Memphis Tigers News Archives

August 2004

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08/31/04		West moves Hinds to LB, wants him to use his size (Commercial Appeal)
		By Marlon W. Morganand and Phil Stukenborg Contact August 31, 2004 Tigers coach Tommy West said freshman defensive back Greg Hinds had been moved from safety to an outside linebacker spot behind sophomore Quinton McCrary and freshman Heath Grant. Hinds, 6-foot-1 and 230 pounds, was a prize recruit from last spring's signing class. Hinds, who attended Southaven High, was considered one of the top athletes in the nation and the top prospect in the state, according to Rivals.com. "Out there in our defense at safety, you have to do a lot of pass coverage," West said. "And the strength to Greg's game is hitting. He's 230 pounds, and he'll hit you. "So, we'll move him down in there where we can use him as a blitzer and let him make tackles for us instead of covering people. I see him eventually going to 250. I think he's going to be a big, big guy." Fire and rain First, there was a heavy downpour Saturday that interrupted the University of Memphis football team's fan day. And Monday, shortly before noon, the Tigers coaching staff, along with other members of the athletic staff, were evacuated from the Athletic Office Building when fire alarms sounded. During coach Tommy West's press conference -- held at the AOB about 20 minutes after fire officials allowed everyone to return -- he was asked by Tigers play-by-play announcer Dave Woloshin whether the inconveniences were an omen or an Ole Miss plot. West pondered the question for a second, chuckled and responded: "I haven't had time to think about that, Dave, and I wouldn't want to let that out in front of everybody, we'll talk about that on our radio show (Monday night)." After a brief silence, West thought again and added: "Y'all spent all summer coming up with questions like that?" a response that elicited more laughter from the gathering. Homecoming month Tigers defensive coordinator Joe Lee Dunn is familiar with the team's first two opponents. Dunn served on the Ole Miss coaching staff from 1992 to '94. He was the defensive coordinator in 1992 and '93 and served as interim head coach in 1994. Next week, the Tigers open at home against 1-AA Chattanooga, Dunn's alma mater. Dunn played for Chattanooga in the mid-1960s and coached at the school from 1971 to '78. Suggs wants open lines Despite redshirting last year in his first season at Ole Miss, receiver Carlos Suggs still got a taste of what the Ole Miss-Memphis rivalry is like. Following the Tigers' 44-34 win at the Liberty Bowl, the former Ridgeway player was the center of much abuse. ''I had to cut my cell phone off after last year's game,'' Suggs said. ''Hopefully, it'll be a different outcome.'' Suggs enters the game as a backup receiver. Mills impresses Ole Miss coach David Cutcliffe said Monday that Christian Brothers defensive end Corey Mills would have an opportunity to see action Saturday. The 6-5, 265-pound true freshman has been more impressive every day. ''He's a very physical player,'' Cutcliffe said. ''He's already physical enough at this level of football. He's continuing to learn what to do. As he learns what to do, it's going to enable him more and more to make plays.'' Playing time is starters' New Ole Miss secondary coach Jay Hopson, a former Rebel free safety, has a host of defensive backs hoping to get on the field against the U of M. Hopson let it be known quick that the best way to assure playing time is to earn a starting position. ''If you're not a starter, ain't no guarantees,'' Hopson said. ''If you're a starter, you're on the field. But if you're backing up, it just depends on the situation and how the game's going. I don't want to lie to them, so I can't guarantee them anything.''

08/31/04		Own Goal Leads Memphis Past Ole Miss 1-0 -- Lady Tigers Now 2-0 For First Time Since 1999 (GoTigersGo.com)
		Oxford, Miss. - The Memphis women's soccer team capitalized on a defensive miscue by Ole Miss in the 84th minute that resulted in an own goal to defeat the Rebels 1-0 before a crowd of 611. The win is the first for Memphis in the series since 2001 and successfully avenges a 7-0 loss to the Rebels last year. The Rebels, who were ranked #8 in the Central Region by Soccer Buzz and received votes in the NSCAA Preseason Top 25 Poll, outshot the Lady Tigers 18-7, including 12-4 in the second half, but were unable to take advantage of any scoring opportunities. The Memphis defense, expected to be a strength of the team this year, lived up to its billing, led by freshman goalkeeper Natalie Haerens, who recorded her second shutout in as many career starts. She made eight saves to preserve the win. "Natalie played solid tonight, came off the line well, and was good with her feet," said Memphis coach Brooks Monaghan. "Although they had more shots than we did, none were really good scoring opportunities." Three of Memphis's four starting defenders, Jocelyn Raine, Leanne McGee, and Robyn Smart, played the entire game, while Mary Shelton came out in the 69th minute in favor of Courtnee Melton, who had a part in the game-winning goal. Melton played a ball over the top to Carla Scanniello, who then dribbled down the sideline and unleashed a shot. An Ole Miss defender attempted to stop the ball and clear it about five yards in front of the goal, but the ball went off her foot and into the goal at the 83:55 mark. Memphis, which played just three players off the bench, had only one player take more than one shot and aside from the own goal had only one shot on goal. By contrast, Ole Miss, the defending SEC West Champions which also made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament a year ago, had 11 different players unleash shots and put eight of their 18 shots on goal. The Rebels also had an edge in corner kicks, taking eight to the Tigers' three. However, most of the Rebels' shots were from outside the box. "We switched to a 4-5-1 tonight and had our outside midfielders go on attack after we won balls," said Monaghan. "They all did a good job of rotating on the field." The Lady Tigers, who are now 2-0 for the first time since the 1999 season, will next play in their home opener on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. against Middle Tennessee State at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex.

08/31/04		DeAngelo Williams Named a Candidate for the Doak Walker Award -- Junior tailback up for award given to college football's top running back (GoTigersGo.com)
		DALLAS, TEXAS - The SMU Athletic Forum announced today the names of the candidates for the 2004 Doak Walker Award, presented annually to the nation's top college running back. The field of candidates includes Kansas State senior Darren Sproles who was a finalist for the 2003 Doak Walker Award and led the nation in total rushing yards (1,915) last season. Other candidates include Texas senior Cedric Benson who led the nation in scoring last year with 134 points and has 3,706 career rushing yards, the most of any returning back; Syracuse senior Walter Reyes who has gained more than 1,100 yards in each of the past two seasons; and Memphis Junior DeAngelo Williams who led the country in all-purpose yardage and compiled ten consecutive 100-yard rushing games in 2003. The complete list of candidates, who were nominated by their universities, follows: Josh Allen (Jr.), Maryland J.J. Arrington (Sr.), California Marion Barber (Sr.), Minnesota Chris Barclay (Jr.), Wake Forest Arliss Beach (Jr.), Kentucky Mike Bell (Jr.), Arizona Cedric Benson (Sr.), Texas Ronnie Brown (Sr.), Auburn Reggie Bush (So.), USC Earl Charles (Sr.), Marshall Patrick Cobbs (Sr.), North Texas P.J. Daniels (Jr.), Georgia Tech Anthony Davis (Sr.), Wisconsin Kyle Eckel (Sr.), Navy Anthony Evans (Sr.), Houston Lionel Gates (Sr.), Louisville Franklin Gore (Sr.), Miami E.B. Halsey (So.), Illinois Lynell Hamilton (So.), San Diego State Alex Haynes (Sr.), UCF Taurean Henderson (Jr.), Texas Tech Lonta Hobbs (Jr.), TCU Cedric Houston (Sr.), Tennessee Howard Jackson (Sr.), UTEP Chance Kretschmer (Sr.), Nevada Brian Leonard (Jr.), Rutgers Wali Lundy (Jr.), Virginia Sammy Maldonado (Sr.), Maryland Ronnie McGill (So.), UNC T.A. McLendon (Jr.), NC State Ryan Moats (Jr.), Louisiana Tech Foy Munlin (Sr.), SMU P.J. Pope (Jr.), Bowling Green Bobby Purify (Sr.), Colorado Walter Reyes (Sr.), Syracuse Lydell Ross (Sr.), Ohio State Darren Sproles (Sr.), Kansas State Justin Vincent (So.), LSU Jerod Void (Sr.), Purdue LenDale White (So.), USC DeAngelo Williams (Jr.), Memphis Carnell Williams (Sr.), Auburn "Each new season of college football brings fans a fresh list of new 'stars' to watch. This year will be no different. As for the running back position...well, simply put this will be one of the more talented groups we've had the pleasure of following. This year's Doak Walker watch list is impressive. This year's winner will again exemplify the characteristics of Doak Walker. A tough and talented runner for sure, but just as important as the yards gained on the field, Doak was a model citizen and leader in the classroom, too. Good luck to the candidates," said Craig James, SMU alumnus and member of the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee. The SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will select the semifinalists on November 15, and the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee will vote on the winner in late November. The National Selection Committee consists of former NFL All-Pro and college All-America running backs, media members and selected special representatives. The recipient of the 2004 Doak Walker Award will be announced live on ESPN along with other NCFAA member awards on The Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, December 9. The Doak Walker Award Presentation Banquet will be held at The Fairmont Hotel in Dallas, Texas, on Wednesday, February 15, 2005. Former Michigan running back Chris Perry, currently with the Cincinnati Bengals, won the 2003 Doak Walker Award. The award, which is celebrating its 15th year, is named for SMU's three-time All-American running back Doak Walker. It is the only major collegiate award that requires all candidates to be in good academic standing and on schedule to graduate within one year of other students of the same classification. Sponsors of the Forum include PricewaterhouseCoopers, American Airlines, The Dallas Morning News, Guaranty Bank, JPMorgan Chase and State Farm Bank®.

08/31/04		Greg Olsen Hired as Tiger Baseball's Third Assistant -- Olsen to take on infielders responsibilities and U of M camps (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- - University of Memphis head baseball coach Daron Schoenrock announced the hiring of Greg Olsen as the program's third assistant today. Olsen will be in charge of coaching the Tiger infielders and planning and coordinating all Memphis baseball camps. A former standout infielder at Division II Valdosta State, Olsen comes to the Memphis baseball program from the University of Maryland, where he served as an assistant coach. As an assistant at Maryland, he assisted in all facets of the program in addition to serving as the first base coach. He also was involved in the program's recruiting and helped manage the Terry Rupp Terrapin Baseball Camp. "We are excited to have Greg come aboard and complete the staff," said Schoenrock. "Greg is a good fit for our program. I was impressed with his hunger to get into the Division I game. His energy and experience with organizing camps will be a great addition to our staff." Prior to his stint at Maryland, Olsen worked under former Major Leaguer Darnell Coles as an assistant coach at Countryside High School in Clearwater, Fla. He served as third base coach and oversaw the development of the team's infielders and catchers. As a player, Olsen played six different positions in his career at Valdosta State. Primarily an infielder, he served as the team's captain as a senior and helped lead the Blazers to the Gulf South Conference Tournament championship en route to finishing 13th in the country. As a junior, he helped lead VSU to a No. 20 national ranking. Olsen, a native of Clearwater, Fla., received his undergraduate degree in Health and Physical Education from Valdosta State in December 2002.

08/31/04		Season Opens with Sixth Annual Memphis Diadora Tournament -- Tigers host Centenary, Oral Roberts and Western Kentucky (GoTigersGo.com)
		After finishing 2-0 in exhibition play, the University of Memphis men's soccer team opens its season in the nightcap of the Memphis Diadora Tournament against Centenary on Friday. The Tigers host the sixth annual tournament at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex with Centenary, Oral Roberts and Western Kentucky participating in this year's events. The tournament begins at 5 p.m. with Oral Roberts taking on Western Kentucky followed by the Memphis-Centenary game at 7:30 p.m. The tournament concludes on Saturday with Western Kentucky taking on Centenary at 5 p.m. and Memphis matching up with Oral Roberts at 7:30 p.m. "It's been a great tournament, and I'm glad we've been able to continue it in each of the year's I've been here," said head coach Richie Grant. "Diadora has been a great sponsor ofthe tournament, and the schools competing this year are all quality teams. We're excited to compete this year." The U of M is 6-3-1 all-time in the Memphis Diadora and won the tournament championship in 2002. Last year the Tigers took third with a 1-1-0 record, while UIC won the tournament championship. This is the third year Centenary has participated in the tournament, posting a 0-4-0 all-time record. Last year the Gents went 0-2-0, finishing fourth. Oral Roberts and Western Kentucky are both first year participants in the tournament. The last time the Tigers met the Gents came in the Memphis Diadora Tournament last year. Memphis won the game 2-1. The U of M also beat Centenary in the tournament in 1999, 4-2. The Tigers are 4-2-0 all-time against Centenary. The first time the two schools met came in 1992 when Memphis closed out its season with a 4-0 victory over the Gents. The U of M has outscored Centenary, 16-10. The last time the Tigers met the Golden Eagles came in 1999 with Memphis winning at home, 3-0. The U of M has also posted wins against Oral Roberts, in 1994, 1993 and in the first matchup between the two schools in 1989. The Tigers have shut out the Golden Eagles in three-straight games. The Tigers have never lost to the Golden Eagles, posting an all-time record of 4-0-0. In the four games, the Memphis defense has only allowed one goal while its offense has put up 12 goals against Oral Roberts.

