It has been a while since I have written… anything. I have this entire plan to re-launch The 901 Connection: a new look, new tagline, new content, new everything. But that is a story for another day. This story is one that I want to tell now. This is a story of hope in times…
Tag: blog
AAC, ESPN Agree on 12-Year Media Rights Deal Worth $1 Billion: “Majority” of Games on ESPN+
The American Athletic Conference and ESPN agreed on a 12-year, $1 billion media deal, according to a report from Michael Smith and John Ourand of Sports Business Daily. The deal, which begins in 2020-2021, pays the schools in the AAC four times what the current deal pays. The current media deal pays the league around…
It’s Johnny Football Time in Tennessee: Johnny Manziel officially joins the Memphis Express
Former Texas A&M and Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel joined the Memphis Express Monday and fans had mixed reactions on the Memphis Express – Official Group Facebook page: “We’ve officially scraped the bottom of the barrel. Manziel is the last person in the world the Express needs.” “We just became much watch TV for all…
This is Savannah’s Voice: How the 17-year-old Memphian ended up on NBC’s popular singing competition
17-year-old Savannah Brister wanted to see if she could audition for The Voice. She never thought she would make it on the stage and be chosen. “I was like, what the heck, why not try it?” laughs Brister. The Memphis native auditioned for season 16 of the popular NBC singing competition and received two chair…
Clay Bailey brings his love of Memphis and journalistic expertise to the Daily Memphian
Clay Bailey was looking at retirement. Then, a new opportunity came his way at the Daily Memphian. “The Daily Memphian definitely extended my career,” says Bailey. Bailey’s newspaper career spans back to his days at the University of Memphis (then Memphis State). Bailey played baseball in high school, but knew he was not good enough to…
Coach Ty Knott brings his experience and energy to the Memphis Express
On February 10, 2019, Coach Ty Knott will enter his inaugural season with the Memphis Express as their running backs coach and special teams coordinator. However, when the idea of coaching football was first presented to him, he was skeptical. “My father-in-law asked me to coach,” recalls Knott. “I said no.” Knott and his two…
Bilbrey: Use Thanksgiving to Really Appreciate the Things We Might Take for Granted
It is Thanksgiving time in Memphis. You remember Thanksgiving, right? It is the holiday that comes in between Halloween and Christmas. Some people like to throw away their pumpkins and put up their trees, but that is another article for another time. This article is about the essence of Thanksgiving, being thankful. Thanksgiving was a…
Bilbrey: Phil Trenary’s death, or any Memphian’s death, cannot be lost on our city
I recently had family visit that do not often frequent Memphis. My family took a day to show them some of the sights: Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid, the Peabody and Beale Street. As we were driving downtown, my father showed them all the new developments and renovations of the former abandoned warehouses. While…
From an Academic to a President: How Dr. M. David Rudd is Driving the University of Memphis to Succeed
He did not want to be president. He was an academic. Why would an academic want to be president of a university? When Dr. M. David Rudd, provost at the time, saw the deficit the University of Memphis was facing in 2014, he wanted to help his colleagues stop the financial bleeding, so he took…
Joe Cool Entertained Memphis Children and Dennis Phillippi was Along for the Ride
It was supposed to be a one-time thing. There was never supposed to be a television show, a kids’ club or multiple appearances around the community. He was not supposed to become an idol for Memphis children in the late 1980s and early 1990s. All Joe Cool was supposed to do was promote a contest…