Assistant Coaches Johnson "Jeep" Hunter Tight Ends THE HUNTER FILE Personal Born: Denver, NC Birthdate: 8-30-67 College: Catawba College (1991) Athletics: 3 year football letterman at defensive back for Catawba College Wife: Susan Hunter Coaching Experience Univ. of Memphis (2003) Eastern Kentucky University (2001-02) UT-Chattanooga (2000) Clemson University (1998-1999) Clemson Graduate Assistant (1996-97) North Carolina A & T State (1994-96) Bandys High School (1991-93) Catawba College Student-Asst. (1987-90) Johnson "Jeep" Hunter is entering his first season as an assistant coach on Tommy West's staff at The University of Memphis. But the North Carolina native is no stranger to West, having served as a graduate assistant and later as Director of Football Operations at Clemson. Hunter, who will coach the Tiger tight ends, comes to Memphis from Eastern Kentucky University where he worked with the Colonels' secondary for two seasons. Prior to his accepting the position at Eastern Kentucky University, Hunter coached the defensive backs at UT-Chattanooga during the 2000 season and was instrumental in helping the Mocs to a 6-5 record. Before serving at UT-Chattanooga, he worked as a graduate assistant football coach at Clemson University from 1996-98 and was named by West as Assistant Athletic Director for Football Management at Clemson in 1999. As the Assistant AD for Football Management, Hunter was responsible for working with professional scouts, overseeing the walk-on program, handling coaching clinics and summer camps and handling official and unofficial visits to Clemson's campus. Hunter worked with back-to-back Peach Bowl teams at Clemson as the Tigers faced LSU in the 1996 Peach Bowl and Auburn in January of 1998. A native of Denver, North Carolina, Hunter played collegiate football at Catawba College, an NAIA Division II school, in Salisbury, NC, for three years. He lettered as a member of the secondary but his collegiate career was cut short during his junior year when he suffered a severe knee injury that ended his playing days. Hunter went to Catawba College from East Lincoln High School in Denver, NC, where he lettered as a quarterback, running back, defensive back and kick returner. He was an all-state defensive back for East Lincoln as a senior. He served as a student assistant coach at Catawba from 1987-90 after his career-ending injury. He spent the next three seasons as the assistant head coach, defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator at Bandys High School in Catawba, NC. From 1994-96, Hunter was an assistant football coach at North Carolina A&T State University where he worked with wide receivers, outside linebackers and defensive backs. Hunter received his bachelor's degree in business administration/physical education from Catawba College in 1990. He has done additional graduate work at both North Carolina A&T and Clemson. During the summer of 2001, Hunter served an NFL Minority Internship with the St. Louis Rams where he worked with defensive secondary coach Ron Meeks. Hunter married the former Susan Potokar of Cleveland, Ohio, this past July. 46
JOHN FLOWERS DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL OPERATIONS THE FLOWERS FILE Personal Born: Nokomis, IL Birthdate: 12-7-54 College: Southern Illinois (1976) Athletics: 4 year football letterman at defensive end & linebacker Wife: LuAnn Flowers Children: Brittany & Brooke Experience Univ. of Memphis (1985-present) Lincoln High School (1978-84) John Flowers, who came to Memphis in 1985, is in his 19th season as a member of the football staff. He serves as Tommy West's director of football operations and oversees the day-to-day running of the football office. Since his arrival in Memphis, Flowers has worked under head coaches Rey Dempsey (1984-85), Charlie Bailey (1986-88), Chuck Stobart (1989-94), Rip Scherer (1995-2000) and Tommy West (2001-present). Most recently, Flowers has been involved with the renovation of Murphy Athletic Complex and the new addition to the complex which includes new football locker rooms, coaches locker rooms and meeting rooms, video rooms, media interview rooms, as well as new training rooms, equipments rooms and locker rooms for other sports. The new addition, which began construction in January of 2002, also has a large Hall of Fame area that will highlight the careers of numerous Tiger football greats. Flowers is responsible for the movement of the Tiger football team at both home games and road contests. He works hand-in-hand with hotel management in arranging player and staff rooms, as well as team meals. During Tiger home games, he can be found setting up and hosting the Memphis football recruiting area and welcoming visitors to Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Flowers serves as a guest speaker for Tiger football around the Mid-South and often fills in when head coach Tommy West is unavailable. Flowers came to Memphis after serving in the high school coaching ranks for seven years in the state of Illinois. A graduate of Southern Illinois University, Flowers played for the Salukis in the 1970s and received his degree from SIU in 1976. As a player, Flowers was nominated for UPI Lineman of the Week after registering 18 tackles, six sacks, one pass break up and a blocked punt against the University of Northern Illinois. He lettered for four years for the Southern Illinois defense. He entered the coaching profession as an assistant coach at Lincoln High School (IL) and became the head coach in 1983. His 1984 squad posted a 9-2-0 record and appeared in the state playoffs. A graduate of Nokomis High School, Flowers signed with SIU in 1973. He lettered for four years as a linebacker and received the Star Lineman Award as a senior. Flowers was selected to the Tri-State (Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana) first team. Flowers spends his free time with his family, enjoys hunting, fishing and playing golf. THE FLOWERS FAMILY 47 John and his wife, LuAnn, have two daughters, Brittany, and Brooke. Brittany and her husband, Judd Rhodes, have one daughter, Olivia, age 10 months. Brooke is entering her senior year at The U of M after graduating from Bartlett High School in Memphis, where she was a letter winner for the Lady Panther basketball team.