08/31/04		High-dollar seats -- Big-time Tiger boosters see FedExForum location (Commercial Appeal)
		By Gary Parrish Contact August 31, 2004 Ben and Martha Bryant walked into FedExForum early afternoon ready to select their seats for the upcoming University of Memphis basketball season. The lights were flashing. The scoreboard was glowing. And the Bryants -- as well as 13 of their fellow, high-level Tiger donors -- finally had the $250 million dollar downtown arena all to themselves. Initial thoughts? "Wow!" answered Ben Bryant. "This really is something." U of M officials hosted their biggest of big-time boosters at FedExForum on Monday and officially began the reseating process. Almost to a man -- and a woman, or better yet, to a ridiculously wealthy man and woman -- the reaction was consistent. It went something like this: "Boy, I sure am glad we left that stinking Pyramid." "The reaction I've received reaffirms my decision," said Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson, noting his choice to abandon the old home for the new home. "I was going to lose either way. No matter what I did, not everybody was going to be happy. But it's like I said before. Even if you have a nice house, once you build a new house and go inside it, it's hard to go back to the old one." Which, by most accounts, is exactly the case here. Of the 14 Ambassador-level donors -- i.e., Fred Smith, Mike Rose and others who have given at least $500,000 to the athletic department over the past three years -- only a few had been in the building prior to Monday. Thus, the scene was laced with both curiosity and skepticism. Some came demanding to be amazed. They were. Some came needing to be convinced. They were. From the shiny, cushioned seats near the court to the mesmerizing scoreboard above it, nearly every Ambassador seemed certain that the Tigers decision to leave the "Tomb of Doom" was accurate. Furthermore, they said, that Nov. 6 exhibition against Christian Brothers University can't come soon enough. "It's overwhelming," said Memphis booster Bob January. "I couldn't really see going back to The Pyramid now." It would be nice to report that everybody was as giddy as the Bryants and January, that each Tiger booster was just as absolutely sold on FedExForum. But it would also be untrue. A few remain concerned about the Grizzlies' control of the building, still seem sure they'll get shafted in some fashion down the road, if not sooner. Others even complained about the floor seats, said they were too close together and uncomfortably tight, which, if nothing else, proves Johnson's theory that you can't please everybody. "Those seats might be too close if you're just sitting there talking," acknowledged Ben Bryant. "But once that game gets started, they'll be just fine. People are going to love this." Then his wife chimed in as she scanned the skyboxes above. "I really like it," she said. "I can't wait to see it full." -- Gary Parrish: 529-2365

08/31/04		Ole Miss, Memphis in game mode -- Tigers were lackadaisical in early practices, but came on strong late as West stayed in scrimmage mode and worked out kinks (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact August 31, 2004 Maybe this University of Memphis football team will thrive on deadline pressure. It's not the mode of operation that coach Tommy West covets, but after several lackluster scrimmages early in preseason camp, the Tigers rebounded. They closed with several strong workouts shortly before camp broke, began to show the cohesiveness and big-play ability that characterized last year's memorable run and allayed West's concerns. When the Tigers open the season Saturday at Ole Miss before an expected sellout crowd of 60,000-plus, West is confident his team will play more like the one that went 9-4 and won the New Orleans Bowl and not the one that sputtered in mid-August workouts. "The effort was tremendous," West said, referring to the early scrimmages. "The execution started off terrible. That's why we scrimmaged as much as we did, five times in seven days. It seemed like we started (every scrimmage) until the end, with a drop and a penalty. I was disappointed with our focus. I wanted us to come out -- with so many people back -- like we were just coming out of the New Orleans Bowl. But it doesn't work that way." The Tigers gave West reason to believe preseason camp would be relatively error free. Quarterback Danny Wimprine, who holds most of the school's passing records, returned for his senior year. Tailback DeAngelo Williams, the All-America candidate and single-season-rushing leader, came back in mid-season form. A veteran offensive line was flanked by a deep group of receivers, including Tavares Gideon and Maurice Avery. Defensively, there were more significant losses and a pre-camp injury to defensive lineman Albert Means. But the Tigers had speed and athleticism at linebacker, a position that lost its three starters, and experience in the secondary, which returned first-team all-Conference USA safety Wesley Smith. Still, there were mistakes. "Looking back, that was the best thing that could have ever happened to us," West said. "We made a lot of improvement in that time, little execution things ... dropped balls, penalties, getting out of position defensively ... I think we got a lot of things corrected before our opening game. It's a little bit of a roll of the dice to scrimmage that much, but we came out of it healthy." As camp concluded, West said the Tigers were playing together, a trademark of the 2003 team that ended the program's eight-year losing skid and 32-year bowl drought. "That's why we were good last year," West said. "We all understood our roles. We fed off each other pretty good. But for whatever reason, we weren't doing that (early in the camp). But it got better. I think we're in good shape now. I'm looking forward to watching us play." So are Tiger fans who, for the first time in the program's history, were able to celebrate a win over Ole Miss and a trip to a bowl game in 2003. Last year's success, coupled with this year's returning class, had preseason publications touting the Tigers to be among the favorites to win C-USA. Did the Tigers spend too much time flipping through the preseason magazines? "I had high expectations when we started camp, too," said defensive back Cameron Essex. "But coming off a summer where you relax (and haven't been in a game-type situation and scrimmaging) ... well, that fatigue kicks in and what do you do then? Some people forget everything they are taught to do." The players maintained their poise and continued to work through the early mistakes. "I wasn't at that first scrimmage, but it gave the whole offense a little gut check," said center Gene Frederic, who missed the first scrimmage with an illness. "To be honest, everyone came out saying we weren't there yet. We knew we still had two weeks of practice. "The first scrimmage was the first scrimmage. The second, third and fourth one kind of showed we do have the team that can do well against every team we play. I had never done that before, but I liked it. I'm a game-type player. I love when we can make it a four-down (practice). I love the feeling of a game." Wimprine, a candidate for several national quarterback awards, said there was no need to panic, even if there was a need to scrimmage. "It didn't really surprise me," Wimprine said. "I think now we are settling down and getting into game-week mode. We'll see Saturday." -- Phil Stukenborg: 529-2543

08/31/04		U of M notebook -- Cooper not registered; Williams is (Commercial Appeal)
		By Gary Parrish Contact August 31, 2004 With classes having begun at the University of Memphis on Monday, it became official that Kareem Cooper will not be a Tiger this season. Unlike the rest of John Calipari's five-signee recruiting class, Cooper is not registered for fall classes and will instead spend the next year in prep school. That means the Tigers will have 12 scholarship players this season and at least four grants to award to the 2005 recruiting class. Waki's here After spending the summer in California completing junior college work, Waki Williams arrived in Memphis late last week and began classes Monday morning. By Monday afternoon, the 6-9 forward was at the Finch Center playing pickup games with Sean Banks, Rodney Carney and most of the rest of the Tigers. ''It feels really good to be here,'' Williams said. ''It feels good to be around the players.'' Last season at Mt. San Jacinto (Calif.) College, Williams averaged 15.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. Coaches vs. Cancer Though the Tigers still haven't finalized their spot in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, it's all but guaranteed Memphis will host first and second round games. Consequently, the U of M -- including the two exhibitions -- will have 18 games in FedExForum this season instead of the 17 previously thought. But that won't affect the price of a season ticket, meaning the second game of the CVC will serve as a bonus game of sorts. ''We won't raise prices because of the extra game we're going to get,'' said Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson. ''But in fairness, we wouldn't have decreased prices if we had one less game either.'' Two of the other host schools already signed up for the event are Cal and Syracuse. The fourth host will likely be Mississippi State, though, like the Memphis situation, that isn't final yet because the Bulldogs would have to play their games out of Mississippi. The NCAA refuses to play championship tournaments in states where the confederate battle flag is officially represented in some fashion. Thus, Birmingham appears to be where MSU would host its two games. -- Gary Parrish: 529-2365

08/31/04		FROM MY SEAT -- PIGSKIN PREVIEW (Memphis Flyer)
		FRANK MURTAUGH | 8/30/2004 Ahhhhh . . . Labor Day approaches, and with it, the grunts, groans, fireworks, and fight songs that can mean but one thing: college football. You’ll be reading plenty on the Memphis Tigers in this space (and for a preview of the 2004 season, check out the September 2 issue of the Flyer). But what about the Tigers’ opponents? Consider the following a poor man’s scouting report on the five squads that will visit the Liberty Bowl over the next three months. CHATTANOOGA (Sep. 11) -- No more “UTC.” And no more “Moccasins.” For the I-AA Chattanooga Mocs, less is more . . . at least when it comes to their name. In a perfect world, Tennessee’s four “big city” schools (UT, U of M, Vanderbilt, and yes, Chattanooga) would at least play each other on a rotating basis for bragging rights in the Volunteer State. It would certainly beat another Arkansas State matchup for the Tigers (and why the heck is UNLV coming to Knoxville?). If there’s a recurrent theme to the Tigers’ opponents this fall, it’s outstanding receivers. The Mocs will be led by Alonzo Nix, a senior wideout from Laurel, Mississippi, who hauled in 90 passes last season for 1,060 yards. He’ll be a nice test for the experienced U of M secondary, but this game’s a gimme for Memphis. The Mocs have had exactly one winning season in the last 12 years. HOUSTON (Oct. 2) -- The Tigers and Cougars have alternated wins over the last four seasons in this series, with the visiting team winning each time. So what does Memphis do but schedule Houston for homecoming. The Cougars’ quarterback, Kevin Kolb, was Conference USA’s Freshman of the Year last season when he threw for 3,131 yards and 25 touchdowns (the Tigers held him to 138 yards and a single score). Junior tailback Anthony Evans averaged 4.9 yards a carry last season on his way to 1,149 yards rushing (second in C-USA behind the Tigers’ DeAngelo Williams). This should be a fun game for fans, as the scoreboard may just tilt from all the offense. In their 13 games last year, Houston gave up at least 28 points nine times, and gave up 50 five times. That’s Danny Wimprine you see licking his chops. TULANE (Oct. 16) -- Remember when the Green Wave went 12-0, won the C-USA championship, and the Liberty Bowl? Has 1998 ever felt so long ago? The Tigers have beaten Tulane the last two years by a collective score of 79-19. Wideout Roydell Williams was superb last year (66 catches for 1,006 yards), but he’ll have a new quarterback pitching him balls this fall (sophomore Nick Cannon enters the season having thrown exactly two passes). DeAngelo Williams gained a season-high 195 yards on the ground -- and scored two touchdowns -- last year in New Orleans. LOUISVILLE (Thursday, Nov. 4) -- This will be the first of two consecutive Tiger games to air in prime time on national television. Like Chattanooga and Tulane, the Cardinals will feature a pass-catching stud in senior J.R. Russell (75 receptions for 1,213 yards in ‘03). Sixteen starters return from a club that went 9-4 in Bobby Petrino’s first year as head coach, including quarterback Stefan LeFors who is filling the shoes of two former Louisville signal callers now found in the NFL (Chris Redman and Dave Ragone). Memphis put a 37-7 drubbing on the Cardinals last season in Louisville, only the second Tiger victory in the series’ last 11 games. SOUTHERN MISS (Friday, Nov. 12) -- The defending C-USA champs will come to Memphis having won nine of the last 10 Black-and-Blue games. Over the last decade, Memphis has managed as many as 20 points against the Golden Eagles only once (in their 22-17 victory of 2001). This is the longest continually running series on the U of M schedule, the two programs having clashed every year since 1981. Head coach Jeff Bower is entering his 14th season on the Southern Miss sideline. He’s won four C-USA championships and has thrice been named C-USA Coach of the Year. By several measures, Southern Miss remains the model program for Conference USA.

