John Calipari’s Memphis run is getting another big piece of recognition.
The Razorbacks coach, who led the Tigers from 2000-09, will headline the 2026 Memphis Sports Hall of Fame class. Calipari will go in alongside Chelsea Bramlett from softball, Stubby Clapp from baseball, Phil Chamberlain from tennis, Stephen Gostkowski and Tim Harris from football, and Larry Kenon from basketball.
The ceremony is scheduled for Sept. 16 at 6:30 p.m. at the Renasant Convention Center.
“Memphis will always hold a special place in my heart,” Calipari said. “The people, the players and the support we received made our time in Memphis special. We built something together that I’ll always be proud of, and I’m honored to be inducted into the Memphis Sports Hall of Fame.”
His case for the Hall is a strong one. Calipari remains the winningest coach in Memphis basketball history, posting a 252-69 record overall and going 117-25 in Conference USA play. The Tigers were especially dominant in the back half of his tenure, finishing 61-1 in C-USA regular-season games over his final four years.
During his nine seasons, Memphis collected seven regular-season titles and four C-USA Tournament championships. The Tigers reached the NCAA title game in 2007-08, made Elite Eight trips in 2006 and 2007, got to the Sweet 16 in 2009, and earned NCAA Tournament bids in 2003 and 2004. Calipari also guided Memphis to an NIT championship in 2002 and NIT Final Four appearances in 2001 and 2005.
Consistency was the calling card. He won at least 20 games every year at Memphis, including four 30-win seasons and an NCAA-record 38 wins in 2007-08. Calipari later matched that 38-win mark twice at Kentucky, going 38-2 in 2011-12 and 38-1 in 2014-15.
Calipari is one of five coaches in NCAA history with more than 900 Division I wins. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 2015 and has been national coach of the year five times - 1996, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2015. His other coaching honors include three C-USA Coach of the Year awards, three Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year honors and four SEC Coach of the Year selections.
The Memphis years also produced a pipeline to the NBA. Nine Tigers were drafted during Calipari’s time there, including Derrick Rose, the 2011 NBA MVP and the No. 1 overall pick in 2008.
That made him one of four players coached by Calipari to go first overall. The other first-round selections were Dajuan Wagner, Rodney Carney, Shawne Williams and Tyreke Evans.
The individual honors piled up, too. Evans was named National Freshman of the Year, seven players earned All-America recognition, and Antonio Burks, Carney and Chris Douglas-Roberts each won C-USA Player of the Year.
Six Tigers were named C-USA Freshman of the Year - Wagner, Sean Bankes, Darius Washington, Williams, Rose and Evans - while Jeremy Hunt and Wesley Witherspoon took home C-USA Sixth Man of the Year honors. Calipari’s players also captured C-USA Defensive Player of the Year three times, with Joey Dorsey winning it twice and Antonio Anderson once, and they collected 22 All-C-USA honors plus 10 spots on the C-USA All-Freshman/All-Rookie teams.
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