Memphis Tigers Football

The Memphis Tigers football team has been representing the University of Memphis since 1912 in a football-mad city that has long sought (and failed) to attract a top-tier professional team. Now, with the NFL’s Tennessee Titans located in Nashville, it seems increasingly likely that the Tigers will remain at the top of the heap in terms of football within the city of Memphis. Throughout their history, the Tigers have spent many years as a middling sort of team, registering many unremarkable seasons around or below the .500 mark. That said, the Tigers do have 8 conference titles, an achievement that impresses more when you consider the nearly five decades the team spent playing as an Independent school. Their title wins came in batches, with 3 between 1929-38, 3 more between 1968-1971, and, most recently, 2 in 2014 and 2019. The Tigers also recently broke a streak of five straight Bowl losses when they claimed the 2020 Montgomery Bowl, followed by a First Responder Bowl in 2023 to bring their overall Bowl game record back to .500 at 8-8. Frustratingly, despite playing their home games in the “Liberty Bowl Stadium,” the Tigers have only made a single appearance in the Liberty Bowl game, which they lost in 2017. Win or lose, however, the team never fails to attract big crowds of students, alumni, and Tennessee residents. The city’s fantastic Tiger Lane tailgating area, which extends all the way from central Midtown in Memphis to the stadium and features treed grassy areas and electrical connections at each parking spot, is always packed with partying fans hours (or days) before kickoff, building up to the Tiger Walk near the stadium when fans gather to cheer the team’s approach along with the marching band and cheerleaders. Visitors new to the place might be surprised to see the inside of Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium dominated by blue and gray, a seemingly strange combination for a team called the Tigers, but these are historically derived from a desire for reconciliation between the Union (North) and Confederacy (South) following the American Civil War.

Memphis Tigers Rivalries

The rivalry between the Memphis Tigers and Louisville Cardinals extends from the basketball court onto the football gridiron, giving these two schools plenty of cause for enmity. Unfortunately, their football teams do not meet all that frequently, with their most recent game occurring in 2013. The Tigers also boast rivalries with the Ole Miss Rebels, Arkansas State Red Wolves (known as the Paint Bucket Bowl), Southern Miss Golden Eagles, and Cincinnati Bearcats.

Finding Memphis Tigers Football Tickets

The Memphis Tigers are a big draw in western Tennessee, with many fans driving long hours just to partake in the festivities and cheer their team on. This makes for a great atmosphere but also can render tickets difficult to find, especially for Bowl games, decisive conference matchups, or games against rival schools (see above). To get your hands on the best Memphis Tigers tickets at the most affordable prices, keep checking these listings on TicketX and use our handy TicketX stadium seating chart to compare prices and seat locations.