08/30/04		Southern discomfort -- Ole Miss has history on its side, but after last season, are Tigers closing gap on their neighbors? (Commercial Appeal)
		By Zack McMillin Contact August 30, 2004 Depending on the traffic, it should take about 75 minutes for the University of Memphis football team to drive from the Holiday Inn on its campus to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on the campus of the University of Mississippi. As road trips go, it is an easy one, and the Tigers should arrive at Ole Miss on Saturday rested and ready for the season opener. That is, easy if you can ignore more than 80 years of football history. Since the first Rebels-Tigers tango in Oxford, in 1921, the score is Ole Miss 16, Memphis 1 in games played in Oxford -- and only four of those 17 games have been decided by single digit margins. That first game went to Ole Miss, 82-0. The third, in 1935, was 92-0. But, then, nobody had yet heard of DeAngelo Williams or Danny Wimprine or even Tommy West back then. To judge from the preseason excitement among Tiger fans, the modern history of the program is anything from 2003 onward. Talk radio in Memphis has been buzzing all summer long about the game, and even Rebel fans, normally quick to point out that a win over any SEC Western Division team would rate higher on their wish list, are eagerly anticipating the game. They want revenge for Memphis's 44-34 victory over Eli Manning and the Rebels at The Liberty Bowl. The game is a virtual sellout (only standing-room tickets remain), which means it will rank among the largest crowds in the history of the series -- and has a chance to be one of the five largest ever in Oxford. In a series that Ole Miss leads, 42-9-2, has this series finally become an honest-to-goodness college football rivalry? Backyard brawl The second-largest Ole Miss alumni club in the country is in Memphis (Jackson, Miss., ranks first), which means Tiger fans and Rebel fans live next door to one another, work in adjoining cubicles, go to Sunday School together. While it is true that Ole Miss fans most want to win SEC games (and Tiger fans are finally lusting after C-USA wins), those living in Memphis do not want to lose to the Tigers. Sociologists use the term "BIRG" to describe the behavior of sports fans. It's an acronym that stands for, "Basking In Reflected Glory." To say Tiger fans BIRGed excessively last season is not an understatement. "I can't tell you how many times I heard about it this last year," says Ole Miss athletic director Pete Boone. "After Memphis beat us, our Memphis area fans, I'm not sure if they were angry or devastated or what, but they weren't happy. Every time we have a meeting up there or they visit down here, it's brought up." That said, fans of both teams tend to say the series is not filled with the kind of acrimony often associated with the most intense college football rivalries. "To me, the Ole Miss-Memphis game is huge because there are so many people in Memphis that are Ole Miss people," says Gigi Gould, a 1974 Ole Miss graduate and season-ticket holder who works in the development office at St. Mary's Episcopal School. "But as far as I'm concerned, it's a fun kind of rivalry. The LSU rivalry, now, that's more harsh." In part, the mostly good feelings between the two schools go back to the friendship between former Ole Miss coach Johnny Vaught and former Tiger coach Billy "Spook" Murphy. Mostly good feelings. On both sides, there are fans who hold grudges. "(Ole Miss fans) view themselves in their own minds as being so superior to us as a university and football program," says Scott Forman, a U of M graduate who is president of The Highland Hundred, the football team's booster club. "But deep down in their truest heart, they understand there is not much distance between these two programs. "As perennial SEC bottom-dwellers, if they don't have us to kick around, it scares them. "The reason we hate them is they come in here with that holier than thou attitude." Closer than you think Many Ole Miss fans point out that the Rebels have won right at 80 percent of the games in series history, but that's a skewed statistic. In the first 36 games in the series, from 1921-1982, Ole Miss went 31-4-1. It was a one-sided series. Since 1983, Ole Miss is 11-5-1 against the Tigers -- still a big edge, but clearly more competitive. Nine of the last 17 games have been decided by 10 points or less. In the nine games played in Memphis since 1983, the series is tied, 4-4-1. "Last year, I thought their people weren't ho-hum when they came up here," says Tiger coach West. "Their crowd was pretty revved up. I would bet their crowd is pretty revved up when we get there this year. "That's what tells me it's a rivalry." More telling, according to Boone, is the interest in Memphis fans in coming to Oxford this year. Boone says that two years ago, Memphis sent back tickets and sold only around 4,000, total. The Tiger section did have plenty of empty seats. This year, the U of M asked for more tickets, eventually sold 7,000 and Tiger officials say many more fans bought tickets from the Ole Miss ticket office. It would not be surprising to see 10,000 Memphis fans at the game, and an attendance surpassing 60,000. "I think it's becoming more of a rivalry," says Ole Miss coach David Cutcliffe. Steamy rivalry In 41 of the 53 meetings, the teams played in September, when the summer heat and humidity still lingered. In all, Memphis and Ole Miss have opened the season with one another on 32 occasions. Fans and athletic department officials on both sides say the series lost some steam (literally and figuratively) when the game was moved to November from 1992-95 -- and then dropped altogether in 1996-97. "It's always been a traditional opening game," says Boone. Says U of M athletic director R.C. Johnson: "It helps generate football interest in the dog days of summer." It doesn't hurt that when the game opens the season, both teams are undefeated and filled with hope. With a contract through 2011, there is a commitment to keeping the game at the front of the schedule. "Everything is fresh and new and exciting and that's the way it has always led into the Ole Miss game," says Bob Winn, a UofM associate athletic director who was a longtime director of media relations. This year's dynamic is completely fresh for another reason -- both teams are coming off bowl victories. The Tigers went 9-4 last season and won the New Orleans Bowl -- the most successful season since 1963. The Rebels went 10-3 and won the Cotton Bowl for their best season since 1971. With Eli Manning a notable exception, both teams have many of their best players returning. "It makes for a better rivalry when both teams win," Johnson said.

08/29/04		Wimprine arrives as QB -- On a field near his home, he blossomed into Tigers' top arm (Commercial Appeal)
		By PhilStukenborg, Contact August 29, 2004 His numbers weren't particularly inflated or impressive. He attempted 30 passes, completed 16 and amassed a humble, but respectable, 176 yards through the air. Glancing back at the box score from last season's 41-9 University of Memphis victory over Tulane doesn't give an indication of what many regarded as a defining moment in Tiger quarterback Danny Wimprine's record-setting career. But Wimprine, a senior from New Orleans, returned home last October and found more than a throng of high school teammates, family and friends at the Louisiana Superdome. He discovered, during a two-hour domination of the Green Wave, the traits that transformed him from a tough-nosed athlete playing quarterback to a quarterback. Tiger coach Tommy West said it was the game -- the team's eighth of the season and the 25th start of Wimprine's career -- that Wimprine "started competing like a quarterback." "Mentally he threw the ball away," West said. "That was the first game he had a lot of throw-aways. If it wasn't there, he threw it away. "And the couple of times he ran, he got on the ground. He played like a team player, and he looked like a quarterback." When the Tigers open the season-after-the-bowl game Saturday night at Ole Miss, Wimprine will attempt to take the U of M to a place it has never been: back-to-back postseason appearances. A year ago, a bowl game -- after a 32-year drought -- was a possibility. This season, it will be an expectation. Several preseason publications have touted the Tigers, who went 9-4, as a team on the rise. Some have affixed top 25 rankings. It's rare respect for a program that had endured eight straight losing seasons before last year's breakout season, one that ended with a victory over North Texas in the New Orleans Bowl. A seasoned Wimprine is hoping he can lead the program to another successful year, perhaps one ending with a berth in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, a spot earned by leading the Tigers to the Conference USA title. Who's to say he can't? Wimprine has set virtually every U of M passing record during his first three years and holds career marks for touchdown passes (59), pass completions (583) and passing yardage (7,323). He ended last season by being named the most valuable player in the New Orleans Bowl, a game in which he completed 17-of-23 for 254 yards and a touchdown. But Wimprine said it was during his earlier trip to New Orleans that he came of age, impressing West with his poise and decision-making. "He didn't want me to go down and show off and try to make plays myself because all of my family and friends would be there," Wimprine said. "He just wanted me to go out there and distribute the ball the way I'm supposed to and throw the ball away if I need to, which I did. "But the whole team was clicking that day, not just myself. It was fun. I did exactly what he asked me to do. That's something I want to do every game." During a midseason four-game stretch that included the win at Tulane, Wimprine tossed 10 touchdowns and was not intercepted. In those four games -- all Tiger wins -- Memphis outscored its opposition 164-54. Coaches say Wimprine ditched his linebacker-mentality approach to the position, a style that saw Wimprine toss discretion aside on occasion and attempt to take on fleet, physical, 240-pound linebackers instead of sliding safely toward a first down. They also say he has taken on more a leadership role. "He has been a great leader this camp," said Tiger offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner. "He's even been a little more vocal, he's been hustling out to drills, he's been the first one in the meeting room and he got through the summer academically. "I'll bet his whole life is a lot more stable and consistent, too. He is here playing ball, but he has other responsibilities and it is making him more consistent on the field. He is not fighting it any more." Wimprine said playing in an offense that averaged 444.5 yards last season and returns all of its starters should make it unnecessary to do what he did too much of in the past: try to win a game by himself. Wimprine has an all-America candidate, tailback DeAngelo Williams, in the backfield, depth at the receiver spots, a punishing tight end and an experienced line. "If it's not there on first and 10, I need to throw it away," Wimprine said. "With all the guys on our team, it's easy to make a first down on second and 10. I'll just keep taking what (defenses) give me and then, when (the receivers) are open, I'll try to connect." Wimprine said he also wants to work on making the simple throws. He said in previous years he had a tendency to make the deep throw but wouldn't be as consistent on the short stuff. "I might try to throw it too hard or think about it too much and try to put it in the perfect spot," he said. "But I think I've been better." Fichtner was impressed with Wimprine's performance at Monday's scrimmage at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Wimprine completed 12 of his first 14 pass attempts, and the only misfires came on dropped balls. "If he can run this offense and make good decisions, good things will keep happening," Fichtner said. "I tell him he's like a good point guard. You've got to disperse the ball, and you can't have seven turnovers." Wimprine, a redshirt in 2000, has been the team's starting quarterback since midway through the 2001 season, developing into the most prolific passer in school history. "I've have watched him mature into a positive leader," receiver Tavarious Davis said. "And in that Tulane game last year it showed he is totally committed to this (program). He understands he has a role. And if he does it, we'll be successful." -- Phil Stukenborg: 529-2543

08/29/04		U of M at a glance (Commercial Appeal)
		Rewind: The Tigers rewarded their devoted faithful by going 9-4 and playing in the New Orleans Bowl, the program's first post-season trip in 32 years. Memphis had one of the nation's top offenses, a unit averaging 444.5 yards per game, and a top-10 defense. He's the boss: Tommy West, the former Clemson boss hired to replace Rip Scherer in 2001, has gone 21-26 in four seasons, resurrecting a program that had modest success during a span of three decades and leading it to a nine-win season in 2003. It was the program's first nine-win season since 1963. He's the man: DeAngelo Williams is the best running back the program has had, perhaps, in its history. Despite missing parts of his first two seasons with injuries, Williams has made a run at the record book, setting single-season marks for rushing (1,430), rushing attempts (243) and 100-yard games (10). He is the career leader in 100-yard games (14) and needs 523 yards to surpass Dave Casinelli (2,636) as the career rushing leader. Game plan: West has spent the first four years of his Memphis tenure making the Tigers aggressive on offense (by installing the spread and recruiting the players to execute it) and defense (by hiring Joe Lee Dunn). His next phase is to make the Tiger special teams as much a weapon as the offense and defense, a move that West hopes to accelerate with the hiring special teams coach Tyson Helton. Crystal ball: After going 9-4, expectations are high. With an accommodating schedule (tough league games against Louisville and Southern Miss at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium), a veteran offense and a defense anchored by Albert Means, Memphis could go 9-2 and end this season by partying not on Bourbon Street, but Beale. -- Phil Stukenborg

08/29/04		Tigers hold off SMS in soccer (Commercial Appeal)
		On a wet and sloppy field, the University of Memphis men's soccer team only needed an Andy Metcalf second half goal to shut out Southwest Missouri State 1-0 Saturday. In front of 97 die-hard fans at Echles Field, a corner kick by Dayton O'Brien skipped off the head of Justin Dyer. The skipped header then came into the path of Metcalf who knocked the goal into the right side for the game winner in the 64:01 minute. "Nobody was on me," Metcalf said. "I was just hoping I had a chance to manage a great kick." O'Brien, who kicked six corners in the game, praised the implementation of the goal after the game. "It was all around a good execution on the corner," O'Brien said. "It was one straight out of the coaches book." The Tigers nearly took a 2-0 lead off a shot by sophomore Brad Whitsitt. After getting into position with a great look at the goal, Whitsitt nailed the shot but deflected it off the post. The U of M defense held the Bears to six shots with only one in the second half. Memphis had 11 shots in the game. Valpo falls hard North Dakota State opened its first season in NCAA Division 1-AA football with a 52-0 win over Valparaiso before a sellout crowd on Saturday in Fargo, N.D. Kyle Steffes rushed for a career-high 175 yards and four touchdowns for the Bison, who roared to a 38-0 halftime lead in front of 18,665 fans at the Fargodome. Steffes ran for 105 yards in his first seven carries. The sophomore from Dickinson scored his first touchdown three minutes into the game with a 43-yard run on 4th-and-inches. He added scoring runs of 14 and 34 yards in the first half. The Bison pulled quarterback Tony Stauss and several other starters after scoring on their first possession of the second half, a 2-yard run by Steffes that made it 45-0. Stauss completed 8-of-17 passes for 112 yards and two touchdowns, to Travis White and Marques Johnson. Backup quarterback Steve Walker threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Cooper to make it 52-0 early in the fourth quarter. Vols suspend McClure Tennessee tight end Victor McClure has been suspended indefinitely from the team following a domestic dispute with his girlfriend, coach Phillip Fulmer said. It's the second time in the last two months that McClure, a senior starter from Hixson, has run into trouble. The 6-foot-4, 310-pound McClure was not arrested or charged in the incident. The argument between McClure and his girlfriend, Kristina Bennett, drew police to the scene early Wednesday morning when someone in Bennett's neighborhood heard glass breaking and a female screaming, according to a Knoxville Police report. Bennett told police that she and McClure had been drinking when the argument began. McClure then broke out her apartment windows and pushed her into a wall before taking a piece of glass and cutting his wrist, she said. Bennett had a cut lip and blood on her clothing when police arrived, according to the report. She refused medical care and would not allow the crime lab to take pictures. Police said Bennett refused to press charges out of fear that it would lead to problems for McClure on the Vols' football team. "It's a closed case unless she changes her mind and wants to press charges, and at that time, we'll work with her and advise her what to do," said Darrell DeBusk, spokesman for the department. The incident comes two months after McClure was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest after a bizarre incident at the school's student recreation building.