MIKE STARK HEAD STRENGTH & CONDITIONING COACH Mike Stark, who lettered for the Tigers for three years under former head coach Billy J. Murphy during the late 1960s and early 1970s, has returned to the University as the head strength and conditioning coach. Stark is entering his fourth year with the Tiger athletic department. A native Memphian, Stark comes to The U of M after serving as defensive coordinator and head strength coach at Cordova High School for two years (1998-99). In addition, he worked as the head wrestling coach for the Wolfpack. Prior to joining the staff at Cordova High, Stark spent 10 years as the defensive coordinator and strength coach at Bartlett High School in Memphis. During his tenure at Bartlett, the Panthers posted a 87-39 record, made seven appearances in the state playoffs and reached the quarterfinals four times. As the strength coach, his teams won eight City Weightlifting Championships and three Tennessee Weightlifting Championships. Stark began his coaching and strength career at Trezevant High School in Memphis. From 1983-89 the Bears posted a 42-8 record, made the state playoffs three times and won a state championship. A 1972 graduate of The University of Memphis (then Memphis State University), Stark played football for the Tigers for four years serving as an offensive lineman. He was selected to the All-MVC Freshman Team in 1968 and received All- Missouri Valley Conference honors for the next three seasons. Stark received All-Midlands honors as a junior and senior and was named All- American by Associated Press, UPI and Kickoff Magazine as a senior. He received his master's degree in education from the U of M in 1982. Stark and his wife, the former Cindy Whitworth, have two children, daughter Keelie, age 16, and son Cody, age 8. LEE YERTY STRENGTH & CONDITIONING COACH Lee Yerty begins his fifth season as a fulltime assistant strength and conditioning coach. Yerty, who works with all sports under the director of strength and conditioning, had served one year as an administrative assistant for women's athletics before he was appointed to his new position. Yerty, a 1986 graduate of Washington State University, was the assistant strength coach at WSU from 1985-90 before accepting the job of marketing director at Eastern Washington in 1991. Yerty was elevated to assistant athletic director in 1993 before becoming the recruiting coordinator for volleyball in 1995. Yerty is the husband of Carrie Yerty, Memphis' head volleyball coach. They have two sons, Weslee, who is five years old and Jace, who was born in November of 2002. GERARD ARNOLD Graduate Assistant Gerard Arnold, who lettered for three years for the University of Memphis, is entering his second season as a graduate assistant at The University of Memphis. He was hired in September of 2002 as a graduate assistant for the strength & conditioning department at The University of Memphis. A native of Lexington, TN, Arnold was one of the most prolithic backs in school history. He rushed for 613 yards as a sophomore and then became the school's all-time single season rushing leader when he gained 1,059 yards during the 1998 campaign. He added 826 yards as a senior and finished his career as the Tigers' second all-time leading rusher with 2,378 yards and 17 touchdowns. He a eraged 4.8 yards per carry during his three seasons of competition. Following graduation, Arnold signed with the NFL Washington Redskins but was injured in camp and missed the 1999 season. He returned for the 2000 season but ended his career due to his previously injured knee. 48 KEVIN WHITE GRADUATE ASSISTANT Kevin White, a former Tiger walk-on football player and undergraduate assistant coach, will be entering his second season as the offensive graduate assistant for Tommy West's Tiger football program. White will assist the offensive line and will work with coach Rick Mallory. White came to the University of Memphis in 1998 after spending one year at Bethel College. He lettered as a freshman linebacker at Bethel where he registered 87 tackles as a freshman. White spent three semesters at the U of M as a player before deciding on a career in coaching. A native of Munford, TN, White lettered for two years in football. He was credited with 117 tackles as a senior and had three fumble recoveries. Playing for coach Mark Fisher, White had 202 career stops and three pass interceptions. He was named to Who's Who Among American High School Students as a senior at Munford High. White and his wife, Mary, have two sons, Tyler and Tucker. J.C. MOREAU GRADUATE ASSISTANT Moreau, who will be entering his second year at the U of M, is a native of Quebec, Canada, and a graduate of Colgate University. He lettered for three years in football at Colgate and received his degree in History and Education in 2000. Moreau served as the head strength and conditioning coach at Lafayette College. He has recently been certified as a USA Weightlifting Sports Performance Coach. VIC CUMMINS GRADUATE ASSISTANT Cummins is a graduate of East Central Oklahoma University where he lettered in football. A native of Norman, OK, Cummins also attended the University of Oklahoma. He was an all-district linebacker at ECOU and had 120 tackles as a senior.
