The facility was built partially as a way to bring the Liberty Bowl to a permanent home in Memphis[citation needed] (the game had started in Philadelphia, but because of poor attendance as a northern bowl, it left the city, playing one year in Atlantic City before settling in Memphis).

A 1987 expansion brought it to its current, balanced configuration, although with a much greater hospitality building topping the northeast section.

[7] Its design is similar to that of old Tampa Stadium ("The Big Sombrero"), with the endzone grandstands being much shorter than the sidelines.

It was repainted, and new lighting, new elevators, new turf, renovation of luxury boxes, better handicapped access, were added as part of the design by Memphis architect Tom Marshall of O.T.

In addition, two new video boards were added, costing $2.5 million and including a Jumbotron,[citation needed] contributed by FedEx, which is headquartered in Memphis.

In addition, 17-acre (6.9 ha) Tiger Lane was created as a green space for tailgating and community events.

The stadium also has hosted home games of the Tennessee Vols, Ole Miss Rebels, and Mississippi State Bulldogs.

The Southmen drew fairly well, at least by WFL standards, in part due to the presence on their roster of some well-known players recruited away from the NFL at considerable expense.

In 1984, the original United States Football League added the Memphis Showboats as an expansion team.

The Showboats, featuring defensive end Reggie White and coached by flamboyant Memphian Pepper Rodgers, were one of the better draws in the league.

Despite its efforts, the city was unsuccessful in luring an NFL team (which would have been called the "Memphis Hound Dogs") to the Liberty Bowl.

Due to the design features noted earlier, it was extremely difficult to shoehorn a Canadian football field onto the Liberty Bowl's playing surface.

Likewise, 20 yards past the goal line at the Liberty Bowl puts one several rows up into the end zone stands.

The CFL season runs from July to November so as to conclude before the harsh Canadian winters set in and make conditions unbearable for players, coaches, officials, and especially spectators.

With this in mind, the CFL moved the Mad Dogs and Barracudas' late season home games to Sunday afternoons.

Although they finished one game out of the playoffs, their dreadful attendance figures caused them to fold at the end of the season along with the other American teams.

Although the Vols' Neyland Stadium in Knoxville was slightly closer to Nashville, it was deemed too big (at over 102,000 seats) for an NFL team.

The Maniax finished tied for second place in the Western Division at 5–5 with the San Francisco Demons, but did not make the playoffs.

One of the more interesting events held in the stadium was an exhibition Major League Baseball game involving the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers during the 1975 season.

Blue Öyster Cult Outlaws Point Blank Joan Jett & the Blackhearts Survivor Dokken Metallica Kingdom Come As of 2021, it is considered highly unlikely that there will be a permanent NFL franchise in the stadium or in the city.

There are a variety of factors that play into the city's prospects, including: On January 1, 2007, then-Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton proposed a new stadium be built in place of the old one.

Some in the University of Memphis community prefer the construction of a smaller, on-campus stadium, but such a venue would almost certainly be inadequate (in terms of capacity and amenities) for the Liberty Bowl.

Although this proposal did not move ahead, the long-term future of Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium is currently unclear.

Completed with help of architecture firm Populous, plans include: Construction should begin after the 2023 football season; the Tigers will continue to play in the stadium during renovations.