08/28/04		Lady Tigers Open Season With 4-0 Win Over Alabama A&M -- Freshmen Score Three of Four Tiger Goals (GoTigersGo.com)
		Huntsville, Ala. - The Memphis women's soccer team opened up the 2004 season with a 4-0 win over the Alabama A&M Bulldogs on Sunday afternoon on the road. Continuing the trend of the two preseason games, the Lady Tigers received three of their four goals on the afternoon from freshmen. The Tigers, who defeated the Bulldogs last year as well, wasted little time in taking the lead, as freshman Carla Scanniello, who scored two goals in the exhibition season, netted her first goal that counts just 5:37 into the game off an assist from Susannah Dawells. Following an Alabama A&M foul, Dawells took a free kick from about 35 yards out that was mishandled by the Bulldog goalkeeper. Scanniello was there to clean up the mistake and give the Tigers a 1-0 advantage. Scanniello then benefitted from another Alabama A&M mishandle to net her second goal of the game at 27:05. While the Tigers were on the attack, she kicked what was intended to be a crossing pass toward the goal. However, an AAMU defender miskicked it trying to clear it away, giving Scanniello the goal and the Tigers a 2-0 lead. After over 50 minutes of scoreless soccer following Scanniello's second goal, the Tigers added to their lead at the 81:34 mark. Annika Moller dribbled through the defense on a breakaway and unleashed a shot that was saved the AAMU keeper. However, she was unable to gain control of the ball and Madison Cheek put the rebound through the pipes for a 3-0 UM advantage. The Tigers then wrapped up the scoring a little more than two minutes later as another freshman, Caroline Barrett, took a pass from fellow freshman Vicki Greenwell and chipped the ball over the oncoming goalkeeper and into the net. Continuing the theme of newcomers making contributions in the first game of the season, freshman Natalie Haerens earned a shutout in her collegiate debut in goal, making five saves in the effort. The Tigers outshot the Bulldogs 22-5 in the game. "I give the players credit because they won the game," said Memphis coach Brooks Monaghan. "We are happy that we won but we must continue to improve. We will have to play better to compete with Ole Miss." The Lady Tigers will play their second game of the season on Tuesday night at Ole Miss at 7:00 p.m.

08/28/04		SMS Shut Out on Metcalf Goal, 1-0 -- Tigers enter season 2-0 in exhibition play (GoTigersGo.com)
		On a wet and sloppy field, the University of Memphis men's soccer team only needed an Andy Metcalf second half goal to shutout Southwest Missouri State 1-0 Saturday night. In front of 97 die-hard fans at Echles Field, a corner kick by Dayton O'Brien skipped off the head of Justin Dyer. The skipped header then came into the path of Metcalf who knocked the goal into the right side for the game winner in the 64:01 minute. "Nobody was on me," Metcalf said. "I was just hoping I had a chance to manage a great kick." O'Brien, who kicked six corners in the game, praised the implementation of the goal after the game. "It was all around a good execution on the corner," O'Brien said. "It was one straight out of the coaches book." The Tigers nearly took a 2-0 lead off a shot by sophomore Brad Whitsitt. After getting into position with a great look at the goal, Whitsitt nailed the shot but deflected it off the post. The U of M defense held the Bears to six shots with only one in the second half. Memphis had 11 shots in the game. "It was the best defense I've seen played since I've been here," Metcalf said. "It's great to go into the season with these two wins." Memphis head coach Richie Grant also said he was pleased with the Tigers' defense. "The defense was solid," he said. "They had to cope with speed up front. They looked very focused at the back. I really liked the way our players took on the commitment to keep the shutout toward the end of the game." The shutout is the first for the Tigers since blanking UAB on Oct. 8, 2003. Memphis had two shutouts last year. Senior Sebastian Vecchio picked up the win for the Tigers, playing 78:30 minutes after replacing freshman Tyler Strom in the first half due to a bloody nose. Vecchio finished with two saves, while Strom picked up one. "It was a very good preparation game for our season," Grant said. "It had all the quality of a Conference USA game." With the win, Memphis finishes its exhibition schedule 2-0 in preparation for the season opener against Centenary at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, September 3 at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex. The Tigers will host the annual Memphis Diadora Tournament with Western Kentucky and Oral Roberts also competing in the event.

08/28/04		Men's Tennis Kicks Off Season With Fundraiser -- Pro-Am Tournament Draws 20 Doubles Teams (GoTigersGo.com)
		The University of Memphis men's tennis team kicked off its 2004-05 season with its annual Pro-Am fundraiser at the University of Memphis courts, Saturday. The tournament drew 20 doubles teams that competed in a four-round doubles draw. Senior Alex Bucewicz and doubles partner Worth Morgan defeated Tiger junior Alex Jago and his doubles partner, Bob Ridder, in a tiebreaker in the championship match to cap off the afternoon. The Pro-Am is the primary fundraiser for the men's tennis team's travel budget. The Tigers' 2004-05 tournament features 11 nationally-ranked opponents, including nine ranked opponents on the road. Memphis will face No. 5 Ole Miss and No. 16 Vanderbilt on the road and will also travel to Arizona to face three ranked opponents on their home courts. The Tigers' next major activity will be the ITA/Southeast Regional, which will be hosted by the University of Memphis at The Racquet Club of Memphis beginning Oct. 14th and running through Oct. 18th. Mississippi State's Romain Ambert won last year's single crown in that tournament and Georgia's Bo Hodge and John Isner won the doubles crown in Memphis last fall before falling in the NCAA Doubles Championship Finals over the spring. Memphis opens its fall schedule at the Middle Tennessee Classic, beginning Sept. 17th. It was also announced at the Pro-Am that Tiger Head Coach Phil Chamberlain, a Memphis alum, will step down from the head coaching spot in light of his recent promotion to Tournament Director for the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships held each February at The Racquet Club of Memphis. Chamberlain hopes to remain with the program in an administrative support role, but will leave the day-to-day operation of the team and the coaching to five-year assistant Paul Goebel.

08/27/04		Men's Soccer Team to Host Tryouts -- Hopefuls can tryout on Monday, Sept. 6 at the South Campus practice field (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis men's head soccer coach, Richie Grant, has announced soccer tryouts for people interested in becoming members of the Tigers men's soccer team. The tryouts will take place at 4 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 6 at the South Campus soccer practice field. All players interested in trying out must sign up by Friday, Sept. 3 at the front desk of the Athletic Office Building. Players must arrive 45 minutes prior to the tryout time for a physical. A current picture identification card is required. Shin guards are also required and will not be provided. The tryouts will last about an hour and a half.

08/27/04		Tiger DL tackling leadership (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg, Contact August 27, 2004 There is less of Albert Means at the University of Memphis than there’s ever been, but in so many other ways there’s much, much more to him. Means, entering his senior season at defensive tackle, has dropped, according to calculations, about 50 pounds from a year ago, when he was returning from a redshirt year. Means, the former Trezevant High standout, sat out the year to concentrate on academics and regain his eligibility. As Means shed the pounds over the past year — he’s trimmed down to about 325 — he gained a self-confidence that had been absent since transferring from the University of Alabama in 2001, where he had been the unwitting focal point of a recruiting scandal. Shy, reserved and seemingly hesitant to trust many outside his inner-most circle when he arrived at the U of M, Means has blossomed into a team leader with an outgoing personality. "I don’t know if I’ve been prouder of a situation involving a young man," Tiger coach Tommy West said. "He’s gone from someone who wouldn’t look you in the eye to being one of our team leaders." Walking off the practice fields as the Tigers concluded a two-hour workout Thursday, Means attempted to answer questions from a reporter, but had the interview interrupted by a steady tirade of one-liners and trash talk from running back DeAngelo Williams. Means, without missing a beat, fired back at Williams, who was sitting nearby. "I love the big guy," Williams said. So do the Tiger coaches and defenders, who will look to the 6-4 lineman to become the leader of a unit that lost two starting linemen and three linebackers from last season. Means missed the first two weeks of preseason workouts while recovering from a back injury, but is expected to be ready when the Tigers open the season Sept. 4 at Ole Miss. Means participated in the team’s two scrimmages earlier this week, Monday’s 100-plus play workout at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium and a 90-plus play session Wednesday, also at the stadium. "He played good, but he was a little tentative," West said. "He was feeling his way a little bit." Means played 26 snaps in Monday’s scrimmage and had one of the best hits, stopping running back Jamarcus Gaither on a 1-yard run with a tackle that echoed throughout the mostly empty Liberty Bowl. "I had no clue he’d be able to go 26 snaps the first scrimmage," West said. "I was even talking about holding him out. Then he’s out here the next day (at practice) doing up-downs in our (rigorous) Packer drills. " He is just that kind of guy. He couldn’t wait to get back. He really didn’t like being on the sidelines watching his teammates do all the work." Means had been gradually preparing for his preseason camp debut, running and going through limited one-on-one drills. He said he never doubted he’d return to the practice before camp broke. "I knew I was going to get better," Means said. "I wanted to get back, I just had to take my time." While pleased to have Means back, West said the big guy needs the five scheduled practices before the opener. "I don’t think he’s ready to go," West said. "I couldn’t give you a percentage as to where he is, but he’s getting back into shape. He’s probably feeling his way a little bit each day to see how far he can go." "It just takes a little time. You can work out all you want in the summer, but you’ve got to come out in pads and get in what I call playing shape. He’s a little bit behind in that way, then again he’s an older player and he knows what to do." Means said he’s more comfortable as he approaches his senior season because he’s more experienced playing in coordinator Joe Lee Dunn’s defense. "And it’s a great team," Means said. "They say I’m a leader, but there are a lot of leaders on this team as long as everyone does their job." Means will be surrounded by first-year starters, including linemen Marcus West and David McNair and linebackers Carlton Baker, Quinton McCrary and Tim Goodwell. Whether he’s comfortable embracing the title, he’ll play the role of leader. "Big Albert didn’t say a whole lot when he first came here," said defensive back Scott Vogel. "But now he’s the one who gets everybody fired up." — Phil Stukenborg, 529-2543

08/27/04		08/27: Tiger notebook (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg, Contact August 27, 2004 Wimprine receives spot on Unitas list Tiger quarterback Danny Wimprine is one of 22 candidates for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, presented annually to the nation's top senior quarterback by the Frank Camp Chapter of the Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation. Wimprine is one of three Conference USA quarterbacks on the list, joined by Louisville's Stefan LeFors and Cincinnati's Gino Guidugli. The committee will choose five finalists and announce the group Oct. 20. The recipient will be announced Dec. 1 and the award presented Dec. 10 in Louisville. Wimprine led the Tigers to a 9-4 record and a win in the New Orleans Bowl last year. He passed for 3,174 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2003. Handy to miss season Tiger coach Tommy West said Thursday that offensive lineman Andrew Handy, a three-year starter, will likely sit out the season as a redshirt. Handy broke his ankle in last November's win at Louisville and has been slow to recover. West said, "He's not quite ready. I think with the wear and tear of a season, it would just get worse. "He's got a redshirt year, so we're going to hold him. It could be the best thing that's happened to him." Handy, a senior from Miami, played as a true freshman. He has been practicing with the team, but has been noticeably hobbling at times. "When you've got an ankle injury to a guy his size, there's that much more weight pounding on it," West said. "That injury he had can be a long time healing. He needs this year." Weekend schedule set West said the Tigers will go through two workouts today and another Saturday afternoon. "If I get what I want, I'm giving them Sunday and Monday off," he said. "That would give them three days, from 2 o'clock Saturday to 2 o'clock Tuesday; three days off from football." -- Phil Stukenborg, 529-2543