ED CANTLER HEAD TRAINER Eddie Cantler is beginning his 33rd season at the University of Memphis. Head trainer since 1980, Cantler is in charge of all men's sports with football being his primary duty. Cantler, a native of Bowling Green, KY, came to Memphis in 1970 and received his undergraduate degree from The U of M in 1974. Cantler, the host of cable TV's Trainer's Corner for ten years, was inducted into the Tennessee Athletic Trainer's Hall of Fame in 1996. He was the state's Trainer of the Year in 1994 and received the NATA Athletic Trainer Service Award in May of 1998. He was also inducted into the All- American Football Foundation Hall of Fame in 2001. Cantler, who enjoys singing, received his master's degree in health education from The U of M in August of 1977. In addition to his duties as head athletic trainer, Cantler served as an instructor of health for The University of Memphis. Cantler and his wife, Jenina, who received her doctorate degree from the University of Memphis and taught in the Math Department at the U of M, have two children, Andrew, age 15, and Michael, age 14. Cantler is in his second year as the director of Music Ministries at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Memphis. He served in the same capacity at Underwood Methodist Church in Memphis for several years. MIKE RODRIGUES ASSISTANT TRAINER Mike Rodrigues, the head trainer for Lady Tiger basketball, is entering his second season at the University of Memphis, after serving the previous four years as an athletic trainer for the Baptist Rehabilitation program at Bartlett High School. While at BHS, Rodrigues was responsible for the health care for 18 coed varsity sports. During that same period of time, Rodrigues, 35, was the head trainer for the Memphis Maniax of the XFL and handled the daily sports medicine needs of 50 professional football players. A 1990 graduate of the University of Florida, Rodrigues served as the head student trainer for the Gators for two years. During that same period of time, he worked as a summer intern for the NFL's Miami Dolphins. He enrolled in graduate school at Mississippi State University in 1991 and received his Masters of Science in Exercise Physiology in 1993. He worked with the MSU football program and supervised a staff of 10 student trainers. Rodrigues also did an internship with the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL while attending MSU. Following graduation from Mississippi State, Rodrigues was hired as an assistant trainer at the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY, and worked there for one year before returning to Mississippi State as an assistant trainer. From 1993 through 1997 he worked with the men's football program and took over the responsibilities for the women's soccer, softball and tennis programs in 1997. A native of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Rodrigues has worked the NCAA Women's East Regional Basketball Tournament, an NCAA Women's Tennis National Championship, three NCAA Regional Baseball Tournaments, the SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championship, the AXA Liberty Bowl, the Conference USA Men's Basketball Tournament and the Adidas ESP Soccer Camp. Mike is married to Memphis associate media relations director Jennifer Rodrigues and the couple has one daughter, Alyssa, who was born in November of 2002. 49 JENNIFER BRICKER ASSISTANT TRAINER Jennifer Bricker is entering her second year as the men's basketball trainer at The University of Memphis. She is responsible for injury prevention and rehabilitation and oversees the scheduling of physical exams for student-athlete. She also serves as the liaison between team doctors and the Memphis basketball coaching staff. Bricker, who is certified by the National Athletic Trainers Association, spent two years as a graduate assistant trainer at the U of M. A native of Anderson, IN, Bricker graduated from Anderson University in 1997 with a degree in athletic training. She is expected to complete her master's degree in exercise and sports science at the U of M this summer. Prior to her tenure at Memphis, Bricker worked at Campbell Clinic for two years. Bricker, 30, has been active in NATA for seven years, the National Strength and Conditioning