History of the Tigers

The Memphis Tigers are the athletic teams that represent the University of Memphis, located in Memphis, Tennessee. The teams compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the American Athletic Conference, except for the rifle team, which is a member of the single-sport Great America Rifle Conference.

The Memphis Tigers men's basketball program first gained national prominence when it reached the 1973 NCAA Division I basketball championship game. The Tigers, led by Larry Finch, Larry Kenon, Ronnie Robinson, Bill Cook, and others, eventually lost to John Wooden's UCLA Bruins, led by Bill Walton.

College Sports Established
1912

Location
Memphis, Tennessee

College Name
University of Memphis

Collegiate History
1973 - Present / NCAA Division 1
1928 - 1973 / University Division of the NCAA

Conference History
2013 - Present / American Athletic Conference
1995 - 2013 / Conference USA
1973 - 1996 / Independent
1968 - 1973 / Missouri Valley Conference
1941 - 1968 - Independent
1935 - 1941 / Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
1928 - 1934 / Mississippi Valley Conference

Nickname
Tigers - When the Memphis State University first fielded a football team in the fall of 1912, no one had selected a nickname for the squad. Early references to the football team tabbed them only as the Blue and Gray Warriors.

After the final game of the 1914 season, there was a student parade. During this event, several university students shouted, "We fight like Tigers!" The nickname was born. As time passed, the nickname "Tigers" was increasingly used, particularly in campus publications, but did not catch on with the newspapers downtown. They continued to use "the Blue and Gray" when referring to the university.

NCAA Championships
Baseball 0

Men's Basketball 0

Women's Basketball 0

Football 0

Soccer 0