Richard Smith saw a trainwreck looming as the debate over how to pay for renovations to Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium and FedExForum raged over the past year.

The president and CEO of airline and international at FedEx worried about the future of the Memphis Grizzlies. He worried about the future of downtown Memphis, where he has an office at the new FedEx headquarters in the old Gibson Guitar Factory across the street from FedExForum. He worried that the University of Memphis, in its worthy (and aggressive) pursuit of moving to another conference, was inadvertently pushing the city into a precarious position that could eventually lead to the loss of its only major professional sports franchise.

So, as many have done for decades around here whenever a civic problem needs a solution, Smith called his father. So did Mayor Jim Strickland.

“You’re a guy they will listen to,” Richard Smith recalled telling FedEx’s founder, Fred Smith.

And they did.

In November, the university announced the Smith family had given a record $50 million donation to help kick start Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium renovations and unlock more of the $350 million in state money the city received this year for the Grizzlies and FedExForum. After some political wrangling, the deal is expected to be fully approved come January.

That, though, only scratches the surface for why The Commercial Appeal has named Fred Smith its 2023 Sports Person of the Year. The truth is the sports scene in Memphis would be unrecognizable without Smith’s behind-the-scenes contributions over the years.

“Every big opportunity that we’ve had,” said Memphis Tourism president and CEO Kevin Kane, “either Fred Smith or Fred Smith and FedEx, they were always the game changer. They were the reason why things happened.”

'Most significant Memphian in our history'

Fred Smith, through his son, declined an interview request for this story. But the actions of this former Memphis University School football player have spoken much louder than words, anyways.

FedEx’s sponsorship of the FedEx St. Jude Invitational is why the city’s professional golf tournament survived when its previous title sponsor went bankrupt. It’s why the tournament has since been elevated into one of the PGA Tour’s playoff events and attracts a world-class field of golfers.

He donated the money for the giant scoreboard currently sitting atop Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium and FedEx’s $90 million naming rights deal for FedExForum helped secure the Grizzlies’ move from Vancouver to Memphis. Before that, Smith served as owner of the CFL’s short-lived Memphis Mad Dogs and helped lead the charge when Memphis was pursuing an NFL franchise more than 30 years ago.

Over the past year or so, Smith was the catalyst behind the revival of the Memphis Showboats and the arrival of the new USFL team inside Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. He gave the largest gift for the $30 million renovation of the Leftwich Tennis Center, according to Strickland.

FedEx is also the main sponsor of the Southern Heritage Classic and one of the notable sponsors of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. Then there’s the smaller projects, like the university’s Mike Rose Aquatics Center, or the countless high schools around the area that have received money from the Smith family or FedEx.

“I know y’all are making him sports person of the year, but in some ways that’s an understatement. He’s really the most significant Memphian in our history,” Strickland said. “He wants FedEx to thrive, he wants Memphis to thrive, and they both rely on each other. If FedEx does well, that’s good for Memphis. If Memphis does well, that’s good for FedEx. My impression, that’s always been top of mind with him.”

Smith, 79, has long viewed sports as an important part of that equation. He credits the mentorship of former MUS football coach, Jake Rudolph, for helping him navigate his teenage years after his father died at a young age, Richard Smith noted. He has one son, Cannon, who played quarterback at Memphis. Another son, Arthur, is currently the head coach of the NFL's Atlanta Falcons. Fred Smith, meanwhile, is still an avid tennis player who "used to beat me like a drum in racquetball,” AutoZone Liberty Bowl executive director Steve Ehrhart said.

"Look at your great cities in the U.S., look at your thriving cities, and they all have vibrant sports and entertainment," Richard Smith said. "That’s one of the great factors, the quality of life factors, that contributes to a great city. We think that’s very important as far as being able to attract people to Memphis and to get them to want to stay in our headquarter city."

Smith's solution for next generation of Memphis sports

So, of course, when city officials realized last spring that $350 million in state money wouldn’t be enough for the football stadium and basketball arena, Strickland reached out to Smith. Again.

Indeed, unbeknownst to many, Smith had already played a big role in convincing state lawmakers to originally give Memphis the $350 million. Strickland confirmed Smith spoke to and met with both Gov. Bill Lee and Tennessee Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton in support of Memphis during the initial lobbying process.

But doling out the money proved more difficult. The university began to apply public pressure to receive its share of the money before negotiations with the Grizzlies about FedExForum were complete.

Lee “made it pretty clear unless there’s private money coming in somewhere, the state is not going to put any more money into stadiums and arenas. They’ve given quite a bit to the Titans, but there’s a lot of private money going into that,” Richard Smith said.

IN DEPTH: What's next for Liberty Stadium renovation project after City Council approval

That’s when Fred Smith laid out his $100 million proposal – half of which would come directly from him. It allowed $120 million in state money to go to Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, which was then supplemented by $50 million from the Smith family and $50 million the university will fundraise. It left $230 million in state money to go toward FedExForum renovations. Smith pitched the plan in separate meetings with Lee, Strickland, Mayor-elect Paul Young and University of Memphis president Bill Hardgrave. It surprised even his own son.

“I told him it was very generous and I didn’t expect him to do that,” Richard Smith recalled. “He said, ‘Well, I’m 79 years old, bub. It’s your money and your siblings, so this is your gift.’ It was kind of humorous.”

“There’s a lot of private investment sitting on go downtown waiting on this (FedExForum) deal to get done,” added Smith, a former chair of the Greater Memphis Chamber. “Once it gets announced, there’s some projects that I have on good authority are going to pop down there, so there’s a lot riding on this.”

Richard Smith confirmed that he and his father are committed to helping more when the city and the Grizzlies return to Nashville in January and lobby the state legislature for the more than $200 million shortfall that remains to fund FedExForum renovations. The Grizzlies, according to documents obtained by The Commercial Appeal, have estimated the project will cost $550 million.

The Smith family has also assured the university it will aid in the school’s efforts to raise the additional $50 million needed to fully fund the $220 million Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium project.

“There was a logjam there. Without his leadership and vision and stepping in, I’m not sure it would have been solved,” Ehrhart said of Fred Smith. “This wasn’t just about the stadium. This was about the community and the amenities that are so important to the quality of life. He saw there was a stalemate, so he was the one who took the bull by the horns, and that’s what he’s done his whole life.”

“When Fred speaks,” Ehrhart added, “the community moves.”

It's why there was no one more important to Memphis sports this year than Smith, and that has probably been true for decades now.

You can reach Commercial Appeal columnist Mark Giannotto via email at mgiannotto@gannett.com and follow him on X: @mgiannotto

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Why FedEx founder Fred Smith is 2023 Memphis Sports Person of the Year