Q & A With Larry Porter: Challenges for a New Coach

One of the challenges facing the University of Memphis when they fired Tommy West as their football coach was finding a replacement who could take Memphis to the next level. West made strides, taking the Tigers to fi ve bowl games in his nine years as head coach, but this past season was a disappointment as Memphis finished 2-10. An obstacle Memphis has always faced is that the college is in the heart of SEC territory. Memphis was an independent for years and for the last 15 seasons has been a member of the less-glamorous Conference USA. Over the years many blue chip high school players in the Memphis area have ended up at Tennessee, Ole Miss, or Arkansas. So, the Tigers were looking for someone who could unite the Memphis community, recruit more effectively and put together a coaching staff that would be able to get the most out of the talent on the team. Shortly after the end of the