Justin Fuente, co-offensive coordinator at TCU, will be named the new head coach of the Memphis Tigers today. I hadn’t previously heard of him, but here’s a review of the hire on Coaches by the Numbers. They gave the hire an A-, not bad. Welcome Coach Fuente!
Lauren Lee of Fox 13 tweeted (@laurenleefox13) about the hiring process. At one point Alabama offensive coordinator Jim McElwain was the frontrunner for the job, but according to Lee, talks with his agent Jimmy Sexton got contentious. U of M search committee member Brad Martin told Sexton, “You’re not dealing with R.C. anymore.” LOVE IT!!! Seriously, I hope this is the beginning of a new and exciting era for Tiger football.
Congratulations to Memphis Music Foundation’s Pat Mitchell Worley on being nominated as one of Billboard’s Women in Music. Pat is the director of development and communications at the Foundation, and in the past has worked for the Blues Foundation, MPACT Memphis, and as a freelance music journalist. When I was on MPACT’s board I got to work with her and she is a super lady. More on her nomination here.
The Green Beetle has a new promotion going on: Buy a Miller Lite and get a special Memphis Tigers pint glass.
Memphis Magazine’s Vance Lauderdale has an interesting article about the Gerber department store on Main, which stood in the space now occupied by Springhill Suites. The store opened in 1880 and saw the heyday of Downtown Memphis shopping, even adding the city’s first escalators in 1949.
Today Memphis has to say goodbye to one of the classiest guys in the NBA, Shane Battier. He’s been signed by the Miami Heat. Thanks for all you did in your second run here Shane, and I hope there’s a championship ring in your future.
Stuff going on tonight: Trans-Siberian Orchestra at the FedExForum, and the beer/dessert pairing at the Saucer (see last night’s drunk post for the listing of desserts). Tickets still available for both.