Peabody GM elected AutoZone Liberty Bowl president

Doug Browne was introduced as president of the 2014 AutoZone Liberty Bowl Festival Association on Thursday night at the Hilton Memphis, and while he won’t have any input into which date is chosen for this year’s game, the hotel executive had his suggestions.

Browne, president of Peabody Hotels and Resorts and general manager of The Peabody Memphis, favors a potential kickoff on Tuesday, Dec. 30, for the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, which in recent years has been played on New Year’s Eve. Steve Ehrhart, the bowl’s executive director, said a Jan. 3 kickoff also is being discussed. Ehrhart hopes to have a date secured by the end of the month following bowl association meetings next week in Las Vegas.

“I’m sure ESPN will be the one who decides the date,” Browne said. “If the kickoff is moved up a day or two (from New Year’s Day), that’s probably a good thing. The reality is any day is good. We’re going to love whatever day is chosen.”

A Dec. 30 date would allow area hotels to fill rooms with fans shortly after Christmas, a traditionally slow time. And it would allow them to rebook rooms for New Year’s Eve as most fans of Liberty Bowl teams would be returning home.

As for the bowl’s new six-year arrangement with the Southeastern Conference facing the Big 12, Browne said the matchup is going to be an overwhelming success.

“This city does not know what’s going to hit them,” Browne said. “This is huge for the city. (Fans of) the Big 12 and the SEC travel. We could potentially have 40,000 people come to the city, with each team bringing 20,000 people. We will fill up not only every hotel room in Memphis, but we’re going to fill up Tunica, too.”

Notes: In addition to Browne’s introduction, four other elected positions were announced: Billy Hicks Jr. (chairman); Pat Caldwell (vice president); Scott Barber (secretary) and Leigh Shockey (treasurer) ... Albert Mallory, a volunteer for the Liberty Bowl since it moved to Memphis in the mid-1960s, was honored at Thursday’s event as the Liberty Bowl’s 2013 Football Bowl Association Volunteer of the Year. The FBA is honoring a volunteer annually at the game ... The 20th AutoZone Liberty Bowl Golf Classic, which benefits St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, will be held June 30 at Ridgeway Country Club. For information, call 795-7700 or go to AutoZoneLibertyBowl.org.