The University of Memphis announced plans to create Larry Finch Memorial Park, in honor of the university’s former basketball player and later coach of its basketball team.
U of M president M. David Rudd said Finch was a model of a person who embodied good values.
“The values Larry Finch lived were a model for us all, embracing the strength of diversity, the importance of unity in the face of adversity and the singular power of hope,” Rudd said.
Finch competed in more than 500 games throughout 25 years as a player and coach for the Tigers basketball team. He finished his three-year playing career from 1970-71 to 1972-73 as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,869 points. His 22.3 points per game career average remains a Memphis record. Finch had his jersey retired on Nov. 30, 1974.
The new head coach of the U of M men’s basketball team, Penny Hardaway, said Finch’s role in his life went beyond basketball.
“Coach Finch was more than a coach,” Hardaway said. “He was also a father figure. He helped me grow as a person and a basketball player.”
Cato Johnson, senior vice president of Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare and member of the Executive Committee of the U of M Board of Trustees, said Finch was deserving of this honor.
“No one deserves to be honored more than Larry Finch, not only for what he did for the University of Memphis and the athletic program, but perhaps even more for the City of Memphis at a pivotal time,” Johnson said. “He will always be remembered as a legend.”
A committee has been appointed to plan this project, including Herb Hilliard, Elliot Perry, Dexter Reed, John Wilfong, Verties Sails, Mary Mitchell, Elise Jordan, Rochelle Stevens, Ted Hansom, Myron Lowery, Harold Byrd, Otis Sanford, Cato Johnson and Bobby Hall. The site of the memorial park has yet to be chosen.
Larry Finch dribbles in Mid-South Coliseum. The U of M announced plans to create a park in his honor Sept. 6.
Coach Larry Finch with Metro Conference Tournament trophy after the Tigers’ won 75-52 against Louisville in the championship game in Freedom Hall. The U of M announced plans to create a park in his honor Sept. 6.
The U of M announced plans to create a park in former Tigers basketball coach and player Larry Finch. Finch died in 2011.
