Tulsa coach Bill Blankenship speaks with Iowa State football coach Paul Rhoads before the Liberty Bowl NCAA college football game in Memphis, Tenn., Monday, Dec. 31, 2012. Tulsa won 31-17. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Rogelio V. Solis Copyright 2015 Memphis Commercial Appeal. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.In the months after he was fired at Tulsa, Bill Blankenship took a trip. He calls it his coaching sabbatical tour. He hopped from school to school, spending time with fellow coaches and old friends.
One of his stops, in the weeks leading up to the Miami Beach Bowl, was Memphis.