Memphis Tigers football
The Memphis Tigers football team represents the University of Memphis in college football in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The Tigers play in the American Athletic Conference as an all-sports member. They play home games at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. The team's head coach is Ryan Silverfield. Since their inaugural season in 1912, the Memphis Tigers have won over 500 games and appeared in thirteen bowl games. The program has also claimed eight conference championships with the most recent coming in 2019. History Early history (1912–1974) West Tennessee State Normal School's football team had their first season in 1912. The team was coached by Clyde Wilson. In 1922, Lester Barnard was the Tigers head coach. His team compiled a 5–2–2 record. Zach Curlin succeeded Barnard and served as the Tigers head coach from 1924 to 1936. During Curlin's tenure, the school was a member of two athletic conferences, the Mississippi Valley Conference (1928–1934) and the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (1935–1941). When Curlin stepped down as the football coach after the 1936 campaign, the school's search committee recommended Allyn McKeen and immediately hired Cecil C. Humphreys as the school's president from Tennessee Junior College in Martin, now named the