House honors University of Memphis athletics, names Penny Hardaway AAC coach of the year

The Tennessee House of Representatives on Wednesday recognized the University of Memphis athletic department and honored coaches and student-athletes for recent accomplishments, including coach Penny Hardaway being named American Athletic Conference coach of the year.

Representative Raumesh Akbari Camper introduced the delegation’s presentation, noting Coach Hardaway, football coach Ryan Silverfield and women's coach Alex Simmons were on the floor. "Coach Penny Hardaway took the team to the NCAA tournament," Camper said, and the delegation highlighted Memphis' 26-5 season and a 16-2 conference mark that led to the university's first AAC regular-season championship.

Coach Penny Hardaway addressed the chamber, calling his Memphis roots "an honor" and praising university leadership. "To be successful in this era is amazing because it's very hard to do, especially from our platform," Hardaway said, citing recruiting and NIL-era challenges. Football coach Ryan Silverfield and women's coach Alex Simmons thanked legislators for their support; the transcript records Silverfield noting his 10th season and praising state support for athletics.

Representative Harris read a House resolution recognizing the department’s accomplishments, which the clerk framed to include men's and women's program milestones: Memphis football's back-to-back double-digit win seasons, the women's team's 420th home victory at Elmer Rome Fieldhouse, the men's tennis at-large NCAA bid and repeated regional coaching honors for women's soccer staff.

The recognition emphasized the university’s statewide profile and the role of legislative support for higher-education athletics. No legislative funding action or statutory change was proposed in the floor remarks; the segment was ceremonial and celebratory.