Calkins: Everyone loved Reggie Barnes — which is how he reshaped Memphis sports

Geoff Calkins On Demand: Just Posted

Updated: May 29, 2025 12:59 PM CT

Archie Manning said Reggie Barnes “had a gift for bringing people together.” For the better part of five decades, Barnes — who died Monday — used that gift to promote Memphis sports.

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Geoff Calkins

Columnist

Geoff Calkins has been chronicling Memphis and Memphis sports for more than two decades. He is host of "The Geoff Calkins Show" from 9-11 a.m. M-F on 92.9 FM. Calkins has been named the best sports columnist in the country five times by the Associated Press sports editors, but still figures his best columns are about the people who make Memphis what it is.

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