Geoff Calkins
Calkins: The day Memphis defeated Tennessee (and put me in bathrooms everywhere)
The Memphis Tigers have a chance to beat a Top 10 team for the first time since 1996. That win is saved for posterity in framed newspapers all over town.
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.
There are 974 articles by Geoff Calkins :
The Memphis Tigers have a chance to beat a Top 10 team for the first time since 1996. That win is saved for posterity in framed newspapers all over town.
This time, the Tigers defeated the Temple Owls, and it was sweet for Joey Magnifico and Memphis fans everywhere.
Bill Turner dropped at the seventh green, felled by a heart attack. His friends say “he was gone.” What happened next is the best Memphis golf story of the year.
Jaren Jackson Jr. was voting for president for the first time. 93-year-old Beverly Nash was not. But they crossed paths Wednesday at the Agricenter voting station. And it was beautiful.
It may not have been the single greatest win in program history, but the Memphis Tigers’s 50-49 victory over UCF Saturday was as emotionally satisfying as any in recent memory. Small wonder Memphians went just a little bit crazy when it was over.
The Tigers had every reason to quit against UCF on Saturday. Instead, they put together the biggest comeback in the history of the program.
After 13 straight losses to UCF, it’s time for the Memphis Tigers to end that streak.
The former king of Memphis spent the first 28 years of his life in a basketball bubble. Now he’s trying to find a real job.
After a month of adversity, this could have been the ultimate example of resilience.
Tammy DeGroff, as integral to Memphis athletics as you can get, is another casualty of the economy.
A year ago, Cameron Pryor was on a winning team. On Monday, he was killed trying to carjack an SUV. His shooting may have been ruled justified, but the path that took him to that Kroger was a civic tragedy.
The University of Memphis said the tradition of having a live tiger at games “has come to an end.” It seems like the right decision, but it’s still a sad moment for Memphians.
Shelby County athletes are right to ask why everyone else can play sports when they cannot. The honest answer to that question reflects badly on us all.
In a blistering statement to the media Monday, the Memphis Tigers coach denied that his players were on such a bus. His anger was understandable. His response was worrisome.
Dr. Anthony Fauci said that it may be late 2021 before life begins to feel normal again. So how to we persevere? Here is the wisdom of three people: Kirk Whalum, a character called “TrashMan” and my 95-year-old mom.
Two local football programs were put on hold Friday because of COVID-19. But don’t blame the players. Blame us.
Here's what athletic director Laird Veatch said of the season opener at the Liberty Bowl and what might get tweaked.
The band was masked, the stadium was nearly empty of fans. But the Tigers won a football game at the Liberty Bowl Saturday night. For now, that will have to do.
One misguided voter kept Ja Morant from being a unanimous selection as Rookie of the Year. Morant has something he wants to say to that guy.
How can the Mighty Sound of the South be heard during a pandemic? With creativity, determination and spit containers.
And there to witness the triumph of reaching game day will be his parents.
Memphis running back Kenny Gainwell decided to opt out of the season six days before the opening game. It's yet another disappointment in a relentlessly disappointing year.
Two individuals "specific to" the football team have tested positive for COVID-19. But the story is less about this school than the unnecessary risks inherent to high school football.