THANK YOU John Calipari!

Let me thank John Calipari for his undying support for our entire community and his dedication to improving every aspect of life in Memphis. Without Coach Cal, Memphis will be a LOT less enjoyable. Thank you Coach Cal from the bottom of our hearts. We DO appreciate you.

Coach Cal, We are sorry to see you leave, but we wish you the BEST of luck and fortune at Kentucky. You absolutely DESERVE it.

ALSO, let me thank our Memphis Tigers Basketball Team for a GREAT 2008-2009 season. We are all proud of your work ethic, your dedication and your trip to the sweet 16. NOTHING can diminish the year you had, and we ALL enjoyed the ride very much. THANK YOU From the bottom of our hearts! We are PROUD of you all.

Let's give credit where credit is due, and lay blame where blame should be.

Athletic Director, R. C. Johnson deserves credit for bringing Calipari to Memphis and keeping him here for nine years.

R. C. Johnson and President, Dr. Shirley Rains also deserve the blame for allowing Calipari to leave. NO - you did NOT do all you could do to keep Calipari here. You did NOT do the ONE thing Calipari needed to stay in Memphis - Move the University Of Memphis into a TIER ONE Conference. For Calipari, it is about MUCH MORE than the money!

For talented, driven people like Calipari, achieving Adolph Rupp status in college basketball is very important and not something that could ever be achieved in a TIER TWO Conference like CUSA.

With Calipari, we had an opportunity to move into a TIER ONE Conference, even dragging along a mediocre football team.  With a commitment to upgrade our football team a bit, and Calipari basketball teams, we could have jumped to the Big Leagues. Louisville left because they realized the importance in being in a quality conference. OBVIOUSLY, The University of Memphis does NOT!

It is now over for many years in the future. The University of Memphis is relegated to mediocrity and TIER TWO obscurity. We will NEVER be allowed to join a Major League Conference until we can create the type of Basketball or Football team like Calipari created. Calipari Type Teams generate money and NATIONAL excitement, and ALL tier one conferences are interested in both money and NATIONAL excitement.

• Dr. Shirley Rains, President - sraines@memphis.edu
• R. C. Johnson, Athletic Director - rjohnson@memphis.edu


Respectfully,
Bob Metz
New Tech Graphics

Home of:
www.SafetyBanners.Org

Banners 4 Stores is a subsidiary of New Tech Graphics, Memphis, Tennessee
• The Heart & Soul of Rock & Roll... and a strong, proud supporter of Coach John Calipari.