Geoff Calkins
Calkins: The Grizzlies get Cam Boozer — and a night of authentic joy
Opinion: After a season of misery, the Memphis Grizzlies gave their fans a night to celebrate. It included Cam Boozer, Karim Lopez and honest-to-God hope.
Geoff Calkins
Columnist
Geoff Calkins has been chronicling Memphis and Memphis sports for more than two decades. Calkins has been named the best sports columnist in the country five times by the Associated Press sports editors, but still figures his best columns are about the people who make Memphis what it is.
There are 1128 articles by Geoff Calkins :
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June 2026
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: The new board managing Memphis schools opens for business — in Nashville.
The new board overseeing Memphis-Shelby County Schools convened for the first time Thursday — in Nashville, with little notice, at 8:45 a.m. If the hope was to win over conflicted Memphians, this was a bizarre way to start.
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: The Memphis Art Museum will be the next great place in the city — because of Barbara and Pitt Hyde.
Pitt and Barbara Hyde didn’t want their name on the new Memphis Art Museum. That didn’t stop Memphis mayor Paul Young from highlighting the couple’s astounding work. “For a generation you have led with generosity and vision,” Young said. “And your mark on the city — on Downtown in particular — is everywhere.”
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Q&A: More from the Hydes on Downtown, the Grizzlies, AutoZone Park and the future of Memphis
Memphis Art Museum will have free admission for Shelby County residents
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MetroQ&A: More from the Hydes on Downtown, the Grizzlies, AutoZone Park and the future of Memphis
The Daily Memphian’s Geoff Calkins sat down with Barbara and Pitt Hyde to talk about the new museum, their hands-on approach to civic projects and why Memphis continues to be — in their words — their “big bet.”
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: Otis Sanford tells his story — and it’s one that you should hear.
When Otis Sanford was growing up in Mississippi, his father would ask him, “What’s in the news?” Answering that question has taken Sanford to places neither of them could possibly have imagined. Now he’s captured the journey in a new book.
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: The road to Graceland is an international embarrassment. We drove it to find out why.
Why is it taking nearly two decades to fix Elvis Presley Boulevard? I invited state Senator Raumesh Akbari to join me in my 2015 minivan for a drive-along. Here’s what I learned.
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: A wrecking ball is coming for 495 Union. Here’s why that matters to every Memphian.
Why does it matter that the wrecking balls are coming for 495 Union? Because it’s not just a building that is being destroyed. An institution is imperiled, too.
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Sports Sloane Stephens accepts wildcard to play in Memphis Classic
Former U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens has accepted a wildcard to play in the Memphis Classic, the new WTA tournament that will be held at the Leftwich Tennis Center from July 25 to Aug. 2.
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May 2026
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: You know what’s right with the world? People like Joe Ford.
At the age of 60, Joe Ford started pole vaulting. And started passing his wisdom along. He’s now retiring as a volunteer coach at the age of 75. But you can bet he’ll still be around.
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Geoff Calkins Calkins: John Isner and Sam Querrey to play a special exhibition in Memphis
Back in 2010, John Isner and Sam Querrey met each other in a memorable ATP final at The Racquet Club. On July 25, they’ll be back in Memphis for an exhibition to help celebrate the return of professional tennis to the city.
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Memphis Tigers FootballCalkins: Memphis to join Power 4 in 2028? So says Charles Huff.
Memphis coach Charles Huff said Memphis plans to join a Power 4 conference in 2028. Was it a guarantee? Not exactly. “I think you’ve got to speak things into existence,” he said.
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: Why was there a flash mob in the Methodist hospital parking garage? Because dancing always helps.
Brittnye Ostrom-Robinson — a former dancer for the Memphis Grizzlies and U of M Pom — is stuck in the hospital with a difficult diagnosis. So how did friends and family lift her spirits? With a dancing flash mob, of course.
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: She slept with a gun under her bed. He was jailed for marching at age 11. They meet again after six decades.
“I remember us being chased by the Klan in Moscow, Tennessee,” Dekater Horton said, “because you are driving in a car with a white woman. It was in the middle of the day. We got on a dirt road, and they couldn’t catch us. It was normal, honestly.”
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: #MakeMemphisMadder — on a week the city best never forget
There is a single spot in Memphis where you can stand in all three congressional districts. It’s an absurdity, yes. And a cause for rage.
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: People warned these two Memphis graduates about the city. Then they fell in love with the place.
They’re a married couple — and two of the very best students graduating from the University of Memphis Saturday. But the best part of their story is the way they’ve embraced the city they now call home.
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Geoff Calkins Calkins: On Election Day, the shameful work of erasing Memphis begins
“They’re killing an iconic American city,” said U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, who flew in to join Tuesday’s protest. “It’s a terrible day for Memphis and it’s a terrible day for Tennessee.”
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Anger, disbelief and solidarity: How Memphians in Nashville are reacting to proposed redistricting
Tennessee Legislature’s special session starts today. Here’s how it could go
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: If Memphis really matters, don’t carve it into thirds
“Memphis is in a corner. Memphis is its own place. To divide the 9th Congressional District into thirds would be ‘like putting the Black vote in the back of the bus.’”
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: The best young athlete in Memphis? Noah Schepman is an inspiration on wheels.
When Noah Schepman was one, his dad built him a tiny wheelchair. Now Schepman’s tennis coach calls him “the fastest kid — on feet or wheels — that I’ve ever seen.”
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April 2026
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: Yes, the Grizzlies might play games in Nashville. But that’s no reason to be terrified.
If you were an owner intent on keeping a profitable NBA team in Memphis, wouldn’t you do whatever you could to tap into the Nashville market? To bring some of those Nashville riches over here?
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City of MemphisCalkins: Remember the winter storm of 2026? It inspired a dog (and cat) story to warm your heart.
The great winter storm of 2026 — it was inconvenient for a lot of us humans. But it turned out to be the best thing ever for a lot of local dogs.
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SportsCalkins: Ted Butler is about to teach his 100,000th golf lesson. And he’s not about to stop.
Ted Butler didn’t want to teach golf lessons. That was nearly 100,000 lessons ago. The math is absolutely staggering. But the man is not about to stop.
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: The Grizzlies need some lottery luck. Maybe that will stop people from talking about Ja Morant.
Did the Grizzlies mistreat Ja Morant? No, of course not. But it’s telling (and unfortunate) that the question had to be asked.
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Geoff CalkinsCalkins: Time to hold Musk and xAI to ‘the one promise they’ve made.’
“Will Elon Musk follow through on his promise to build a water-recycling facility? It’s up to Memphians to make sure he does.”
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Spirit of MemphisCalkins: After more than eight decades, a Memphis war hero will finally be awarded the diploma he earned
Memphis State student Arthur Allen was hailed as a war hero when he was killed in a bombing mission over Germany. More than 80 years later, Allen’s family will be presented with the diploma that Allen well and truly earned.
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Memphis GrizzliesCalkins: The Grizzlies have a problem. And it isn’t just basketball.
They fell in love with the Grizzlies on their first date. But after Monday’s game, they’re giving up their season tickets. And they’re not alone.
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