08/26/04		Danny Wimprine One of 22 QBs Competing for Johnny Unitas Award -- Wimprine joins two other C-USA signal callers on the list (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, TENN. - Twenty-two outstanding senior quarterbacks have been selected as candidates for the the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, presented annually to the nation's top senior collegiate quarterback by the Frank Camp Chapter of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation. Included among the elite list of candidates for the award are: Derek Anderson (Oregon State), Brock Berlin (Miami, Fla.), Jason Campbell (Auburn), Timmy Chang (Hawaii), Darian Durant (North Carolina), Charlie Frye (Akron), David Greene (Georgia), Gino Guidugli (Cincinnati), Stan Hill (Marshall), Matt Jones (Arkansas), James Kilian (Tulsa), Stefan Lefors (Louisville), Rasheed Marshall (West Virginia), Zack Mills (Penn State), Craig Ochs (Montana), Dan Orlovsky (Connecticut), Kyle Orton (Purdue), Bryan Randall (Virginia Tech), Chris Rix (Florida State), Andrew Walter (Arizona State), Jason White (Oklahoma), and Danny Wimprine (Memphis). Additional candidates could be added at a later date if their performance dictates inclusion. The nation's top senior quarterback is selected for the award from a list compiled by a select committee of football experts from across the United States. The committee will choose five finalists plus any ties and announce the list on Oct. 20. The 2004 recipient will be announced Dec. 1, with the award presentation to be made in Louisville on December 10 at the Clarion Conference Center. The organization is currently accepting ticket orders for the award dinner (502-485-3331). Tickets are $35 each or tables of eight for $280. The prestigious award bears the name of who many refer to as the finest quarterback to ever play the game of football. Established in 1987, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award has previously honored 14 outstanding young men. USC quarterback Carson Palmer won the award last year. Other past recipients include Don McPherson (Syracuse, 1987), Rodney Peete (USC, 1988), Tony Rice (Notre Dame, 1989), Craig Erickson (Miami, Fla., 1990), Casey Weldon (Florida St., 1991), Gino Torretta (Miami, Fla., 1992), Charlie Ward (Florida St., 1993), Jay Barker (Alabama, 1994), Tommie Frazier (Nebraska, 1995), Danny Wuerffel (Florida, 1996), Payton Manning (Tennessee, 1997), Cade McNown (UCLA, 1998), Chris Redman (Louisville, 1999), Chris Weinke (Florida State, 2000), David Carr (Fresno State, 2001), and Carson Palmer (USC, 2002). In addition to honoring a player with the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, the Frank Camp Chapter of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation has awarded more than $500,000 in scholarships to deserving scholar athletes from area high schools. The organization was formerly associated with the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. The Transamerica Insurance and Investment Group, a leading provider of innovative business and personal financial services, is a major corporate sponsor for the award and organization as well as Southwest Airlines, the official airline for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation. Insight Communications, the eighth-largest cable operator in the United States serving Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and Ohio, is an active sponsor and will televise the event. The namesake of the award has a storied history which has earned him the recognition of being the greatest quarterback to ever play in the NFL. An 18-year veteran of the NFL, Unitas played his collegiate career at the University of Louisville (1951-54), passing for 3,007 yards and 27 touchdowns. Unitas, who wore number 19 as a professional, had his No. 16 collegiate uniform retired at Louisville, the lone number retired by the Cardinals. He began his 18-year pro career with the Baltimore Colts in 1956 and played there until joining the San Diego Chargers for his final season. His career passing figures are mind boggling. He completed 2,830 of 5,186 passes for 40,239 yards and 290 touchdowns during his 18-year NFL career. Among his many records is one that may stand forever, throwing a touchdown pass in 47 consecutive games. Unitas was selected as the top quarterback of all-time by the Pro Football Hall of Fame 36-member selection committee. In commemorating the NFL's 25th, 50th and 75th anniversaries, he was also honored as the greatest quarterback of all time. A Pro Bowl participant 10 times and a three-time Most Valuable Player honoree, Unitas was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 1979. In turn of the century listings, Unitas was featured among Sports Illustrated's top ten athletes, Time's ten most influential athletes and in ESPN's series on the 50 greatest athletes of the century. 2004 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Candidates Player School 2003 Statistics Derek Anderson Oregon State 261-510 passes, 4,058 yds., 24 TDs Brock Berlin Miami (Fla.) 211-352 passes, 2,419 yds., 12 TDs Jason Campbell Auburn 181-293 passes, 2,267 yds., 10 TDs Timmy Chang Hawaii 353-601 passes, 4,199 yds., 29 TDs Darian Durant North Carolina 234-389 passes, 2,551 yds., 18 TDs Charlie Frye Akron 273-421 passes, 3,549 yds., 22 TDs David Greene Georgia 264-438 passes, 3,307 yds., 13 TDs Gino Guidugli Cincinnati 227-425 passes, 2,704 yds., 14 TDs Stan Hill Marshall 133-191 passes, 1,767 yds., 15 TDs Matt Jones Arkansas 132-230 passes, 1,917 yds., 8 TDs James Kilian Tulsa 188-331 passes, 2,217 yds., 22 TDs Stefan Lefors Louisville 219-357 passes, 3,145 yds., 17 TDs Rasheed Marshall West Virginia 109-215 passes, 1,729 yds., 15 TDs Zack Mills Penn State 136-251 passes, 1,404 yds., 6 TDs Craig Ochs Montana 121-204 passes, 1,612 yds., 9 TDs Dan Orlovsky Connecticut 279-475 passes, 3,485 yds., 33 TDs Kyle Orton Purdue 251-414 passes, 2,885 yds., 15 TDs Bryan Randall Virginia Tech 150-245 passes, 1,996 yds., 15 TDs Chris Rix Florida State 216-382 passes, 3,107 yds., 23 TDs Andrew Walter Arizona State 221-421 passes, 3,044 yds., 24 TDs Jason White Oklahoma 278-451 passes, 3,846 yds., 40 TDs Danny Wimprine Memphis 246-440 passes, 3,174 yds., 22 TDs

08/26/04		Lady Tiger Soccer Opens Season With a Pair of Road Contests -- Memphis Faces Alabama A&M and Ole Miss Next Week (GoTigersGo.com)
		Lady Tiger Soccer Opens Season with Pair of Road Contests Sunday, August 29 - at Alabama A&M, 2:00 p.m. A&M Soccer Complex (700), Normal, Ala. Tuesday, August 31 - at Ole Miss, 7:00 p.m. Ole Miss Soccer Stadium (1,500), Oxford, Miss. This Week: The Lady Tigers open the season with two road games against a pair of opponents that they played last year. They will play at Alabama A&M on Sunday and then travel to Oxford, Miss. to take on Ole Miss on the same date that the two teams played last season, also in Oxford. Looking Ahead: Memphis opens its home schedule with a game against Middle Tennessee State on Sunday, September 5 at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex at 1:00 p.m. That will be the first of three straight games they will play against in-state competition, the next of which comes on Wednesday, September 8 at Tennessee-Martin. The busy week will be wrapped up by a home contest against Tennessee Tech on Friday, September 10 at 8:00 p.m. That game will be part of a men's/women's doubleheader, with the Memphis men's soccer team playing Western Kentucky at 6:00 p.m. prior to the women's game. Scouting Alabama A&M: The Bulldogs are coming off a 2003 season in which they went 9-12-1. However they went 4-0 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), finished in first place, and also won the inaugural SWAC tournament championship last year. Alabama A&M is beginning just its fifth season of varsity soccer, as the program was started in 2000. Despite their overall record of under .500, the Bulldogs did finish their home slate of games last year with an over-.500 mark of 5-3. The Bulldogs did suffer some losses from last year's team, as they lost seven starters, including their top five scorers. The leading returning scorer is Samara Jankes, who scored three goals for six points in 2003. The Bulldogs have just two seniors on this year's roster. Scouting Ole Miss: The Rebels went 15-6-2 a year ago and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. They went 4-3-2 in Southeastern Conference play, 1-1 in the SEC Tournament, and put up an impressive 9-2-2 mark at home, including a 7-0 win over Memphis. Ole Miss defeated Texas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to conference rival Florida in double overtime in the second round. Ole Miss returns seven starters, including their top three points scorers and four of their top five goal scorers from 2003. Kristal Menard (22 pts.) and Karen Hall (19) each scored seven goals while Brittney Potts (18) and Ashley Ferree (14) each had six. Ten players that scored at least one goal and 11 players that recorded at least one assist return. The Coaches: Brooks Monaghan (Memphis, 1994) is in his fifth year as head coach of the Lady Tigers. He holds a career record of 28-44-5 during his time with the Tigers. Prior to becoming the head coach, he served as the goalkeepers coach for the Lady Tigers from 1996-99. He has been a part of the Lady Tiger program for all but one year of its existence, that being the first year of the program in 1995. Under his guidance in his first year as goalkeepers coach, the team's gaa dropped by nearly an entire goal, from 2.74 to 1.77. Monaghan is the all-time leader in shutouts (24) and goals against average (1.40) for the Memphis men's soccer program, which he played for from 1992-94. Frank Davies (Alabama-Huntsville, 1989) is in his fifth year at Alabama A&M, as he has been the only coach in the program's brief history. He has a career record of 34-73-3 in six total seasons and a mark of 19-53-2 in his four years at AAMU. He led the Bulldogs to the inaugural SWAC championship last season. Steve Holeman (Wake Forest, 1990) is in his 10th year as head coach at Ole Miss and his 11th season of coaching overall, having also spent a single season as head coach at Auburn after beginning that program before beginning the women's soccer program at Ole Miss. The only coach in the 10-year history of the Rebel program, he holds a career record of 107-79-12 and a 100-73-9 mark in his time at Ole Miss. He has led the Rebels to eight straight seasons with a .500 record or better and has guided them to two straight SEC West championships as well as two straight NCAA Tournament appearances. UM All-Time vs. Alabama A&M: Memphis holds a 1-0 all-time record against Alabama A&M, defeating the Bulldogs 5-1 last season on October 10. Yuiko Konno scored two goals while Nicky McLeod had a goal and an assist. Madison Cheek had a goal and recorded two assists while Annika Moller tied a conference record by recording three assists. UM All-Time vs. Ole Miss: The Tigers hold a 1-5-1 all-time mark against Ole Miss. The teams played every year from 1995-99 and again in 2001 and 2003. Memphis's lone victory in the series came in 2001, a 1-0 triumph in Memphis. Last season, exactly one year ago on August 31, the Rebels topped the Tigers 7-0 in Oxford, which was one of only two losses on the year for the Tigers by more than one goal. UM vs. the SWAC: Memphis holds a 1-0 all-time record against teams from the Southwestern Athletic Conference, the only meeting being with Alabama A&M last year, a 5-1 Tiger victory. UM vs. the SEC: The Tigers have a 5-18-3 all-time mark against teams from the Southeastern Conference. Three of those wins have come against Mississippi State, a team the Tigers will play later this year, while one has come against Ole Miss and the other against Tennessee. UM's last win over an SEC school came in 2002, a 3-2 overtime win against Mississippi State. The Lady Tigers have played at least one SEC school every year since the program's inception in 1995. Redshirts Return: In addition to the seven true freshmen and one transfer that are new to the Lady Tiger roster this year, two freshmen that redshirted last year with injuries return to action this year, making for a total of 10 new players. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Isabel Briones will battle true freshman Natalie Haerens for the starting position between the pipes while redshirt freshman forward Candace Halvorson will provide depth up front. Both Briones and Halvorson sustained knee injuries last summer, forcing them to redshirt. All-C-USA Honorees Return: The Tigers return two All-Conference players from last year. Those same two players also were named to this year's preseason All-C-USA team. Yuiko Konno tied for the league lead in goals with 12 and also led the conference in points per game and goals per game while Nicky McLeod started all 18 games and scored two goals on four assists while anchoring the Tiger midfield. Exhibition Games: The Tigers played two exhibition games in preparation for the regular season. On August 17, Memphis defeated the women's soccer alumni team 6-2. Sophomore Madison Cheek scored two goals while senior Susannah Dawells had one. A trio of freshmen, Vicki Greenwell, Carla Scanniello, and Candace Halvorson also added one goal apiece. All six goals for the Tigers were scored in the first half. On August 20, the Tigers traveled to Cape Girardeau, Mo. to take on Southeast Missouri State. After trailing 1-0 at halftime, Memphis rallied for three second-half goals to turn the deficit into an 3-1 victory. Once again, it was a trio of freshmen that provided the offense. Greenwell and Scanniello added their second tallies of the preseason while Caroline Barrett added the other goal. Barrett and Scanniello each assisted on each other's goals while Annika Moller also added an assist. Home, Sweet Home: This season will see a bit of a change as far as playing facilities go, as the Tigers will play all of their home games at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex after only playing conference games there the past two years. Throughout the history of the program, the Lady Tigers have a substantially better record at home than on the road. UM is 43-39-5 all-time at home but only 17-61-3 on the road. On neutral fields, the Tigers are 2-4-1, but have played just one match on a neutral field since 1997. Drawing First Blood: The Lady Tigers were more successful last year when they scored first. Out of their 18 games, they scored first in eight of them, while their opponent drew first blood in nine of them. In the eight games in which they scored first, they went 4-2-2 but only went 1-8-0 when their opponent scored first. The Tigers won their last three games in which they scored first. Leading at Halftime is Better: The Tigers led at halftime in just four games last year but not surprisingly, they went 4-0-0 in those such games. When trailing at the half, their record was an opposite 0-4-0. When tied at the half, they went just 1-6-3. The Tigers have won seven straight games when leading at the half dating back to 2002. Youth and Experience Mix: The makeup of this season's team should make for a smooth transition to the future, not to mention what the Lady Tigers hope will be a successful year this season. This year's edition of the Tigers has seven seniors and four juniors, which make up the core of the team. However, there are also nine freshmen on the team, made up of seven newcomers and two redshirt freshmen, that will provide depth and should battle for playing time with the veterans. Foreign Presence: This year's team will have a diverse ethnic makeup as nearly half (40 percent) of the team is made up of foreign players. The Tigers have six natives of England, one native of Sweden, two players from Japan, and one from Canada, in addition to the 15 players from the U.S. In addition to the foreign presence, the Tigers also have representatives from 12 different states on the team. Each of those 12 states has only one representative except for Tennessee, which has four natives on the Tigers. For Starters: The Tigers are 3-6 all-time in season openers. They lost their first three season openers from 1995-97, then won two straight from 1998-99 before losing in 2000 and 2001. After winning once again in 2002, they dropped the season opener to Mississippi State last year. Recruits Ranked by Soccer Buzz: This year's freshman class has been ranked the 23rd best recruiting class in the Central Region by Soccer Buzz. This is the second straight year that the Lady Tiger recruiting class has been ranked in the regional rankings by the online publication, as last season's freshman class was ranked 11th in the region and was also in the upper half of the national top 100 classes, coming in at 46. Memphis's freshman class is the second-highest rated class in Conference USA in the Central Region, coming in just behind Houston, which came in 22nd. Captains Named: Head coach Brooks Monaghan has named seniors Susannah Dawells and Mary Shelton co-captains for the 2004 season. Dawells has started 26 of the 51 games she has appeared in during her three years at Memphis while recording five career assists from her midfield position. Shelton is entering her third season as a captain, having been named one prior to the 2002 season. She has been a model of consistency during her three years at Memphis, as she has started 55 of 56 career games. She has scored four career goals from her defender position and will anchor what is expected to be a strong defensive backfield for the Tigers this year.

