Wednesday, Dec. 31 Liberty Bowl Blog

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Wednesday in Memphis started early for the Pirates as 25 players and coaches attended the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) banquet at 7:00 a.m. The guest speaker for the event was former Air Force head football coach and AutoZone Liberty Bowl champion Fisher DeBerry.

After a two-hour practice at the University of Memphis practice facility, the Pirates boarded the buses and headed to the National Civil Rights Museum. The team took a two-hour tour of the Lorraine Hotel, the site of Dr. Martin Luther King's assassination.

The day closed for the Pirates as members of the team headed down to Beale Street at 5 :00 p.m. to participate in the New Year's Eve Bash on Beale Street. Both of the schools bands and cheerleaders led the crowd in cheers and the fight song before a crowd of 700 fans.

Daily Schedule:
7:00 a.m.:FCA Breakfast (25 players)
9:00 a.m.:Breakfast (rest of the team)
11 a.m.:Buses depart for practice
12:00 noon:Practice at University of Memphis football complex
2:00 pm.:Press Conference (Defensive Coordinator Greg Hudson, Pierre Bell, Zack Slate, and C.J. Wilson)
3:00 p.m.Tour of National Civil Rights Museum.
5:00 p.m.:New Year's Eve Bash on Beale Street (pep-ralley).
5:00 p.m.:Free time
12:00 mid-night.:Curfew.

Thursday will see the Pirates go through their final preparations for the Liberty Bowl as they will conduct a one-hour walk through at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Once completed, the team will pose for their 2009 Team photo just before heading back to the Hilton Hotel for the evening.