Coach Whisenhunt Talks Memphis, Building the Showboats

MEMPHIS – New Memphis Showboats head coach Ken Whisenhunt was in Memphis recently getting acquainted with the community and making the rounds with the local media. 

As part of his time in The Bluff City, he recorded an interview with Jessica Benson of Grind City Media. Watch a clip of that interview below:

Below is a transcript of Coach Whisenhunt’s full interview with Benson:

Jessica Benson (host): I’m excited for fans to know a little bit more about your journey that's brought here from Memphis. We're down here on the beautiful Mississippi River. Your coaching career has taken you to the pros, your college ranks, most recently you were at Alabama on Nick Saban's staff.

But what about Memphis and the showboats made this the right step for you in your journey?

Memphis Showboats Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt: Well, you know, having been involved with the NFL for so long and then going to college and seeing these young guys that were trying, aspiring to get to the next level and get to pro football.

You see where they need some help for the guys that don't make it on the first try.

And I think this is an arena which I think you can be very instrumental in helping some of these guys get to the NFL while still building a connection with the city that we're in. A part of helping the guys showcase themselves is building a team that wins football games.

JB: What kind of team are you hoping to implement here?

KW: Well hopefully we'll have a physical football team. We'll play good defense but you know we want to be dynamic on offense. A lot of that depends on the kind of players that you can get but we've had a lot of success with that through the years.

So, you know, that's the best way to get noticed. If you play good football, especially in an area like this, that has roots with football that supports it. It gives you a chance to maybe get into that next level, but you're going to create identities or create friendships or create relationships with these guys, and this city is going to mean something to them.

JB: You've had some great successes in your coaching career. You've been to two Super Bowls, lost one when you were head coach of the Cardinals, but also got to win one as offensive coordinator of the Steelers back in 2005.

What did you learn from those experiences that you've taken with you in your coaching?

KW: You know it takes a lot of hard work.

It takes the right group of people and there's a chemistry that you can develop with those teams and a lot of times that's what carried us that way. There were a lot of people when we were in Arizona that didn't think we could ever get to a Super Bowl and we did. If you go back to the Steelers one moment where we won we had to win five games at the end of the season and then win three on the road, which had never been done.

And that's where you get into what we're talking about when you build a team … Guys that want to play together, guys that have success together, it creates a chemistry. And you can make a bond with the city that you're in doing that because, it's a special thing when you do have that success.

So, you know, it's at a level where we're trying to build these things as we go and we're excited about doing that.

JB: Being here in Memphis, how much time have you had to spend in Memphis in your life?

KW: Well, it's funny you say that because I went to school at Georgia Tech and one of my teammates was from Memphis. So I had come here with him a few times and obviously I know about the city just because of you know how significant it's been in some of the sporting events and some especially the (1980s) USFL.

I was a guy coming out of out of college when the USFL was started. Some of those guys that came here like Reggie White to the USFL, I knew about it and it has quite a legacy even though people don't really understand it because it was so long ago, but it's exciting for me just from a historical perspective to be here and be part of this league.

JB: You've had some chances to do some fun things (in Memphis) too. I know you've got to be the honorary Duckmaster at the Peabody Hotel, a Memphis must. But what have been some of your favorite things you've experienced in Memphis?

KW: Well, you know, just seeing some of the sites in the way this city has grown. I mean, Bass Pro Shop, I was like, "Holy cow, what is that?" It is incredible.

I mean, there are some incredible things about this city. Obviously, we've got some good food here. You know, the history with its music, the music industry, of course. Everybody knows about the King.

So it's a vibrant city for me and I know there's a lot of good things going on. And we want to be a part of that.

JB: Season tickets go on sale October 15th. What's one last message you'd like to send to ShowBots fans?
KW: We want to put a product out there that you're going to feel excited about. We believe that we can do that and we're excited about doing that. Let's do this together.