08/26/04		Tigers put workouts behind as camp ends -- West likes what he sees and sets sights on season opener against Ole Miss (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg, Contact August 26, 2004 It was something that Tommy West had never done in his coaching career. Not at Chattanooga. Not at Clemson. Not at Memphis. But West, in his fourth season at the University of Memphis, said he had no other option. His team needed the work. So he sent the Tigers through multiple scrimmages during preseason camp, which broke Wednesday with, yes, another scrimmage. Wednesday's late-afternoon workout at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium was about a 90-play affair that had West offering more favorable reviews of a team entering the season with high expectations. The Tigers, who open the season Sept. 4 at Ole Miss, went 9-4 last year and to their first bowl game in 32 years. While it was, perhaps, the best scrimmage since camp opened Aug. 10, it had an ominous beginning. ''We started the first two plays with a drop and a penalty,'' said West, referring to a dropped pass by Tavares Gideon and an offsides penalty. ''But then after that it got a lot better and I think we're ready to break camp and go to work on Ole Miss.'' There were several solid performances. Backup running back Jamarcus Gaither, working with the No. 1 offense while West rested standout running back DeAngelo Williams, rushed five times for 60 yards. Among his carries was a 30-yard touchdown run that saw Gaither nearly ramble from sideline to sideline before he dove into the right corner of the end zone. Gideon, despite the early drop, had several tough catches with defenders on his back. He scored late in the scrimmage on a 22-yard pass from backup quarterback Bobby Robison. Gideon finished with six catches for 69 yards and was impressive for the second straight scrimmage. And Robison completed 9-of-19 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns. In addition to finding Gideon, he hooked up with Maurice Avery early in the workout for a 25-yard touchdown pass. Also, Stephen Gostkowski, who missed three field goals in Monday's scrimmage, connected on four-of-four field goals, including kicks of 42, 42 and 43 yards. ''Right now we are a good team, we've got good players,'' West said. ''If we don't make mistakes, we'll be hard to beat. We still have a lot of little things to do. ''We have scrimmaged five of the past seven days, pretty substantial scrimmages, and I've never done that before. But now I feel like we're where we need to be. I feel like we're caught up.'' West said he made a decision at lunch Wednesday to sit Williams, the reigning Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year. It gave him a chance to get extended looks at Gaither, the redshirt freshman and former Frayser High standout, Doss, a freshman from Melrose, and fullback Robert Douglas, the converted linebacker who ran with power during situations when the offense started from its 2-yard line. ''(Williams) didn't run like himself early (in camp), but the last two scrimmages he has been really good,'' said West, who saw no need to risk injury. ''I want to carry him on the bus to Ole Miss and make sure he's healthy. ''And I really wanted to look at Gaither and Doss and I wanted to look at Robert Douglas at running back some. The only way we were going to do it was to take (Williams) out of the mix. I liked what I saw. Gaither made a run at the end, I thought Doss did some things, and Robert Douglas gave us some power.'' Gaither had an impressive 12-yard TD run late during Monday's scrimmage, spinning away from a would-be tackler inside the 5-yard line. ''I've worked hard this camp to keep my mind right,'' Gaither said. ''I hope the coaches realize I did everything I could.'' When West told his players that preseason camp had concluded with the scrimmage, cheers rang out. ''I told him (the scrimmage) was good enough for me to break camp,'' West said. ''They're glad to be out of this camp. "It's been a hard camp for us. Again, when you scrimmage five out of seven days that's a lot of hitting.'' -- Phil Stukenborg: 529-2358

08/26/04		08/26: Tiger notebook (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg, Contact August 26, 2004 Center still in running for prestigious national award University of Memphis center Gene Frederic has made the first cut. Named to the Dave Rimington Award pre-season watch list in March, Frederic also appears on the updated watch list that was released Wednesday. The Rimington Award is presented annually to the nation's top center. A revised list will be updated throughout the season. Frederic, a senior from St. Louis, is one of 37 remaining on the list, a group that includes one other Conference USA player -- TCU's Chase Johnson -- along with Tennessee's Jason Respert and Ole Miss's Chris Spencer. Frederic started 13 games for the Tigers last season and played 943 of a possible 1,000 snaps. Setting travel plans The Tigers C-USA opponents for 2005 and '06 are set. When the league breaks into two six-team divisions beginning in 2005, the Tigers will play home games against East Carolina, Marshall, UAB and UTEP and away games against Houston, Southern Miss, Tulsa and Central Florida. The Tigers will play the same league opponents in '06, but flip the sites. Memphis will be in the East Division with ECU, Marshall, Southern Miss, UAB and Central Florida. The West Division features Houston, Rice, SMU, Tulane, Tulsa and UTEP. Tiger athletic director R.C. Johnson confirmed last week that the U of M's crossover opponents for 2005 and '06 will be Houston, Tulsa and UTEP. Making strides Tiger backup quarterback Bobby Robison "has been a pleasant" surprise this camp, according to offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner. Fichtner said Robison, a senior lefthander, "has improved a bunch and is as capable of running this football team as he's ever been." Robison, who is 6-4, appeared in five games last season and completed 11-of-21 passes for 130 yards. Briefly Receiver Chris Kelley, who sprained his left foot in Monday's scrimmage at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, did not participate in Wednesday's scrimmage at the stadium. Kelley's injury is not considered serious. ... Defensive back Scott Vogel and offensive lineman WIllie Henderson sat out Wednesday's scrimmage. Vogel was dehydrated from the morning's practice, while Henderson has a hamstring injury. -- Phil Stukenborg: 529-2543

08/26/04		University of Memphis notebook (basketball, baseball, tennis) (Commercial Appeal)
		By Gary Parrish, Contact August 26, 2004 Walk of Fame in the works The University of Memphis basketball program has an undeniably storied past. From Final Fours to all-Americans, there's a lot of history to be displayed. Only problem is, it's never really been displayed, not in a way where people can walk into a building and see it. There are plans to change this, however. The Rebounders are holding the John Calipari Golf Classic next month, with all proceeds going to a "Walk of Fame" that will be built in the Finch Center. "There's a lot of history, and we need to show it and be proud of it, not keep it locked in a closet somewhere," Calipari said. The Finch Center will soon feature display cases with prominent memorabilia, from the 1973 and 1985 Final Four trophies to the 2002 NIT Championship hardware. Pictures of Tiger greats will also be on display. "We're always looking at all sports, but with football and basketball we're really trying to maintain every little edge we can come up with," said U of M athletic director R.C. Johnson. "This 'Walk of Fame' is something that we think will continue to do that.'' The John Calipari Golf Classic is scheduled for Sept. 21 at The Club at North Creek in Southaven. The $150 registration fee includes 18 holes with a cart, on-course beverages, dinner and opportunities to win prizes. Anybody registered by Tuesday will receive a $10 discount. For more information contact the Rebounders, or the Tiger basketball office at 678-2346. Baseball instruction For years the knock on the Tiger baseball program has been that it didn't make signing local talent a priority. First-year coach Daron Shoenrock has promised to change that perception, if not reality. An obvious attempt is this week's announcement that the U of M will hold a fall instructional league for high school players. "This is a great opportunity for the high school players in Memphis and the surrounding areas to come out and get to know me and my staff in an instructional environment," Shoenrock said. The league starts Sept. 7 and runs through Oct. 5 at Nat Buring Stadium on campus. The cost is $150 per participant. For more information call the Tiger baseball office at 678-2452. Tennis honor Former Tiger tennis player Lee Taylor Walker will be in New York this weekend to receive his Intercollegiate Tennis Association award as part of the U.S. Open festivities. Walker was the men's 2004 national recipient of the ITA/Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award and graduated with his bachelor's degree from Memphis earlier this month. M Club inductions Eight former Tiger athletes will be inducted into the M Club Hall of Fame next month, among them former basketball standout Bobby Parks. Joining Parks is fellow basketball player Mackie Don Smith, football players Greg Montgomery, Larry McGhee, John Griffin and Bill Crumby, Lady Tiger basketball player Wanda Simpson-Jones and trainer Linda Arnold. Dr. Steve Ballard, a former basketball player, will be given the Billy J. Murphy award. Local businessman Willard Sparks will get the Dr. Cecil C. Humphrey Golden Tiger award. Bettie McGan King, who has been attending Memphis games since 1946, will receive the Ralph Hatley Silver M award. The ceremony is Sept. 10 at the Holiday Inn on campus. -- Gary Parrish: 529-2365

08/25/04		Tiger Football Camp 2004 -- Coach Tommy West takes his squad to the Liberty Bowl for scrimmage (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, TENN. - The Tiger Football team had an early morning workout in shoulder pads and shorts at the Murphy Athletic Complex, and used the afternoon slot to scrimmage at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. The Tigers scrimmaged for about 80 plays, picking up three touchdowns and four field goals in the nearly two-hour workout. Senior QB Bobby Robison completed nine of 19 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns. He reached Maurice Avery on the second series of the day on a 26-yard pass for a score, and later threw a 22-yard pass to Tavares Gideon. Danny Wimprine was 8-of-14 for 58 yards in three series of work. His long was a 24-yard pass to Tavarious Davis. QB Patrick Byrne had the long pass of the day with a 35-yard completion to newcomer Antonio McCoy. Byrne was 2-of-7 for 54 yard. Gideon led the receiving corps with six receptions for 69 yards and one touchdown. Darron White registered two catches for 37 yards, including receptions of 19 yards and 18 yards from Robison. None of the passes were picked off today, but the defense did manage three fumble recoveries. Tim Goodwell, Haratio Colen and Quinton McCrary all picked up the loose balls. Jamarcus Gaither led the ground attack with 60 yards on three carries. His longest run was a 30-yard touchdown late in the scrimmage. Joseph Doss totaled 26 yards on nine carries and Robert Douglas tallied 32 yards on eight carries. Kicker Stephen Gostkowski was 4-for-4 in field goals, scoring from 42, 42, 43 and 38 yards. The Tigers return to the field on Thursday at 11 a.m. for a single practice. Camp is nearly complete, and fans will have the opportunity to meet their Tigers on Saturday from 3-5 p.m. at South Campus. The players and coaches will be available for autographs and photos. The event is free and open to the public.

