words // Nick DePaula
On August 30th, the University of Memphis will be celebrating the grand opening of the all-new Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway / University of Memphis Athletic Hall of Fame center, a 19,000 square foot extension of their existing Athletic Office Building, to showcase the school's nearly 100-year sporting heritage.
Thanks in part to a $1 Million donation during the summer of 2008 from Hardaway, a Memphis native and the most recognizable former Tiger athlete, the project is nearing completion and will be opened just in time for the start of the new school year and the football team's season opener.
"The opening of this facility will certainly add to the ambiance of the week for Tiger fans and we want everyone to come out on the 30th and take a walk through Memphis athletic history," Athletic Director R.C. Johnson recently said. Originally founded in 1912, the school has since had more than 6,200 female and male student-athletes. School officials have gathered photographs of more than 4,000 athletes, as well as key memorabilia from some of the program's greatest sporting moments through the years for the museum-style showcase.
For Hardaway, who still lives in the area, the decision to donate and contribute at his alma mater was an easy one. "I think home is always home," Hardaway told me a few months after making the donation in 2008. "It’s also my job to help out now here because I was one of the only ones that made it out of here, and maybe the one that made it the biggest out of here. So it’s my job to come back and help out the community with my time and money."
Born and raised in north Memphis, Hardaway attended nearby Treadwell High School and went on to star for the hometown Tigers for two seasons before turning pro. In 2003, he completed his remaining coursework and graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Professional Studies. While his initial donation will help the athletic program with the launch of the new Hall of Fame center, which also includes an assembly hall, theatre and conference rooms, Hardaway has even bigger plans long-term for the school and community.
"I have a goal to do as much as I can to help out these kids here, and I have a building that I want to build that is kind of like a learning center and gym," beams Penny. "It’s not only to help students with learning and education, but also to teach them the fundamentals of basketball and work on dribbling, passing and shooting. I want to really help them with my learnings of the game and really help share as much knowledge as I can."
As always, the ever-grateful Hardaway credits the area and school for all of the success he's enjoyed throughout his career. “I kept my dreams high and my goals high and I accomplished a lot of things that a lot people didn’t think that I was going to be able to accomplish,” Penny said at the donation press conference. “I’m so thankful for that, and to be able to give back to the school and to the program is something that I’m so glad that I’m able to do.”
The Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway / University of Memphis Athletic Hall of Fame center grand opening is open to the public and will be held from 5:30 - 7:00 pm on Tuesday, August 30th at 570 Normal Street on the U of M campus.
