Calhoun (2nd) and Reagan (2nd), as well as Dontari Poe and Jamie McCoy, who were placed on the All-Freshman team. • On November 29, 2009, former Tiger running back (199093) Larry Porter was named as the 22nd head football coach at Memphis. He quickly began assembling his staff and hit the road recruiting. His first-ever signing class was announced in February 2010, and will lay the foundation for a program that he envisions taking the next step and competing for championships.
2010 Memphis Football Fact Book
CONFERENCE AFFILIATIONS MISSISSIPPI VALLEY • 1928-1934
West Tennessee State Teachers College had its first conference affiliation during the 1928 season when the fledgling institution was a member of the Mississippi Valley Conference. Memphis, then West Tennessee State Teachers College, joined with UT-Martin JC, Sunflower JC, Bethel College, Delta State College, Murray Normal, Lambuth College, and Little Rock College. Memphis competed in the Mississippi Valley Conference for seven seasons and compiled an overall record of 19-6-3.
SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION • 1935-1942
The Tigers left the Mississippi Valley Conference in 1934 and promptly joined the membership of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association. The new affiliation united Middle Tennessee State, Louisiana College, Delta State, Troy State, Tennessee Tech, Union University and Murray State. The Tigers competed for eight seasons prior to World War II and had a conference mark of 18-24-1.
MISSOURI VALLEY • 1968-1972
As Memphis State grew in national stature the institution sought to align itself with similar schools. In 1968 the Tigers joined the Missouri Valley Conference and for a five-year period dominated the football membership. MSU competed against such schools as Louisville, Tulsa, Wichita State, North Texas State, Cincinnati, Drake and West Texas State. Memphis State won the conference championship three times - 1968, 1969 and 1971 - and head coach Billy J. Murphy was named the Coach of the Year three times. The Tigers compiled a 19-5-0 record and represented the league with a win in the 1971 Pasadena Bowl.
METRO • 1980-1992
Despite competing as an independent in football, Memphis joined the Metro Conference in 1980 and began playing with such noted teams as Florida State, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Louisville, Cincinnati, Tulane and Southern Miss. The teams did not play for a conference championship but did select an All-Metro Conference team at the end of each football season. The Tigers placed 60 football stars on the various All-Metro teams and linebacker Danton Barto was named the Defensive Player of the Year in 1990.
CONFERENCE USA • 1996-Present
The University of Memphis joined its first football playing league since the 1972 season when the U of M aligned with Louisville, Cincinnati, Tulane, Southern Miss and Houston in 1996 to play for a conference title. East Carolina came aboard in 1997 and Army was added in 1998. UAB became a football playing member in 1999 and TCU joined in 2001. USF became a full member in 2002 rounding out the 11-member league. The Tigers have compiled an overall C-USA record of 43-58 since joining the league 14 years ago. The conference has five guaranteed bowl affiliations with the champion playing each year in the annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl in Memphis. The league took on a new look in 2005 as Memphis joined UCF, Rice, SMU, Tulsa, Tulane, UTEP, Southern Miss, UAB, Marshall, East Carolina and Houston in a newly-launched C-USA. The 2005 season also marked the first year for a league championship game.