The Memphis Tigers professional football team owned by Memphis legend Clarence Saunders is rarely, if ever, discussed as a great football dynasty. In 1929 though, the Tigers — an independent football team — beat great NFL teams such as the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears.
Wylie McLallen, author of “Tigers by the River,” a book about the team, said Saunders was very confident as the owner of the Tigers.
“The Tigers, originally founded in 1927, really took off when Clarence Saunders bought the team from Early Maxwell in 1929 so his son could play,” McLallen said. “Although they were an independent team, Saunders believed he could get some of the best players in the country, and he did.”
McLallen said Saunders had a good eye for talent and was not scared to go after top players.
“When they were playing a good team, Saunders was very good at evaluating the talent,” McLallen said. “If he saw a player make a good tackle or a good block, he would walk over and slip them five or 10 dollars.”
McLallen said the team only existed for 10 seasons, but they always played well, no matter who they were playing.
“In nine seasons, they went 52-14, and even though they were an independent team, they beat multiple NFL teams,” McLallen said. “They were a great tradition for the people of Memphis that came to watch them.”
McLallen said there are multiple reasons why the Tigers’ pro football team is not considered one of the greatest teams ever.
“The war and the depression were the two biggest factors,” McLallen said. “Other than those two factors though, the team had started to slip a little bit, and the sport just wasn’t all that popular.”
Anthony Tuggle, a historian of both pro football and Memphis, said the Tigers were so good, the NFL offered them a team.
“After the NFL began to see how good the Tigers were and how good of an owner Saunders was, they wanted in,” Tuggle said. “After considering the offer, Saunders declined because he believed he could continue to build the Tigers up as an independent franchise.”
Michael Key, a pro football historian, said the Tigers’ 1929 season is one of the greatest ever.
“In 1929, the Tigers went 11-1, and they beat both the Bears and the Packers in back-to-back weeks,” Key said. “In this time, football was known as a low-scoring league that valued defense and running the football, but the Tigers were averaging around 35 points a game.”
Memphian John Curry said he attended Tigers games as a young boy.
“I remember my father taking me to old Hodges Field to watch the Tigers play,” Curry said. “Football wasn’t very big at the time, but my dad loved it, and he enjoyed watching the Tigers play.”
Curry said he remembers hearing stories of the team from a former Tigers player.
“One of the guys that I grew up with, Cliff Norvell, Jr., his father actually played on the team, and I can remember him telling us stories,” Curry said. “After all these years, I thought most people had forgotten about the Tigers, so I enjoy seeing them be recognized.”
A program for the original Memphis Tigers founded by Clarence Saunders. The Tigers, an independent football team, once beat the then world champion Green Bay Packers.
A program for the original Memphis Tigers founded by Clarence Saunders. The Tigers, an independent football team, once beat the then world champion Green Bay Packers.
