2012 MEMPHIS FOOTBALL Page 9
TIGERS OF MEMPHIS The University of Memphis roster includes 28 players who call the City of Memphis home. In addition to the 28 Memphians, 11 additional players are from the Memphis-area. Whitehaven High School is the most-represented school on the Tiger squad. Six student-athletes are Whitehaven graduates — running back Derrick Bobo, wide receiver Mose Frazier, linebacker Charles Harris, offensive lineman Tony Mays, sophomore Terry Redden and wide receiver Marcus Rucker.
ABOUT THE TIGERS’ HOME Constructed in 1965 as a functional memorial to the veterans of World War I, World War II and the Korean War, historic Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium at Rex Dockery Field is the proud home of Memphis Tigers football. Steeped in tradition, the 61,000-seat stadium, located in the heart of midtown Memphis, has served as the Tigers’ home venue since its inception. In 48 years, the Tigers have compiled a 145-1347 record in Liberty Bowl Stadium.
EXPERIENCE ON THE JOB With only 15 student-athletes making up the University of Memphis’ senior class, it is quickly apparent the Tigers are one of the youngest teams in the nation. Memphis has had 18 student-athletes make their first career starts for an FBS program. That tally currently ranks tied for sixth nationally with Arkansas, Colorado State Maryland and Virginia. Hawai’i has had 29 first-time starters this season followed by Air Force which has had 24 and Temple which has had 22. The Tigers’ first-time starters through nine games are LaMarvin Ashley (WR), Anthony Brown (LB), Jacquise Cook (RB), Alan Cross (TE), Taylor Fallin (OL), Antonio Foster (OL), Charles Harris (LB), Brandon Hayes (RB), Ricky Hunter (DL), Martin Ifedi (DL), Tevin Jones (WR), Jacob Karam (QB), Wynton McManis (LB), Jesse Milleson (TE), Micah Simmons (OL), Robert Steeples (DB), Jai Steib (RB) and Jamere Valentine (WR).
MEET ME AT TIGER LANE Tiger Lane is the place to be before all home games. The newly-developed tailgating area is a $16 million project that was approved by the Memphis City Council, and opened during the Middle Tennessee game last season. The Tiger football team started a new tradition of making their Tiger Walk down the center of Tiger Lane in the 2010 home opener against the Blue Raiders. The Tigers are joined by the spirit squads, the band and our official mascot, TOM III.
NEW TIGERS During the 2012 season, Memphis has had a total of 33 players see their first action as Tigers. Of the 33 newcomers who have seen action, 12 are either true or red-shirt freshmen. The freshman group includes high school teammates Wynton McManis and Leonard Pegues who both prepped at Olive Branch High School just across the Mississippi/Tennessee border in Olive Branch, Miss. LIBERTY BOWL RENOVATIONS In place for the season opener against UT Martin were multiple improvements to Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium funded by FedEx, the City of Memphis and the University of Memphis. The most notable addition to the stadium is a new 98’ x 48’ state-of the-art HD video board in the south end zone. The project also includes a new 38’ x 12’ scoreboard in the north end zone. The project was made possible by a $2.5 million donation to the University of Memphis by FedEx. Other improvements include new lighting which provides 30 percent more light at 50 percent of the current energy costs, a new synthetic turf playing field, improvements to concession stands and improvements to infrastructure at the stadium including new press box elevators.
TIGER TRADITION The University of Memphis is one of two colleges with a live tiger as a mascot — the other being LSU. Memphis’ TOM III (stands for Tigers Of Memphis) is in his fourth season attending Tiger football games. He arrives under police escort from his plush habitat across the state line in Mississippi and will lead the March Around into the stadium during pregame. TOM III is owned and cared for by the Highland Hundred football booster organization. TRUE BLUE ROLE MODEL Former Tiger defender Marcus Bell is in his fourth season as an intern and is someone the players can look up to and know that he has walked the walk. Bell played for the U of M from 1997-2000, and finished his career with 209 tackles, including 135 solo stops and 10 sacks. He later was selected in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL Draft and enjoyed a seven-year career in the NFL. He returned to Memphis and in addition to helping on the football staff, he returned to the classroom and earned his bachelor’s degree in 2010. TELEVISED GAMES The Tigers have played 64 games that have been broadcast on national television since 2004, not including pay-per-view games/internet-only contests. More than half of the Tigers’ games will be televised or streamed live this fall. The Tigers games at East Carolina and at home against UCF were both broadcast by CSS. Saturday’s finale against Southern Miss will also be televised by CSS The Arkansas State and Duke games were streamed by ESPN3. The Tigers’ Conference USA opener against Rice was televised by Fox Collegiate Sports. The Oct. 27 game at SMU will be televised by Time Warner in select markets in the state of Texas. In 2011, the Tigers had eight games broadcasted.
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The University of Memphis
10,000 BOOKS FROM TIGER FANS A lofty goal of collecting 10,000 books for Memphis City Schools was born from the countless hours University of Memphis student-athletes have spent at Hanley Elementary volunteering as tutors and readers as well as working with students in other capacities. The Tigers have exceeded their goal. Over 11,000 books are in the process of being donated to seven Memphis City Schools deemed “Innovation Zone” schools. At Hanley Elementary, the Tiger student-athletes’ focus has been working with young people on their reading skills at the school which is located just a few blocks south of Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Originally, the Memphis Tigers PAWS (Preparing Athletes for Winning Success) program had an idea of just collecting books at a couple events but then was inspired to a bigger goal which kicked off at the Tiger football team’s season opener in September. “Given their participation in athletics at the University of Memphis, our student-athletes become ambassadors, mentors and role-models for all of the children in the Memphis area,” said Tiger Athletics Director Tom Bowen. “The programs adopted by the PAWS committee are vital to our community and allows our student-athletes to become involved in something much larger than just their sport or their classroom work. Kristin Rusboldt, the coordinator of studentathlete development at the U of M added, “It is such an amazing accomplishment for the Athletic Department and the University. The best part is that we are able to give these books back to children in our own community. “It was a hefty goal in the beginning, but because of the determination and wonderful amounts of donations from the community, we are able to provide children in Memphis with an opportunity to take a book home and read it to their parents, share it with their siblings, or have parents engage their children in bedtime stories,” she said. “This accomplishment really shows the dedication that our city has to the education of our youth.” BIG EAST BOUND University of Memphis President Dr. Shirley C. Raines and then-BIG EAST Commissioner John M. Marinatto announced on Feb. 8, 2012 that Memphis had accepted a formal invitation to join the BIG EAST Conference as an all-sports member beginning in July, 2013. The BIG EAST Conference Board of Directors, by a unanimous vote of its Presidents, extended the invitation for membership to Memphis. The addition of Memphis will bring the BIG EAST’s football membership to 12 schools. Ultimately, the BIG EAST will have 17 full members. In December of 2011, the BIG EAST announced the additions of UCF, Houston and SMU as full members and Boise State and San Diego State as football members. In January, the Naval Academy was added as a football member. The addition of Memphis, along with the five schools announced in December and Navy, will boost the BIG EAST’s television reach to more than 31 million homes, which is nearly 28 percent of all U.S. television households. Thirteen conference members will be located among the top 30 television markets and 17 will be in the top 50.