District 89 state representative Beverly Marrero,
who is one of two Democrats hoping to succeed congressman-elect Steve Cohen
as District 30 state senator, got a New Year’s Day blessing Monday, when the former senator acknowledged he intended to endorse her candidacy. Marrero’s primary opponent is former city attorney Robert Spence. For more, go to “Political Beat”.
What: In his State of the City speech Monday,
Mayor Willie Herenton proposed for the first time that Memphis build a new
football stadium with at least 50,000 seats. It would serve the University of
Memphis, the Southern Heritage Classic, the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, and Memphis
high schools.
Why now? The proposal came as a surprise to
almost everyone. No sportswriters or broadcast sports reporters were in
attendance, and Herenton said some of his own division directors were learning
about it for the first time. The announcement coincides with the biggest day of
college football bowl games and follows the successful Liberty Bowl game by
three days. Herenton said he wants to give the state legislature two years to
consider it. State funding of some sort will be sought, and cities usually get
tax reimbursements as well.
Where? The stadium would be built at the
Mid-South Fairgrounds, but not on the site of the current stadium, which has no
backup facility. University of Memphis Athletic Director R. C. Johnson said the
fairgrounds is “on campus” as far as he is concerned.
How much would it cost? Herenton gave no
financial estimates but said he would provide them in the next several weeks. He
said it would cost about $50 million to rehabilitate LibertyBowl Stadium and the
Mid-South Coliseum. The University of Louisville built a new 42,000-seat stadium
in 1998 for $63 million, but newer and larger stadiums have cost more than $250
million.
Who is pushing it? Herenton was joined Monday
by Steve Ehrhart of the Liberty Bowl and Fred Jones of the Southern Heritage
Classic as well as Johnson. There were no representatives of local corporations.
A representative of Memphis City Schools was there, but this is a stretch since
high school games rarely draw more than 10,000 fans.
What are the chances? Hard to say now, but
not great. The University of Memphis is coming off a terrible year, the bowl
game and Southern Heritage Classic draw more than 50,000 fans as it is, and
Memphians are still feeling the fallout from FedExForum. Then there is the empty
Pyramid. Finally, the proposal seems somewhat ill conceived. At the year’s only
hard sellout – the Tennessee v. Memphis game – the biggest complaint from fans
was not the quality of the stadium but the fact that so few gates were open that
thousands of fans missed the kickoff and much of the first quarter. This is a
Memphis Park Commission problem, not a stadium problem.
Who would pay for it? Herenton didn’t say.
All he said was that Memphis would fund improvements with economic growth and
not taxation. Corporate sponsorships will obviously be one source of funding,
but a 50,000-seat stadium would probably require some public funds.
— John Branston
Mayor Herenton’s proposed new football stadium drew its first major opposition late Monday night from Harold Byrd, the well-connected University of Memphis booster and Bank of Bartlett president. In a letter to U of M president Shirley Raines, Byrd likened the proposal to a series of bad ones over the years that have involved “off-campus” sports arenas.
Byrd’s letter reads as follows:
Dear President Raines,
I am out of town and have just learned of a proposal to build a new Football
Stadium on the Fairgrounds Complex, which would serve as the primary arena for
the University of Mphs, the Liberty Bowl, and The Southern Heritage Classic.The University of Memphis and its entire constituency (which is all of the
Greater Memphis Area) should be greatly troubled by this proposal.Poor decisions lacking vision have continually been made in Memphis historically
regarding construction of sports arenas. This started with the Liberty Bowl and
Coliseum being built “off campus” in 1965. Over the past 40 years, when the
University of Memphis had the option to fight for “on campus” facilities, the
University selflessly gave in to the supposed overall good of the community
resulting in facilities first being built on the Fairgrounds in 1965 rather than
on the University campus.The University gave up its rightful claim for a new arena in 1982 and the “20
million Jobs Conference Tenn State Grant Monies” and instead worked with
Legislators (including myself) for the monies to be allocated to the Orpheum,
Beale Street, Agricenter, and the downtown Marriott Hotel.Then came the ill conceived “on the cheap” expansion of the Liberty Bowl
approximately 15 years ago from 50000 to 61000 seats rather than building a new
1st class football arena. This poor decision probably led to the loss of a pro
football franchise for the City.Next came the ill conceived location and underfunded Pyramid causing it to be
NBA unacceptable from its inception.All of these “vision-less” decisions were financially disastrous for the
taxpaying community of Memphis and extremely hurtful to the University of
Memphis.The University has been the Primary Tenant of all the aforementioned facilities
and the “reason and purpose” for which all were built.Thus, if the proposed new football facility is being built with an NFL football
franchise in mind, downtown would be the best location just as the FedEx Forum
was for the Grizzlies. The Forum is the only 1st class sports facility that has
been built right and located in the right place in Memphis’ history.If the proposed new football stadium facility is being built for the University
of Memphis Tiger football team, it should be built “on campus”. Almost all
major Universities including UT, Ole Miss, and Arkansas have on campus football
and basketball arenas.Its time for the University to stand up and be counted and look out for its own
best interests….which by the way is also in the entire community’s best
interests as well, including the Liberty Bowl and the Southern Heritage Classic.Had the correct decisions been made over the years, the University would have
1st class football and basketball facilities on campus. Instead, the University
and unfortunately disgruntled taxpayers drive by a deteriorating Liberty Bowl
Stadium and mothballed Pyramid.Oh– to have– both of these facilities “on campus” at the University of
Memphis! Now we are facing possibly tearing both down. How many Universities
in the country would “die to have” either or both on their campusThere have been some real “mess ups” in the past. “We”– meaning particularly
the University of Memphis and the taxpayers– shouldn’t have to pay for any more
mistakes.Respectfully submitted,
Harold Byrd
Harold W. Byrd
Bank of Bartlett / Bartlett Mortgage
Vice Chairman / President