(06-10-2022 09:25 PM)covingtontiger Wrote: Y’all should have been Tiger football fans during the 70 or 80 years when Rip Scherer was our football coach. Those were the bad old days.
Course correction for those who do not know history:
In 1963 Tiger football was at an all time high, we finished the season ranked 15th in the very at the time prestigious AP poll, we went undefeated and tied Ole Miss in the first game whom the previous year was the NCAA Champion. We had an All-American RB who Sports Illustrated featured...had over 1000 rushing at the time which was unheard of.
During the 60s, we were an excellent football team that most of the SEC team feared. That leads us into the 70's, where again Memphis State excelled until the very late 78/79 seasons when there was a player boycott between white and black players one black player was not getting paid his weekly hand shake. That completely divided the team.
During the tenure of the mid 70s Memphis State was as talented as most top tier SEC teams. The talent on those teams was nothing short of impressive. Heck we had 3 "Keith's" taken in the NFL draft. Keith Butler (still today the leading tackler for Seattle), Keith Simpson (Hamilton HS and Seattle as well) and finally Keith Wright who was all NFL rookie and lead the AFC in punt return yardage among the few.
Richard Williams took over in the late 70s, who was he - the other QB at Alabama when Joe Namath was at Alabama, he was also the "hand picked" successor by the Bear to take over - his challenges at Memphis denied him that throne - again one of the two times players boycotted the team. Richard Williams went on to coach in the NFL who had a few asst hc coach positions as being well know as one of the top two or three WR coaches in the NFL, his tenure was around 18 or so years in the NFL.
1980s our beloved HC died in a plane crash...that doesn't happen we rock the 80s. For the first time our talent was on par with most SEC teams at that time, minus Georgia and Alabama - the NFL talent was mind boggling at the time.
NOTE: For those who do not know -the schedule in the 60s was 10 games regular season and 11 games in the 70s and 80s and most of the 90s - of those Memphis State typically played a minimum of 2 to 3 SEC games most of the time 3 to 5 SEC games plus games vs Florida State, Texas AM, USC etc
NOTE: Imagine if we had those teams vs todays schedule... a 6-5 Memphis team playing 4 to 5 sec teams, Michigan, Florida state was kick ass.
So, Tiger football in the 70s and 80s minus a few years of transition was without question pretty damned good football with some freaking amazing players and coaches who were incredible.
Now you get into the more current "modern" era of football of the 2000s...BTW when Rip Scheer was hired...not in the 70s or 80s.....
Rip for all of his negative post by people had some really good teams not record wise etc - but do people even remember once or twice we finished 2 or 3rd in conference...out of conference we played again 3 to 5 SEC teams, Florida State rinse repeat....BTW, he beat Tennessee...got it...fluke...he was also the closest to beat them two other times - we should have beaten UT 3 out of 4 games in the late 90s
and early 2000s
I don't know your view on Tiger Football History but mine is very different than yours...It would be good for all younger people to read the actual history of Tiger football.
So, no Rip was not our coach during the 70s or 80s and they were terrific teams.
A retro fitted stadium is better than nothing at this point. It's our only hope to hang onto possibly and I say possibly the next moves, if we do not do this - we are left behind.
For all of those complaining, I hope you change your mind...I can tell you, you will be envious of all of us attending the opening game that season - once they figure out what that season will it will be tremendous.
Yes, a lot of posters who really know a lot of real/big info have departed here - seems to be an infection of people jealous of those who do know things then attack those who share things because "they" don't know.
This board has a personality of 13 year old's on a playground after school, lot of immature posters who make personal attacks vs good conversation.
It is what it is.
The history above can be looked up, I did it by memory after I read the post about how bad our football was in the 70s and 80s...