U of M alum Larry Porter is coming home. The former Memphis Tiger tailback — and running backs coach at LSU the last five years — was named the new head coach of the Tiger football program Sunday afternoon at a public press conference in the Mike Rose Theatre on the university’s campus. The 37-year-old Porter will take his first head-coaching job as the successor to Tommy West, whose nine-year stint as Tiger coach ended with a loss in Tulsa last Friday.
- Memphis Football Coach Larry Porter
Porter opened by thanking God and his family for what he called a “blessing.” He then went on to share some of the conviction that clearly sold the U of M administration on his candidacy. “The Memphis job is the perfect job, in the perfect place for me,” he said. “I understand the Memphis brand, and I believe in it unconditionally. I have a passion and a vision that allows me to walk into homes, and to talk to faculty and the student body and get them to believe in that vision. I’m motivated to get this program to the next level.
“We’re all in this together,” stressed Porter. “I don’t want you to follow me; I want you to join me in taking Memphis football to a championship level. This job is a diamond in the rough that’s waiting to sparkle.”
