Again, my pick to be our next coach.
Memphis Tiger coach Mike Norvell wows them at the Touchdown Club
Five quick thoughts on Memphis football coach Mike Norvell’s rousing appearance at the Touchdown Club on Monday night:
1. The guy was tremendous. But don’t take my word for it, take the word of a Tennessee fan who was at the event and said, when it was over, “I want him.” Memphis fans should be happy that no athletic directors from other schools were in attendance, because they’d have wanted to hire Norvell on the spot. He started by going to every table and shaking hands with each person in attendance. I’ve never seen that before. Then, when Steve Ehrhart introduced Briarcrest running back (and Memphis commit) Tyler Badie as the AutoZone Liberty Bowl high school player of the week, Norvell — who wasn’t allowed to speak with Badie, because it’s a dead period for recruiting — leapt to his feet to cheer the kid, to the immense amusement of the crowd. Said Ehrhart, deadpan: “I’ve never seen that. A standing ovation of one.”
2. Then Norvell gave a stemwinder of a stump speech. Someone who had seen me at Tennessee coach Butch Jones’s appearance at the Touchdown Club a few weeks ago put it this way: “Isn’t it more fun being at a wedding than a wake?” Norvell got a huge ovation when it was over. More than one person told me he was among the best speakers they’d ever had. Norvell has always had his strengths — incredible energy, genuine personal charm, the ability to connect to players and recruits, a creative tactical mind — but I wouldn’t have necessarily listed public oratory among them. At least, until now.
3. Of course, Norvell has a lot to talk about, with the Tigers heading into their bye week with an 8-1 record and ranked in the Top 25. As Norvell put it, looking out at a group that included fans from all sorts of schools: “We have people that like to wear orange, we have people that like to wear red, we have people that like to wear blue. But at the end of the day, being a Memphian, there’s something extremely special about that. Because this community, and the team that I get to lead, we all represent each other. (Tuesday) night, at about 7 o'clock I believe, they’re going to do the Top 25, they’re going to do the show. And when you sit there and you turn on that television, and you see the University of Memphis show up and that logo pops up, they might not talk about us, but there’s going to be a sense of pride in everybody sitting in this room because we represent you.”
4. Norvell addressed the opportunity in front of Memphis head-on. “And as we’re going into this bye week, we understand that this is the most important work week that we have, because the next opportunity, 11 o’clock, right out there on the field of the Liberty Bowl here in two Saturdays, we’re going to be in a championship game, because if we win that game, we will win the Western Division Championship in the American Conference,” he said. “And I can promise you that you’re going to get our very best to the end. And whatever color that’s in the core of you, get your butt there to the Liberty Bowl next Saturday. Come support this team because, man, they are doing something special.”
5. Yes, Norvell was asked about other jobs — indirectly, at least. The last question went like this: “Coach, you wouldn’t ever think about coaching at Ole Miss, would you?” Norvell laughed and said, “Not one day goes by that we do not think about this group, and when I say this group, this community we represent. Being the head coach at the University of Memphis, the greatest thing about it is the people we represent.” So put that down as a no comment. But a sincere one, at least. Norvell does consider it a privilege to represent this city. He genuinely likes his current gig. As for the rest, let's just see how it plays out. Starting next Saturday at the Liberty Bowl.
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