MEMPHIS, Tenn. — For Memphis Tigers fans only one month and one day separates them from the first football game of the season.
For the team's biggest supporters, the celebration is kicking off early on Tuesday night at the Memphis Zoo with a Memphis Tigers Kickoff Party.
The kickoff party, hosted by the Highland Hundred, the booster club for the football program, will be held at the Memphis Zoo for the first time, signifying a big change for the upcoming season.
The Memphis Zoo will be the home of the new live mascot of the Memphis Tigers, a Bengal Tiger named TOM IV.
In 2020, TOM III died suddenly. After his passing, U of M President Dr. David Rudd announced it would mark the end of having a live mascot at the games.
Instead, the university said it would sponsor a TOM IV at the zoo and will feature him during the game through a broadcast.
"It means so much. It was amazing to have the tradition of the live tiger at the Liberty Bowl," Highland Hundred President Todd Adams said. "For a tiger to be here 365 days to celebrate birthday parties or when alumni come back to Memphis. It’s going to be great for the city.”
The celebration, Adams said, will also serve as a toast and celebration to the legacies of TOM I, II, and III as well as their caretakers and the supporting people that helped make a live mascot at the games happen.
Adams said the club will present a donation to the zoo during the event for the upkeep of TOM IV. They'll also make a $100,000 donation to the football program.
The kickoff event will feed into the growing excitement of the football program which as Adams points out, is everywhere.
“People are walking by with University of Memphis Tigers shirts and hats, tank tops and bags," he said. "It’s incredible because when I was growing up. We were seeing, a lot of other teams. Tiger pride is everywhere through Memphis.”
The Memphis Zoo said TOM IV is not yet on exhibit for the public to see. Details on when people can see him and more about the display he'll end will be released in the coming weeks, a spokesperson said.
Highland Hundred members can go to the kickoff party for free. Adams said it's $150 to join for a year. To learn more about them, click here.