Memphis Grizzlies
Calkins: It’s year 22, Memphis. The Grizzlies are back.
Ja Morant and the Grizzlies assembled at FedExForum for media day. It’s the team’s 22nd season in Memphis. And it should be a blast.
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.
There are 983 articles by Geoff Calkins :
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October 2022
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: The incredible, shrinking prep writer! (How John Varlas lost 143 pounds.)
John Varlas — who covers preps for this publication — has done something that should inspire the rest of us Memphians. He’s lost 143 pounds.
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: What his new contract says about Penny Hardaway
Six more years of Penny Hardaway? Yes, it’s true. Hardaway signed a new deal with Memphis that runs through 2028. Here’s what it means.
Related story:
Memphis, Penny Hardaway agree to contract extension through 2027-28
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: A Tennessee fan even Memphis fans can root for
Vols fans in West Tennessee have it rough. On this massive weekend for Tennessee football, a local fan named Catherine Davenport will celebrate by putting on a bright orange prosthesis. That’s right, she has a Tennessee leg.
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Memphis Tigers FootballCalkins: Memphis keeps blowing big leads. Is that a coincidence? Or the coach?
A week after blowing a 19-point lead to lose to Houston, Memphis blew a 17-point lead to lose to East Carolina. This is becoming a dispiriting — and damning — trend.
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Geoff Calkins Calkins: Tennessee beats Alabama! It was the leg!
While Jalin Hyatt, Hendon Hooker and Chase McGrath all had a hand in the Vols' win over Alabama, Catherine Davenport had — well, she had a leg.
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Vols defeat Alabama on field goal to end 15-game losing streak
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: Ja Morant is still awesome (and he’s appearing in Memphis all season long!)
Ja Morant was brilliant in leading the Grizzlies past the Knicks Wednesday. But you know the best part? He will be appearing at FedExForum all season long.
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: Memphis football avoided humiliation. Is that really enough?
Memphis fought back to lose by 10 to Tulane Saturday. Yes, it was gallant. But is it all Tiger fans can expect?
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Memphis Tigers BasketballCalkins: Kendric Davis leads cold-shooting Tigers to victory. (Get used to that headline, fans)
The Tigers shot just 2 of 19 from deep against Christian Brothers Sunday. That’s the bad news. The good news? They have Kendric Davis. And that may be enough.
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: Fifty years ago, Jerry Lawler beat him to a pulp. Now they’re friends.
Jerry Lawler beat up Frankie Dudley at the Mid-South Coliseum in the 1970s. Five decades later, Lawler went to see Dudley again. In hospice. It’s a story about heroes and the passage of time.
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: Deion Sanders to Memphis? (Hey, it’s worth a call)
ESPN’s Pete Thamel mentioned Memphis in a podcast about the coaching future of Deion Sanders. Could Coach Prime be coming to Memphis? It’s certainly worth a call.
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Geoff Calkins Calkins: Tommy Pacello would’ve been 45 today. A new fellowship helps continue his work.
Nearly two years after Tommy Pacello died of pancreatic cancer, his friends and colleagues are celebrating the visionary city planner’s birthday by unveiling a fellowship that will support his work.
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November 2022
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: Dillon Brooks knows there are skeptics. But, yes, he can change.
The Grizzlies looked spectacular Friday, 130-99. But the absolutely best part of the night? An efficient (yes, efficient!) Dillon Brooks.
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: What was Ryan Silverfield thinking? And will it cost him his job?
Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield made an inexplicable call that helped Central Florida defeat the Tigers Saturday. No, the call won’t cost him his job. But all the little things are adding up.
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Memphis Tigers BasketballCalkins: At long last, a Memphis team that may be better than its hype
Memphis traveled to Nashville and dominated Vanderbilt Monday, 76-67. In the process, Memphis looked like something we haven’t seen from a Hardaway team before. It might be better than its hype!
Related stories:
Memphis uses ‘more together team’ to beat Vanderbilt in season-opener
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: Tigers pile-drive Tulsa. (Or maybe not; but it’s a win!)
Hey, look. The Memphis Tigers won a game! The Tigers finally got the breaks they needed Thursday as they defeated Tulsa, 26-10.
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: The Tigers lost to Saint Louis. And you know what? It’s fine.
The Memphis Tigers gave up a whopping 90 points in losing to Saint Louis Tuesday night. Is that something to worry about? Not yet, certainly. This team is going to be fine.
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: Why have the Showboats returned to Memphis? Answer: Fred Smith.
Why are the Showboats returning to Memphis? The answer involves Fred Smith. And even if the team doesn’t flourish, its existence can only help the city. Here’s why.
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Spirit of MemphisCalkins: They didn’t grow up in Memphis. They sure made it better.
Andy Branham, Bob Leopold and Dr. Van Snider didn’t grow up in the city. But they rolled up their sleeves and got to work when they arrived. Three men who made Memphis a better, more hopeful place.
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: Good news, Memphis. Kendric Davis is who we thought he was.
Kendric Davis was brilliant in his home debut. He scored 26 points, collected seven assists and looked exactly like the player Memphis needs him to be.
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Geoff Calkins Calkins: Win one for Will Drennan! Why a flag football game meant so much
Will Drennan died a hero the first day of flag football practice. His team of five and six year olds played on. Ten days ago, they tried to win the championship “for Daddy.” Why a kid’s game meant so much.
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: The Tigers have to get over a heartbreaker. And quick!
The Tigers lost to Seton Hall when a 6-10 player who hadn’t made a 3-pointer all season before Thursday banked one in at the buzzer. So how does the team get ready to play another game Friday? Former Memphis guard Trey Draper tried to help.
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: What did the Grizz get you this Black Friday? Everything!
Yes, Ja beat Zion. And that was fun. But this was a Black Friday performance that had everything. The Grizzlies kept on giving, right to the end.
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: It was a dismal end to a dismal season. So what happens next?
“Memphis football ended its regular season with a crushing interception. It summed up the year perfectly. So what comes next for a program that keeps regressing? And why not think about a new coach?”
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: For these Tigers, winning ‘is a beautiful thing’
The 2022-2023 Memphis Tigers may not play a pretty brand of basketball. But the way they fight together? Head coach Penny Hardaway calls it “a beautiful thing.”
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