08/25/04		Lee Taylor Walker to Receive ITA Award as Part of U.S. Open Tennis Festivities -- August 2004 graduate will then embark on professional tennis career in September (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Former University of Memphis men's tennis player Lee Taylor Walker (Jackson, Tenn./University School of Jackson) will fly to New York this weekend to receive his Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) award as part of the U.S. Open tennis festivities. Walker was the men's 2004 national recipient of the ITA/Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award and graduated with his bachelor's degree from the University of Memphis on August 14th. Oregon's Courtney Nagle is the women's ITA/Arthur Ashe recipient. Both Walker and Nagle will attend the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy/ITA Collegiate All-Star Outing and Awards Luncheon on Friday at the historic West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, New York. There, Walker will have a chance to play some tennis following an All-Star Breakfast. Also playing tennis that afternoon will be the 21st edition of the ITA Collegiate All-Star Team, which includes the nation's top-ranked men's and women's tennis players at the NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and NJCAA levels, as well as champions from the 2003 ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships and 2004 NCAA Championships. On Sunday, Walker will again be honored, this time at the special Arthur Ashe luncheon hosted by the Honorable & Mrs. Dinkins at the USTA Indoor Hospitality Area at the National Tennis Center. David N. Dinkins was the 106th Mayor of the City of New York, starting in 1989 and serving a four-year term, and the first African American mayor of the city. He is currently a professor at Columbia University. Walker will speak briefly to the attendees at the luncheon, which will also feature Jeanne Ashe, widow of tennis star Arthur Ashe, and the 10 students from around the country who were winners of the Arthur Ashe Essay Contest. The U.S. Open also hosts a day of children's festivities in memory of Arthur Ashe. This year's Arthur Ashe Kids Day will be held on Aug. 28th. Walker capped his three-year Tiger career with a 54-43 singles record at Memphis after transferring from Clemson following his freshman year. He was the No. 94 ranked singles player in the country following his senior season, which also saw him become the program's first-ever First Team Conference USA honoree. He teamed with Ben Stapp to become the first-ever Tiger doubles team to earn a national ranking, ranking as high as No. 12 in the country before Stapp graduated. Walker teamed with freshman James Spence the past season, also helping a team that featured five newcomers make its first-ever appearance in the Conference USA Semifinals. After Walker returns from New York, he will continue to practice before departing for California on Sept. 9th to begin his professional tennis career. There, he plans on spending a month playing in four Futures events, hoping to start earning ATP points that would get him into Challenger tournaments and off the $10,000 prize money Futures Circuit. Following California, Walker plans on playing in Texas and then in Baton Rouge before returning to Memphis. One of the driving forces behind the Fellowship for Christian Athletes (FCA) chapter being resurrected on the University of Memphis campus, Walker is helping the FCA set up volunteer opportunities for Tiger student-athletes working with STREETS Ministry beginning this fall. STREETS Ministry is a Christian ministry dedicated to serving the core needs of the people who call the inner city of Memphis home. It has a 10,000 square foot outreach center strategically located in America's third-poorest zip code, 38126. Walker plans on continuing to work with the campus chapter of FCA when he returns to Memphis to train, hoping to earn additional wild-cards into tournaments here in the U.S. In addition to his FCA work, Walker has also volunteered with St. Jude Children's Hospital and was an ITA Scholar Athlete for the past two seasons. Lee Taylor is the son of Danny and Susie Walker of Jackson, Tenn.

08/25/04		Gene Frederic Named to Rimington Trophy Watch List -- Senior center listed among nation's best centers (GoTigersGo.com)
		DALLAS, TX - The Dave Rimington Trophy today released their updated watch list of top collegiate centers for the 2004 season. The pre-season watch list was released in March prior to Spring football. The revised watch list will be updated throughout the season in the weekly Rimington Reports. Awarded annually to the best center in the country, the Dave Rimington Trophy enters the 2004 season with a strong field of potential stand-out centers. "College football season is about anticipation and execution. We are looking forward to tracking our watch list candidates as the season progresses. Each season we look to highlight the top centers in the country through our watch list as well as the weekly Rimington Reports and in 2004 we feel that we have a very exciting group of young men," said Dave Rimington. The Rimington Trophy recipient is determined by a consensus of the four All-America teams: The Walter Camp Football Foundation, America Football Coaches Association, Football Writers Association of America, and "The Sporting News." The five-year old trophy (Virginia Tech's Jake Grove, Miami's Brett Romberg, Ohio State's LeCharles Bentley, and Nebraska's Dominic Raiola are past recipients) is presented by Canon, USA and Black & Decker. The award is hosted by the Boomer Esiason Foundation. Esiason, created his foundation in 1993 to support research and treatment of cystic fibrosis. Esiason and Dave Rimington were teammates on the Cincinnati Bengals from 1984-87. Rimington, the award's namesake, was a consensus first team All-America center at Nebraska in 1981 and '82 - years in which he became the John Outland Trophy's only double winner as the nation's premiere college interior lineman. The Sports Group also developed and directs the Heisman Winners Association (HWA), a limited liability company, which focuses marketing attention and opportunities on the Heisman winners as a collective group. TSG also currently works with and has worked with the John Wooden Award, the Senior CLASS Award, and the Driver of the Year Award as well as a variety of other professional and amateur organizations and companies. For more information contact Elon Werner, TSG Director of Communications, 214-631-7747 or 214-244-1184 (mobile). 2004 Rimington Trophy Watch List Jim Borrieci Akron Senior 6'3" 302 lbs. Andy Brewster North Texas Senior 6'2" 275 lbs. Matt Brock Oregon State Senior 6'2" 301 lbs. Jason Brown North Carolina Senior 6'3" 308 lbs. Vince Carter Oklahoma Senior 6'3" 277 lbs. David Castillo Florida State Junior 6'2" 301 lbs. Ryan Cook New Mexico Junior 6'7" 339 lbs. Mike Degory Florida Junior 6'5" 314 lbs. Greg Eslinger Minnesota Junior 6'3" 280 lbs. Keoki Fraser Arizona Senior 6'3" 295 lbs. Gene Frederic Memphis Senior 6'4" 292 lbs. Jason Glynn Texas Senior 6'2" 275 lbs. Geoff Hangartner Texas A&M Senior 6'5" 303 lbs. Jasper Harvey San Diego State Junior 6'3" 300 lbs. Jeremy Hines West Virginia Sophomore 6'2" 285 lbs. Richie Icognito Nebraska Junior 6'3" 290 lbs. Billy Irwin Connecticut Senior 6'2" 281 lbs. Chase Johnson TCU Senior 6'3" 310 lbs. Todd Londot Miami (Ohio) Junior 6'5" 305 lbs. Nick Mangold Ohio State Junior 6'4" 280 lbs. Mike McCloskey UCLA Junior 6'5" 285 lbs. Chris Morris Michigan State Junior 6'4" 291 lbs. Scott Mruczkowsi Bowling Green Senior 6'4" 315 lbs. Jed Paulsen North Carolina State Senior 6'2" 290 lbs. Marvin Philip California Junior 6'2" 285 lbs. Donovan Raiola Wisconsin Junior 6'3" 290 lbs. Jason Respert Tennessee Senior 6'3" 305 lbs. Joel Rodriguez Miami Senior 6'3" 289 lbs. Pat Ross Boston College Junior 6'4" 294 lbs. Kyle Schmitt Maryland Senior 6'5" 300 lbs. Chris Spencer Mississippi Junior 6'4" 310 lbs. John Strickland South Carolina Senior 6'4" 300 lbs. Russ Tanner Georgia Junior 6'4" 290 lbs. Joe Vaughn Kansas Senior 6'1" 290 lbs. Ben Wilkerson LSU Senior 6'4" 300 lbs. Zac Yarbrough Virginia Senior 6'4" 275 lbs. Kyle Young Fresno State Sophomore 6'5" 320 lbs.

08/25/04		'D' scheme suits linebacker's motor (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact August 25, 2004 He has spent the past two weeks reacclimating himself to Joe Lee Dunn's defense, an exercise that began last spring when linebacker Carlton Baker joined the University of Memphis program from Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College. It's been a crash course --- literally and physically -- but one that Baker has enjoyed. "I like the whole concept of the whole defense," Baker said. "I like the fact that I'm always moving. "I think that gives me an edge over a lot of people. I like everything about this defense." Enthusiasm is not in short supply when it comes to Baker, who is expected to start at one of the three linebacker spots when the Tigers open the season Sept. 4 at Ole Miss. Baker, 6-2 and 232 pounds, is a talkative sort not known for keeping his emotions and feelings to himself. At the end of one of the team's spring workouts, Baker asked Tiger coach Tommy West if he could speak to the team. Baker, who originally signed with Arkansas out of high school, told his new teammates that it was the best spring practice he had been involved in and that they were "best group of guys" he'd been around. The Tiger coaches are hoping his outgoing personality translates into him having as much fun on the field. Memphis is counting on Baker to become a significant contributor on a linebacker corps that lost its three starters from a year ago. Will Hyden, Coot Terry and Greg Harper finished their careers, leaving openings at each position. When Baker signed, West called him someone who "gives you some size and who'll run and hit you." So far, Baker has done just that in the multiple scrimmages West has conducted. "I haven't played in a defense like this since high school, honestly," said Baker, who attended Belle Glades (Fla.) Central. "My junior year in high school I played at outside linebacker and it was just like this defense. We were always moving around." At Belle Glades, Baker set the school record for tackles for lost yardage. He finished his career with more than 400 tackles. Baker spent a year at Arkansas before transferring to Alabama State in Montgomery and eventually matriculating to Hutchinson. "After high school, every defense I've played in has been sit back and read," Baker said. "That's OK, but I prefer to be in something like this. "That's the reason I chose Memphis over North Carolina: the defense and the coaches. I'm able to blitz, move around a lot and make plays." Baker has had several key plays during scrimmages. At Monday's workout at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, he helped stop a potential touchdown-scoring drive by the No. 2 offense with a sack of quarterback Bobby Robison. The offense had moved from its 45 to the defense's 18 before Baker's sack moved the ball back to the 26. The 8-yard loss took the offense out of the red zone, and it had to settle for a 34-yard field goal. In the team's first scrimmage Aug. 18, Baker led the defense with seven tackles and also shared in a sack. "Carlton is probably more physical than any of the guys we've had at linebacker," Dunn said. "And he can run." Dunn said his chief concern is Baker's lack of playing time. Not only has he yet to play in a Division 1-A game, but his time was limited last year in junior college because of a dislocated elbow. -- Phil Stukenborg: 529-2543

08/25/04		Tiger Notebook (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact August 25, 2004 The University of Memphis football team will play host to its annual Fan Day from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Murphy Athletic Complex. Tiger players and coaches will be available to sign autographs and mingle with fans. Refreshments will be served, and there will be games for children. Memphis, coming off a 9-4 season and its first postseason trip in 32 years, opens its season Sept. 4 at Ole Miss. Injury update The Tigers went through an afternoon practice Tuesday, working through intermittent rain showers that eventually yielded to sunshine. Senior receiver Chris Kelley, having a solid preseason camp, was held out of Tuesday's practice with a sprained left foot on which he wore a protective boot . Homecoming for Hill Senior Shaka Hill, who came to the Tigers in 2000 as a highly recruited fullback from Goodpasture High in Nashville, has returned to the position. Hill has been working at fullback during the preseason and had several punishing runs in Monday's scrimmage. Hill (6-3, 250) moved to linebacker in 2001 and and started four games at inside linebacker in 2002. In 2003, he was moved to defensive end. DeAngelo on CBS list Tiger running back DeAngelo Williams, a favorite of the CBS Sportsline Web site, is on the site's Heisman Trophy watch list. Williams, the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year in 2003, is on a list of 20 Heisman Hopefuls.

