Calkins: Fred Smith and family ride to the rescue (with $50 million) to forge a stunning stadium deal
Fred Smith, founder of FedEx Corp., has gifted $50 million toward the Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium renovations. (Courtesy FedEx)
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.
“Who put an end to the stadium fracas? Fred Smith and family, of course.”
Related story:
FedEx founder to help fund Liberty Stadium renovations; U of M could control stadium
Topics
FedExForum Fred Smith FedEx Corporation University of Memphis "Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium: Subscriber OnlyThank you for supporting local journalism.
Subscribers to The Daily Memphian help fund our not-for-profit newsroom of nearly 40 local journalists plus more than 20 freelancers, all of whom work around the clock to cover the issues impacting our community. Subscriptions - and donations - also help fund our community access programs which provide free access to K-12 schools, community organizations, and more. Thank you for making our work possible.
Geoff Calkins on demand
Never miss an article. Sign up to receive Geoff Calkins' stories as they’re published.
Enter your e-mail address
Related stories
Calkins: What to think about that new stadium proposal? Let’s hope the Grizzlies don’t hold a grudge.
“The city’s proposal to fund stadium renovations is now out there for all he world to see. How should Memphians think about that? They should hope that Robert Pera and the Grizzlies don’t hold a grudge.”
Memphis bet $100M on Liberty Park; now the city could be in the red
Memphis is betting big on Liberty Park, but public records show a big shortfall in covering that bet.
How the proposed Liberty Stadium deal will work and could unlock FedExForum
The complex deal clears the path to focus on FedExForum improvements. FedEx founder to help fund Liberty Stadium renovations; U of M could control stadiumRelated story:
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.