Calkins: Infamy! Treachery! The sordid story of why Memphis vs. Utah State is a game of revenge
The Memphis-Utah State of 1971 was a hard-fought contest whose outcome was possibly influenced by a missing kicking tee. The Tigers team eventually reached the Pasadena Bowl and played San Jose State (photo above) in Memphis coach Billy “Spook” Murphy’s final season. (AP file)
Geoff Calkins
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.
You may think the Memphis-Utah State matchup is a humdrum game between two six-win teams. But no! It is an opportunity for Memphis to settle a 51-year-old grudge. It is a story of college football treachery. And it is time for Utah State to pay.
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