 | This article may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may interest only a particular audience. (August 2021) |
| Memphis Tigers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| First season | 1912; 112 years ago | ||
| Athletic director | Ed Scott | ||
| Head coach | Ryan Silverfield 4th season, 22–16 (.579) | ||
| Stadium | Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium (capacity: 58,325) | ||
| Year built | 1965 | ||
| Field surface | Field Turf | ||
| Location | Memphis, Tennessee | ||
| NCAA division | Division I FBS | ||
| Conference | American Athletic Conference | ||
| Past conferences | Miss. Valley (1928–1934) SIAA (1935–1942) Missouri Valley (1968–1972) C-USA (1996–2012) | ||
| All-time record | 511–526–33 (.493) | ||
| Bowl record | 8–8 (.500) | ||
| Conference titles | 8 (1929, 1930, 1938, 1968, 1969, 1971, 2014, 2019) | ||
| Division titles | 3 (2017, 2018, 2019) | ||
| Rivalries | Arkansas State (rivalry) Cincinnati (rivalry) Louisville (rivalry) Ole Miss (rivalry) Southern Miss (rivalry) UAB (rivalry) | ||
| Colors | Blue and gray[1] | ||
| Fight song | Go Tigers Go | ||
| Mascot | Pouncer | ||
| Marching band | Mighty Sound of the South | ||
| Website | gotigersgo.com | ||
The Memphis Tigers football team represents the University of Memphis in college football in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The Tigers play in the American Athletic Conference as an all-sports member.[2] They play home games at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. The team's head coach is Ryan Silverfield.[3] Since their inaugural season in 1912, the Memphis Tigers have won over 500 games and appeared in seventeen bowl games.
For much of its history, the Memphis Tigers football program was subpar and uninspiring with occasional flashes of moderate success while being overshadowed by the university's more successful men's basketball program.[4] However, in recent years the Tigers football program has shown a marked improvement and has been more successful since the tenure of former head coach Justin Fuente.[5][6] As of May 2024, Memphis has earned bowl eligibility by winning at least six of 12 regular season games every year beginning in 2014 and, consequently, has been invited to a bowl game every year without interruption since 2014,[7][8] they are one of just nine NCAA Division I FBS teams in the country with that distinction.[9] Ten of the program's seventeen bowl appearances have come in that time span. The program has also claimed eight conference championships with the most recent coming in 2019.
- ^ The University of Memphis Athletic Brand Standards. April 29, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ^ "Memphis Is Big East Bound". gotigersgo.com. February 8, 2012. Archived from the original on April 22, 2012. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
- ^ "Interim head coach Ryan Silverfield isn't coy: He wants the Memphis job". The Daily Memphian.
- ^ "College Football: Meet Memphis, 2011's Worst Team". WSJ.
- ^ Fortuna, Matt. "Memphis is rising. But for now, its peers are benefiting from realignment". The New York Times.
- ^ "'We Fight Like Tigers': 108 Seasons of Memphis Tigers Football". Bluff City Media. September 2023.
- ^ "Memphis Football Bowl History". University of Memphis Athletics. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
- ^ Londergan, Joe (October 28, 2023). "Memphis Clinch Bowl Eligibility For Tenth Consecutive Season". Sports Illustrated G5 Football Daily News, Analysis and More. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
- ^ "Memphis looks for rare 10-win season and revenge in the Liberty Bowl against Iowa State". USA TODAY.