| NEW ORLEANS - At half past nine in the Superdome a raucous band of Memphis Tigers assembled near midfield, some standing, some kneeling, some sprawling to the turf. |
| They posed for a picture. A historic picture, really. |
| First Memphis bowl champion in 32 years. |
| Funny how nobody had to be reminded to smile. |
| The Tigers put the perfect ending on a nearly perfect season Tuesday night, beating North Texas 27-17 to win the New Orleans Bowl. |
| They had waited three decades for this moment. Small wonder they hurried the celebration just a bit. |
| With 33 seconds left on the clock, Memphis players doused head coach Tommy West, then raised him on their shoulders. |
| It was only fair, really. |
| Lifting the man who had lifted them. |
| West and his team didn't just win a bowl game Tuesday. They changed the perception of what the Memphis football program might become. |
| "There are some guys here who bought into a dream," West said. "Not what it was, because it wasn't very good. |
| "What it could be." |
| The bowl performance was compelling, joyous evidence and it began well before the opening kick. |
| Tiger fans poured into town - by train, plane and automobile - splashing New Orleans with royal blue. |
| A local face-painter walked through the plaza outside the Superdome before the game, willing to paint faces for either team. |
| "I've painted a hundred Memphis faces," she said. "North Texas? Maybe five." |
| At a pregame pep rally the band leader asked for three volunteers from each side to come up and dance on stage. |
| Instantly, he had three Memphis dancers beside him. A North Texas dancer could not be found. |
| Of course, Memphis fans have been waiting a long time to be invited onto any kind of stage. Given the slightest bit of encouragement, they didn't hold back. |
| John Calipari jetted down for the game. Scott Scherer sat in the stands. The six Cheering Elvi showed up and did their thing. |
| "It's the first time I've worn polyester since the '70s," said one of them. "But it's worth it today." |
| He said this at halftime. Things were going well by then. |
| Danny Wimprine completed his first 10 passes for 162 yards. He threw for one touchdown and ran for another before getting knocked woozy. |
| Memphis led 17-3 at the half. North Texas could have used a pep talk from their famous alum, Dr. Phil. |
| But give the bad guys credit. It wasn't easy beating Green. |
| They pulled within a touchdown. Momentum seemed to be switching sides. |
| Which is when the Tigers did what they always seemed to do this year: Just enough to win. |
| "Remember when you learned to ride a bicycle for the first time?" said Mike White, a Memphis fan. "When you get it, you get it. That's what's happened here." |
| The Tigers didn't have their starting tailback. Their backup tailback went down in the first half. Their quarterback didn't know if there were three Cheering Elvi or six. |
| But they won. |
| Naturally. |
| Same 'ol Tigers, you know? |
| When Coot Terry ended the final North Texas drive, the celebration began. |
| There were tears everywhere. And hugs and phone calls and high fives. |
| "Wow," said Memphis athletic director R. C. Johonson. |
| "It was worth the wait," said longtime assistant Murray Armstrong. |
| "Is everyone off the field?" said trainer Eddie Cantler. |
| No, Eddie, they were taking their sweet time. Thanking the fans. Drinking it in. |
| West ran over and stuck the cap he'd worn all game on the head of John T, the boy with Down Syndrome who has set a new standard in collecting kicking tees. |
| "I wanted to give him something," West said. |
| Someone asked West how many times he'd been doused by Gatorade before. West said he couldn't recall. |
| "But it felt good," he said, before reconsidering. |
| "No, it felt great." |
| Contact columnist Geoff Calkins at 529-2364; E-mail: calkins@commercialappeal.com |