Geoff Calkins
Geoff Calkins
Columnist
Geoff Calkins has been chronicling Memphis and Memphis sports for more than two decades. 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 1143 articles by Geoff Calkins :
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October 2020
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Geoff CalkinsJoey Magnifico is moving rocks. -
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: Time for Memphis to finally beat the ‘small-time’ UCF football team
After 13 straight losses to UCF, it’s time for the Memphis Tigers to end that streak.
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Memphis Tigers BasketballCalkins: Hey, Memphis, Joe Jackson wants to work
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.
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Memphis Tigers FootballCalkins: It would’ve been a helluva story, but Memphis screwed up the end
After a month of adversity, this could have been the ultimate example of resilience.
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: She went from ‘GameDay’ to unemployment — a brutal year for Memphis athletics
Tammy DeGroff, as integral to Memphis athletics as you can get, is another casualty of the economy.
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September 2020
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Geoff Calkins Calkins: She used her car to rescue more than 100 dogs — until it was stolen
Nearly every weekend, Laura Elliott picks up a collection of rescue dogs that can’t find a home in Memphis and drives them to Illinois, where there are families waiting to adopt. -
Geoff Calkins Calkins: How a sophomore basketball player at BTW wound up dead at a Kroger gas station
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.
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: Elegy for TOM III, the last real Memphis Tiger
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.
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Opinion
Geoff CalkinsCalkins: Shelby County athletes have every right to be ticked
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.
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: When is a party bus not a party bus? And was Ryan Silverfield right to handle this the way he did?
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.
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Geoff Calkins Calkins: Could pandemic last another year? A handbook for how to cope
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.
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: Shocking news! Memphis and Lausanne show it’s hard to play football during a pandemic!
Two local football programs were put on hold Friday because of COVID-19. But don’t blame the players. Blame us.
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Geoff Calkins Calkins: Memphis AD hopes for more fans at games later in year
Here's what athletic director Laird Veatch said of the season opener at the Liberty Bowl and what might get tweaked.
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: On a sweet, surreal night at the Liberty Bowl, Memphis opens its pandemic season with a win
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.
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: Ja Morant has a message for the low-down coward who didn’t vote for him as Rookie of the Year
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.
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: Yes, the Memphis band will be playing at Saturday’s game — right through their masks
How can the Mighty Sound of the South be heard during a pandemic? With creativity, determination and spit containers.
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August 2020
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: After an offseason unlike any other, Ryan Silverfield is still living the dream
And there to witness the triumph of reaching game day will be his parents.
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: 2020 just keeps disappointing, as Kenny Gainwell leaves the Memphis football team
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.
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: Collierville High suspends football games — but this isn’t about Collierville
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.
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Geoff Calkins Calkins: Leave the TSSAA? Over James Wiseman? Shelby County Schools can’t be serious
Dr. Joris Ray should get credit for his cautious approach to reopening schools and athletics. But his recent threat to take Shelby County Schools out of the TSSAA seems to be driven by old grievances.
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Geoff Calkins Calkins: What’s so secret about a high school football game? At Collierville High, apparently, everything
By banning media from a high school football game, Collierville High School taught their students a valuable lesson in leadership. The lesson: Don't be as small and as shortsighted as this.
Related story: Collierville checks temps at no-media football game
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Geoff Calkins Calkins: Le Bonheur cardiologist says concern about heart damage ‘not a reason to cancel sports’
Should parents be worried about their kids who play sports? Dr. Jason Johnson, of Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, tells us what we need to know.
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Memphis GrizzliesCalkins: Grizzlies don’t need a lottery miracle — they already got Ja Morant
Elliot Perry will be representing the team in the draft again, just like he did last year. But there's no anxiety this time around.
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: For Ja Morant and the Grizzlies, this is what makes the future magnificent
The season ended with a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers Saturday. But the rookie showed the country why this will be remembered as one of the most important seasons in the history of the franchise.
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Memphis GrizzliesCalkins: Grizzlies give a feel-good season the feel-good ending it deserves
Memphis' triumph against the Bucks gave them a spot in the playoff play-in series against the Trail Blazers. It was the ending this unlikely regular season deserved.
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