It appears FedEx ain't the only rich uncle Memphis has, the god old boys down at the state house kicked in a little cash as well......plus student athletics fees (which UTEP voted down a few years back).
From the Memphis paper....
The Tennessee Board of Regents approved last month a $36.2 million budget for University of Memphis athletics in 2012-13, the school's final year in Conference USA.
That's a preliminary allocation, though, and will be revisited in October as part of the university's normal fall budget cycle.
Updated revenue projections or changes in student fee allocations based on enrollment, among other things, could change the final figure. In 2010-11, the last year in which figures were reported to the U.S. Dept. of Education, Memphis spent $41.7 million on athletics.
University spokeswoman Linda Bonnin said new athletic director Tom Bowen was developing a plan by Oct. 1 that will address the Tigers' needs heading into the Big East Conference, where it will become a member on July 1, 2013. She said the recently completed budget was made "in the meantime."
Athletic department spokesman Bob Winn said Bowen's plan "will give us guidance as well as the direction we take moving into the Big East."
Memphis' athletic spending tops C-USA schools but is only middle-of-the-pack among football-playing Big East members. In the latest available full comparison, according to data compiled by the Dept. of Education, Louisville is tops in the Big East. In 2010-11, it spent $83.8 million. Its 2012-13 budget was recently approved at $71.5 million, according to Louisville television station WDRB.
Tennessee's 2012-13 athletics budget is $98 million, a department spokesman said Friday. Combining its regular budget and funds from a private foundation, Ole Miss will spend $60 million on athletics this year, an official said.
