Anyone who wants an on-campus stadium needs to email your thoughts to University of Memphis President Dr. Shirley Raines. Her email address is sraines@memphis.edu. Below is my letter to her.

Dr. Raines,

This is going to sound a little strange but please take a few moments to hear me out.

I spent most of Friday thinking about the reports of the feasibility study and how the building an on-campus stadium was very possible. I was genuinely excited. My wife would call and she would ask what I was doing and I’d say, “Oh, just thinking about an on-campus stadium.”

I awoke Saturday morning after having a wonderful dream. This dream started with me walking across Highland Avenue towards the University of Memphis campus. A cell phone in my pocket rang with the Tigers fight song. It was message alert, I opened it and it said “University Centennial Celebration today August 29th, 20012.”

I quickened my pace as my eyes took in the beauty of the amazing entrance to the campus. My eyes welled up a couple of nostalgic tears seeing the improvement in my alma mater. I walked further down Walker and saw what appeared to be light towers of a stadium in the distance. That put even more snap in my step.

The closer I got to campus the more I began to encounter all my former classmates, my friends who graduated decades ago, and even my daughter who is a 2009 graduate. We were all wearing blue sporting the distinctive leaping Tiger logo. There was just a massive crowd of people just milling around the campus looking at the new buildings and asking questions. I remember one gentleman, who looked to be in his seventies, talking about how great it was to finally be back on campus.

I slowly took it all in as I walked across the Alumni Mall. You could just sense the excitement of the people. Yes, I could really tell that the entire school not just the football fans were in full celebration mode.

Then I caught a glimpse of the shiny new stadium adorned in blue and gray with tributes to our football and school history. It was one of the most beautiful things I’d ever seen even if only in a dream. I felt like a six-year-old looking down the stairs at a shiny new bike Santa brought.

I could even smell the tailgate food cooking. This dream was as vivid as any dream I’ve had in my life. Then I hear my grandson, Jacob, and the sweet voice of my granddaughter Kacy. They are so excited. This 9-year-old boy was having the time of his life on my alma mater’s campus. Then he looks up at me and says, “Pots (he calls me Pots, don’t ask), when I go to college, I want to go right here. Just like you, Papaw and Aunt Jessie.”

When I awoke the dream seemed so very real to me. At first I was frustrated I didn’t get to see the inside of the stadium. Then the realization that the stadium hasn’t been built yet and my granddaughter is still four weeks away from being born saddened me. So I thought about what I could do to help this effort. I will do whatever I can do. If you want my money, I’ll give it. If you want my time, I’ve got plenty. I think we as alumni want to do this more than we’ve wanted anything our lifetimes. I hear the overall support by fans, supporters and even those who support other schools who want to see the University of Memphis succeed.

I implore you to be brave enough to do this for the future of our University, our athletics and for community as a whole. If you see this through then you will be remembered as the University of Memphis president who put us on another level. And from what I’ve read and heard from the report is appears that it is not as difficult as first imagined.

If you have any questions about the effect such a venture would have on the academic side, take 10 minutes of your busy schedule and call the President at the University of Louisville. He has been reported as saying that building the stadium and committing to their athletic programs bettered everything about their school.

We alumni are dreaming. We alumni have been thinking about what we have to do to make this happen. We alumni are prepared do what is necessary to see it through. Are you?

Thanks
John T. Stacy
BA Dec 2002