Association for four years and the American Red Cross for five years. MARC HOHORST HEAD EQUIPMENT MANAGER Marc Hohorst joined the athletic department the summer of 2001 and is entering his third season with the U of M. He replaced former equipment manager Chris Williams. Hohorst is responsible for purchasing, issuing, and maintaining all athletic equipment, as well as supervising several student managers. He also oversees the day-to-day operations of the equipment room at South Campus, which services football, baseball, soccer, track and golf. During the fall of 2002, the Athletic Department suffered a major loss when a fire on Halloween morning destroyed the turfroom and most of the Tigers' football equipment. Hohorst received high marks and praise for gathering game day equipment from other universities in the area and preparing the football team for its next contest. A native of Lafayette, La., Hohorst joins The U of M staff from Arkansas State where he was the supervisor of equipment for the last three years. Prior to his duties at Arkansas State, Hohorst worked for one year at his college alma mater, the
University of Louisiana-Lafayette, in a game management capacity. He worked various ULL events, serving as the visiting team host and organizing ticket sales and records. Hohorst graduated from the University of Southwestern Louisiana ( n o w called ULL) in 1997 with a degree in physical education. He received his Louisiana teaching certification that same year and served as a substitute teacher in 1997 and 1998 at Youngsville Middle School. While at USL, Hohorst also assisted in the equipment room as a student and worked both the NCAA softball regional tournament and the Sunbelt Conference baseball tournament as a tournament official. He spent one year with the Lafayette Swamp Cats as the head equipment manager before the team disbanded. GEORGE CLAIBORNE VIDEOGRAPHER George Claiborne, who joined the athletic department staff at The University of Memphis in August of 2002 as the video coordinator, is in his second full football season with the Tigers. He replaced Joel Barron who left the school in August of 2002 to fill a similar position at Indiana. Claiborne, a native of Nashville, Tennessee, attended Father Ryan High School in Nashville, before enrolling at Auburn University in 1987. In 1999, Claiborne joined the video staff at the University of South Carolina and for three years assisted former Tiger videographer Joe Lisle with the day-to-day operation of the Gamecock video for football and baseball. He was highly involved in video cuts for head coach Lou Holtz and also helped prepare video highlights on a weekly basis. Claiborne is responsible for all of the video needs for the athletic department and oversees a staff of as many as three student videographers. Tiger Pride The University of Memphis Tiger Pride are a group of coeds who provide valuable assistance for the Tiger football program in recruiting and additionally serve as ambassadors for the Athletic Department. The Tiger Pride members are responsible for giving walking tours of The U of M campus to recruits and their families during the national recruiting period. They answer questions about classes, class size, residents life and dorm activities for the families of prospective student-athletes. During Homecoming week and Senior Parent Day the Tiger Pride members are responsible for decorating the Memphis locker room at South Campus and the dorm. In addition to working with football, the Tiger Pride have served as hostesses for the athletic department at events held at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium and at The Pyramid. "These young ladies are dedicated to The University of Memphis and are giving of their time to let others know how enjoyable the college experience can be at The U of M," said Sherri Schwartz, the campus sponsor of the Tiger Pride for the past three years. "These 30 young ladies have a strong Carol Reeves Admin. Secretary Football Sherri Schwartz Recruiting Secretary working knowledge of the campus and its activities and they enjoy sharing that information with others." Schwartz, who has been with The University of Memphis athletic department for three years, is in her second year as the sponsor of the Tiger Pride. She works as the recruiting secretary for the football. "I can't say enough about Sherri and the Tiger Pride," said Tiger head football coach Sherri Schwartz Tommy West "They can offer a prospective student-athlete information about campus life that they see as students on an everyday basis. It's invaluable to our program. These young ladies are truly am- Ryan Mallory Casey Winn Haley Ragland Sandra Hardaway Tiger Pride President Talia Palacio Tiger Pride VP 50
PLAYERS