Kirk built the Tigers into a national powerhouse with teams consisting largely of Memphis-area players.
Only a year after the Final Four appearance, it was revealed that Memphis State had committed many severe recruiting violations while Kirk was head coach.
At his trial, witnesses testified that he scalped tickets for as much as five times face value, took money from boosters to give to players and actively solicited kickbacks from tournament promoters.
He has also published his autobiography Simply Amazing, The Dana Kirk Story, written with Dallas talk show host and columnist Mark Davis, who was at WHBQ at the time.
Dana Kirk died of a heart attack at Methodist University Hospital in Memphis on February 15, 2010.