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Tiger Football
August showers turn up the heat
Posted by Phil Stukenborg


The Tiger football team was chased from the Murphy Athletic Complex on the Park Avenue Campus Tuesday because heavy rains Monday rendered the four practice fields unplayable.

Unplayable is becoming unacceptable for a program trying to take the next step and compete for Conference USA championships, potential BCS bowl berths and, ultimately, inclusion in a BCS conference.

Memphis, which is in the process of raising $3 million for a new football weight room, might want to increase that fund-raising effort and include about a million more for an outdoor artificial practice field. It’s overdue.

Tuesday’s trip to CBHS marked the third time the Tigers have had to use the high school’s field to practice. The Liberty Bowl, the alternative when the Murphy Athletic fields are wet, was `closed’ Tuesday because of extensive cleaning of the facility’s artificial surface. The Liberty Bowl won’t be available to the Tigers this week as the cleaning process continues through Thursday.

CBHS was gracious enough to allow the Tigers to work out ahead of the Purple Wave’s practice. A similar arrangement may be followed Wednesday if the Murphy fields remain too wet.

The change of venue isn’t unique. The Tigers encountered similar problems with their fields during the spring, when 14 of the 15 allotted practices were relocated to the Liberty Bowl.

An indoor practice field is in the long-range fund-raising plans for the football program, but an uncovered artificial surface needs to be in the short-range plans.

Bill Lansden mentioned the need to turf field one IMMEDIATELY after the weight room is built. then encapsulate it with the IPF.

the sooner the weight room is knocked out, the sooner the turf can go down. If you need a pledge card, they are on the HH site and on this site as well. Or just call TSF - 678-2334 - direct and they will set you up.

this is IMPORTANT.

Phil needs to do a little more research on this. the turf is in the short term plan. right now the fund-raising campaign is focusing on the weight room, the next step (continuously) is the turf, and the final part is enclosing the turf.

I do agree that it can't come soon enough. I know Tommy wants it badly. It was talked about at last night's meeting.

Man, an on-campus stadium would've...nevermind.

still outside

And, CBHS and the Liberty Bowl aren't?

Anyway, I was thinking more that the fundraising campaign for an OCS could've included putting an artificial turf field or indoor field on South Campus...probably should've spelled that out better.

Yeah, but that's not the issue. An OCS wouldn't be built on top of Concrete. That's right, ALL 3 practice feilds are built on top of 6" of dirt that's on top of c.1942 concrete. When Tommy told me that last night, I told him if that's the case, it will never drain. I said well, then during the off season, we need to bust all that up. He disagreed and said that the golf complex guys tried that and eventually gave up. He said we need to just bring in about another foot of dirt.

What was the concrete put down for? The old WWII hospital or something else?

I drove down Walnut Grove yesterday afternoon, and saw the team practicing at CBHS. I was embarassed.

What a joke!

Do you think you would ever see Cal's team's practicing at a HS Gym? Hell no, and I wouldn't expect them to.

We have got to get something done about the emphasis that is placed on our football team. I LOVE basketball, but I feel sorry for the players and the coaches who are trying to take the Memphis program to where we all want it, and all they are getting in return is a nice big slap in the face and an AD that is sitting is his office admiring his Elvis pictures dreaming about a Cubs World Series. Oh yea, I think he gets up every now and then and walks down the hall to make sure Cal has everything he needs and wants!

Sorry for the rant, but i have been hot ever since I drove by CBHS yesterday!

Yes. Although I don't know what they needed that much concrete for. Maybe a parking lot, maybe a hellicopter landing pad? I don't know.

Yes, the fact that we are in dire need of new facilites is well-documented and we are working on it. And the fact the we have to practice at a local high school is definitely worth mentioning at every opportunity to raise awareness. It is embarrassing!!!
But, Phil, do you think you could have continued the blog to tell us a little something about the content and quality of the practice session?



Along with all the negative press about poor facilites, we still have to prepare for a game in 3 days and we might like some insight on how the team is looking.

Tommy West needs to be more of a salesman for his program...Much like Cal is for the Basketball program.

The fact of the matter is, there are two local high schools that have field turf, and our local college doesn't???

That is embarrassing.

Also, I am disgruntled about the whole Liberty Bowl arguement right now. If they aren't going to let us practice there when we need to, then the university needs to leverage them somehow.

University 'leadership' is a joke...

I have been told,(I don't know it for a fact) that the entire complex is honeycombed with tunnels, and were built to withstand bombs dropped from a aireal assult. Would also assume that in case of a
attack, that is where the patients would be relocated to.
Everone does remember that the complex was orginally a VA hospital.

I agree! I think most schools included weight rooms and practice facilities in the OCS complex/project. Louisville, SMU...CFU?

Maybe this piecemeal plan will work. But I don't see it exciting or motivating the casual observer, average fan and average corporate sponsor to donate. It's just not sexy.

I support my school, my team, and do what is asked, but personally, I would have preferred that we go all-in on this.

Well said, and I second

Well then lets go all in! We have a membership of over a 1,000 people on this board alone and yet we have only had 70 some odd people donate to the weight room project. I'm sick and tired of people claiming they wanna help but every time they have the chance they dissappear. It's time to Tiger Up people!