Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium - Legacy

Legacy

Both the annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl game and the stadium bearing its name have been integral parts of the Memphis community for over four decades, and it can be argued that, unlike the cases of massive amounts that have been spent on many luxurious sports venues for professional sports teams in other cities in recent years, the citizens of Memphis have received a reasonable return on the capital invested in the stadium in the economic activity resulting from all of the events that the stadium has hosted over the years. The failure of the Liberty Bowl to become the long-term host of a successful professional football team has been more a result of the poorly planned and executed sports leagues that have attempted to operate teams there than any inherent fault in the stadium, which was superior to many hosting major sports teams at the time of its construction, or the Memphis market.

The stadium, despite all its faults, must be deemed to have been largely successful. It has provided the University of Memphis football team with a more-than-suitable home, and the City of Memphis a venue for other large events and an annual attraction that may not be in the top echelon of collegiate sports but nonetheless provides crowds at Memphis hotels and restaurants annually at a time when they would ordinarily be lacking, the last week in December. The Southern Heritage Classic, usually played near the beginning of the football season in September, has become one of the premier events in black collegiate sports and always brings a large crowd (sometimes 60,000 or more). Additionally, the AutoZone Liberty Bowl game has seen some of its best days since playing host to the champion of Conference USA beginning in 1997. The 2007 AutoZone Liberty Bowl set an all-time attendance record as 63,816 fans packed the stadium to watch Mississippi State University defeat the University of Central Florida.