As Tiger faithful prepare to celebrate The University of Memphis’ basketball future, fans will also be able to honor past glory tonight at 9:30 during Midnight Madness festivities at the 10,000-seat Mid-South Coliseum, the Tigers on-court home from 1964-91.
Before unveiling the 2001-02 men’s and women’s squads, The University will honor members of the 1957, 1973, 1985 and 1992 men’s teams. After the ceremonies, the men’s squad will play a scrimmage game shortly after midnight.
The NCAA prohibits college basketball teams from conducting any official practices before Oct. 13 and many schools, including The U of M, look to get a head start on the season by holding midnight “practices.”
Memphis’ '57, '73 and '85 teams all played at the Coliseum, otherwise known as the “Round House,” and put what was then Memphis State University on the basketball map.
“The main reason the (Coliseum) was such a hard place to play (for opposing teams) was because the acoustics were so good, and the fans were right down on the floor. The fans could really get onto the other team,” said longtime Tiger fan and sports talk radio host Jeff Weinberger.
Former Tiger broadcaster Jack Eaton said he also remembers the excitement generated by fans at the Coliseum.
“Everybody was so close to the floor and it was exciting,” Eaton said. “When we played Louisville, you could almost see lightning crackling in the air.”
The 1956-57 Tigers surprised many by going 24-6 and ending the season with a trip to the finals of the National Invitation Tournament in New York City. The NIT was the premiere college tournament in 1957.
The 1972-73 team, led by the lights-out shooting of former coach Larry Finch, advanced to the championship game of the NCAA Tournament, where it faced a UCLA team led by All-American center Bill Walton and Hall of Fame coach John Wooden. The Tigers entered halftime tied before the Bruins, led by Walton’s 21-of-22 shooting, pulled away for an 87-66 victory.
Finch remains third on the Tiger’s all-time scoring list with 1,869 points, an average of 22.3 points per game. He went on to become The University’s all-time winningest coach with a record of 220-130.
The 1985 squad, led by All-American center Keith Lee and guard Andre Turner, often referred to as “The Little General,” finished the season with the most victories ever for a Tiger team (31) and advanced to the NCAA Final Four before losing, 52-45, to eventual national champion Villanova. Memphis went undefeated at the Coliseum that year with a 15-0 record and ended the season ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press basketball Top 25 poll.
Lee is the leading scorer in U of M history, compiling 2,408 points over his four-year career.
“Keith Lee was my favorite player--it ain’t even close,” Eaton said. “He was my favorite athlete, period.”
The 1992 Tiger squad, which advanced to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament, was led by two All-Americans, Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway and David Vaughn.
Tonight, after the ceremonies, Tiger fans will get their first look at this year’s highly-touted squad. Fans may have plenty to look forward to with the premiere of New Jersey high school standout Dajuan Wagner and the return of players like Kelly Wise (a preseason candidate for Conference USA Player of the Year), Earl Barron and Scooter McFadgon.
“We’ve got a good team coming back,” head coach John Calipari said Thursday. “It’s going to be an interesting year. Expectations are high. Everyone will expect us to win every game.”