08/24/04		Cooling Kicks Game-Winner in 2-1 Victory Over CBU -- Scoreless Game Broken Up By O'Brien in Second (GoTigersGo.com)
		Second half goals by Dayton O'Brien and Stephen Cooling led the University of Memphis to a 2-1 victory at Christian Brothers University on Tuesday night. After a scoreless first half, O'Brien put the Tigers on top with a free kick from 45 yards out. The 2004 preseason all-conference selection banked the ball off the crossbar and past the reach of CBU keeper Marvin Hypolite at the 65:56 minute mark. "We played with a bit more pressure in the second; a bit more speed," said Memphis head coach Richie Grant. "That's the type of game that better suits what we are trying to play." Nearly four minutes later with an assist by Andy Metcalf, Cooling hit the game-winner over the head of Hypolite from 30 yards out. Cooling, a junior from Dublin, Ireland, entered his first collegiate game and put Memphis up 2-0 within his first minute of play. "I saw the opportunity to score, and I took it," Cooling said. "It felt great. The rivalry here is big, and it's nice to be a part of it." A few days before, it looked unlikely that Cooling would play in the first exhibition game due to back problems. Cooling said he didn't consider the possibility of entering the game until Monday. "Stephen is a great player," Grant said. "I'm excited about what he is going to do on the team." The Buccaneer's lone goal came at the 74:45 minute mark. Chris Marwood used an assist by Michael Vogel to put CBU within one, but Memphis held onto its lead for the remaining 15 minutes. The Tigers out shot CBU 18 to 10. Tiger senior Sebastian Vecchio and freshman Tyler Strom split time between the 18-yard box with both picking up four saves. Hypolite recorded seven saves in the game. "It was a good first game; a good challenge," Grant said. "We have to give a lot of credit to CBU. They have a good team this year. But we still have a lot to work on." Memphis will host its first game of the season at 7 p.m. at Echles Field on Saturday against Southwest Missouri State. Admission to the game is free.

08/24/04		Latest scrimmage has West fuming (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact August 24, 2004 After two full-fledged scrimmages, including Monday's night session under the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium lights, and several smaller-scale workouts, University of Memphis football coach Tommy West has discovered an unsettling consistency. His Tigers, less than two weeks from their Sept. 4 opener at Ole Miss, are struggling to find a rhythm. ''Right now we are really an inconsistent football team,'' said West, after running his team through a 100-plus play scrimmage. ''We make a big play (on offense) and then we get a holding call. Defensively, we make a nice play on a sack and the next play we give up a deep ball. ''And we're very inconsistent kicking field goals right now. I'm glad we don't play tomorrow. We got to take the mistakes and penalties out of it. ... We've just got to keep coaching them hard.'' West admitted witnessing some impressive aspects of the workout, too. There were several leaping, take-away catches by receiver Tavares Gideon, the continued physical running style of backup tailback Jamarcus Gaither and some unexpected contributions from Albert Means, the defensive tackle returning from a back injury to make his scrimmage debut. But they weren't enough to keep West from scheduling more scrimmages. ''I won't quit scrim maging,'' West said. ''I can't quit on that. That was terrible. That was way too inconsistent. So we'll go Wednesday now and, need be, we'll go Friday and Saturday and we'll keep going. I can't let up, I can't just stop because it's time to stop. We've got to get better.'' West added several scrimmages after a poor initial full-scale workout last week at the Murphy Athletic Complex. Had Monday night's scrimmage been better, it could have been the final one before the opener. But there were penalties that negated big gains by the offense, there were two dropped touchdown passes, there was a fumble by Maurice Avery after a lengthy pickup and there were missed field goal tries of 45, 47 and 44 yards by kicker Stephen Gostkowski. ''We were making some good plays and then we'd have a fumble or a couple of penalties,'' starting quarterback Danny Wimprine said. ''At the start of the scrimmage, we had a couple of penalties. It's hard to sustain drives when you have things like that. It puts you behind right off the start. ''We had some positives come out of the scrimmage, too. Some guys made some big plays. We'll watch the film (today) and try to get better.'' Wimprine tossed a 14-yard touchdown pass to Gideon early in the scrimmage to cap a 7-play, 65-yard drive. The No. 2 offense followed with a 65-yard drive of its own, one that ended with a 13-yard pass from Bobby Robison to Joseph Doss. And third-string quarterback Patrick Byrne hoisted a 50-yard pass to speedy freshman Antonio McCoy for another TD, shortly after Doss scored. Gaither added an impressive 12-yard TD run late in the scrimmage, spinning away from defensive back Sam Brewer at the 3 and zipping into the end zone. A 22-yard reception by Gideon got the drive started and had West passing out compliments. ''Early in the scrimmage I was ready to fire Gideon,'' West said. ''I stopped the scrimmage and told him I was ready to get rid of him. I was tired of him not playing the way he can play. ''Two balls he caught at the end (of the scrimmage), that looked like Gideon. When that ball went up in the air, he acted like it was his. That was really a positive. I pulled him aside (after his spectacular catches) and told him, 'for the first time in this camp you looked like you.' " Wimprine said he has a lot of confidence in Gideon, who made a leaping a 30-yard reception a few series before his 22-yard catch and lost his helmet in the process. ''I'll keep giving him the ball,'' Wimprine said. ''I'll keep throwing it his way." - Phil Stu kenborg: 529-2543

08/24/04		U OF M NOTEBOOK (Commercial Appeal)
		Means returns: Tiger defensive tackle Albert Means, who had missed the first two weeks of workouts because of a back injury, returned to practice Monday and participated in the scrimmage. He also leveled one of the scrimmage's hardest hits, stopping tailback Jamarcus Gaither for a short gain late in the workout. "I thought he looked pretty good,'' said Tiger coach Tommy West said. ''I was shocked that he was able to go. We were only going to try and get a few snaps out of him. He said he felt really good.'' A different perspective: West said it was benefi-cial to take his team to Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, the first time the team has worked out at its home field. ''I think it's important to try and put them in a game-type environment as much as you possibly can,'' West said. ''This was really our first time to be on a game field. We had been (scrimmaging) on our practice fields.'' It was the first look - for the few who were permitted in the closed scrimmage - at the refurbishing of the stands. The concrete has been painted a light gray and together with the dark blue chair backs and railings gives a clean appearance to the nearly 40-year-old facility. ''They've done a real nice job,'' said former Tiger tight end Chris Powers, who attended with several ex-teammates, including Ron Sells and Drew Pairamore. Byrne's kicking: Third-string quarterback Patrick Byrne, who handles kickoffs, could become busier. Starting kicker Stephen Gostkowski struggled during Monday's scrimmage missing four field goals of 40-plus yards and an extra-point try. Byrne stepped in and nailed two 47-yard field goals. ''Patrick came out at the end (of the scrimmage) and he hadn't been kicking much (in preseason camp) and makes two," West said. "So, yeah, I think we've got some competition there.'' - By Phil Stukenborg

08/23/04		Preseason Play Opens at CBU -- Tigers Host SMS in Final Exhibition Match (GoTigersGo.com)
		With the season opener quickly approaching, the University of Memphis men's soccer team begins its exhibition schedule at Christian Brothers University on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The CBU game will be held at Signaigo Field in Memphis. The Tigers will then host Southwest Missouri State in an exhibition game at Echles Field on Saturday at 7 p.m. Admission to the game is free. "These preseason games are very important," said sophomore midfielder Harrison Kiser. "With such a large incoming class, they will give us an idea of the talent we have brought in." The last time the Tigers met the Buccaneers things didn't go the way Memphis would have wanted. The Tigers lost to CBU 1-0 in the Memphis Cup finals in February. "It's going to be a touch game," said senior midfielder Daniel Dobson. "It's a big rivalry. We definitely want to win, but it's going to be hard work. We were kind of short on players when we lost to them in the spring, but we can't make excuses. We definitely got to take back the win." In official play, the Tigers have only lost twice to CBU, posting a 13-2-1 record. Memphis has outscored the Bucs 45-15. The first match between the cross-town schools came in 1985 with Memphis winning, 6-0. Memphis assistant coaches Robert Nicholson and Shawn Loth both have ties to CBU. Nicholson was an assistant for both the Bucs and Lady Bucs and Loth was a goalkeeper from 1993-96. The Buccaneers are picked to finish second in the Gulf South Preseason Poll. CBU missed the GSC Tournament last season for the first time since 1997. Returning Co-GSC Player of the Year junior forward Mariano Ilari, senior midfielder Michael Vogel and senior defender Ross McLynn were all named by the coaches to the preseason All-GSC Team. Clint Browne leads the Bucs in his first season as head coach after serving as the head men's soccer coach at Lambuth University where he posted a 22-13-4 record over two seasons. Southwest Missouri State made it to the semifinal round in the 2003 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament before being knocked out 1-0 by Bradley. The loss came after the Bears beat out top ranked Creighton in the tournament. SMS is picked to finish seventh in the 2004 preseason conference poll. The Bears went 9-7-3 in 2003 and 3-5-1 in the MVC, finishing eighth in the conference regular season. Second Team 2003 All-MVC selection Doug Lascody, a senior midfielder, and Honorable Mention 2003 All-MVC selection John Watson, a senior defender, return to help a team boasting 14 upperclassmen. In official play, the Tigers have split a 3-3-1 record with Southwest Missouri State. Memphis has outscored the Bears 16-10. The first match between the two schools came in 1987. Memphis won 8-1. The last time the two schools officially met came in 1999 with the Bears shutting out the Tigers, 3-0. Memphis enters the season picked to finish ninth in the Conference USA Preseason Poll. In 2003, the Tigers finished 8-8-2 and 1-6-2 in conference play. The U of M begins its season at home on Fri., Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m. against Centenary in the opening day of the annual Memphis Diadora Tournament.

08/23/04		Tiger Football Camp 2004 -- Tigers use Liberty Bowl Stadium for late scrimmage (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, TENN. - The University of Memphis Football team went to Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium for a scrimmage under the lights Monday evening. It was the second practice of the day for the Tiger, as the squad worked out in shoulder pads and shorts this morning at the Murphy Athletic Complex. Several plays highlighted the Tigers' first scrimmage at the Liberty Bowl, including back-to-back scoring drives to open the scrimmage. Senior QB Danny Wimprine completed a 14-yard pass to Tavares Gideon for a score, followed by a 13-yard score from Bobby Robison to freshman Joseph Doss. Carlton Robinzine caught a 30-yard pass from Patrick Byrne, and Byrne also reached newcomer Antonio McCoy on a 50-yard pass. Early in the scrimmage, Wimprine scored off a 60-yard reception from Darron White. Carlton Baker, Rubio Philips and Sam Brewer each recorded a sack for the defense. Jermaine Chambers tallied a funble recovery following a 29-yard pass play from Wimprine to Maurice Avery. A couple of young backs picked up some yardage as Doss busted out a 19-yard run, and Jamarcus Gaither scored on a 14-yard carry. "We need more consistency," said coach Tommy West. "We are going to scrimmage as much as we have to in order to limit the mistakes that we are making. I will say this, though, the intensity and effort is there." The Tigers return to the field at 11 a.m. on Monday at the Murphy Athletic Complex. The Tigers open the season against the Rebels in Oxford, Miss. on Sept. 4. Memphis' first home game will be against UT-Chattanooga on Sept. 11 at 7 p.m.

08/22/04		Tiger football notebook (Commercial Appeal)
		DeAngelo shines: Tiger running back DeAngelo Williams rushed four times for 94 yards, including touchdown runs of 31 and 52 yards, as coach Tommy West ran his team through a scrimmage for the second straight day. Receiver Ryan Scott had receptions of 41 and 45 yards, the first setting up Tavarious Davis's 9-yard TD catch from Bobby Robison. The Tigers, who went through a 75-play scrimmage Friday, came back with about 60 plays Saturday. The first two offensive units did not turn the ball over Saturday. "We're leg weary, but I thought they fought through it good," said West, who canceled the team's late-Saturday practice along with today's workout. "With two weeks before the opening game (Sept. 4 at Ole Miss), I don't think we're way behind. You always want to be further ahead, but if we were perfect right now I'd be scared to death." The Tigers had a major scrimmage Wednesday, but mistakes by the offense had West fuming. So he added scrimmage time during practices Friday and Saturday. The Tigers will go through a scrimmage Monday night at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium that is closed to the public. "We got work to do, but we've got time to get it done," West said. "Mentally, we were better. Fundamentally, we were better. "We had a lot of negative plays (in Friday's scrimmage) and that's not what we're lookin