University of Memphis Athletics
Men's Basketball
- Title:
- Director, Integrated Communications (Men's Basketball, Rifle)
- Email:
- kcdowns@memphis.edu
Kirk Downs arrived at Memphis in October 2022 as the Associate Director of Integrated Communications, before being promoted to Director in October 2024. He currently serves as the primary media contact for Men's Basketball and Rifle, after also working with both tennis programs in his first two years with the Tigers.
Prior to Memphis, Downs spent nearly 10 years in the Music City at Lipscomb University where he was the Assistant AD for Communications and Digital Media. He was responsible for the leadership, assignments, strategic direction and oversight of all aspects of Lipscomb Athletics communications.
Along with those responsibilities, Downs served as the primary media relations contact for the Lipscomb men's basketball, volleyball and men’s and women’s tennis teams. lHe also served as the executive/coordinating producer for the Lipscomb Bisons broadcasts and ESPN+ video productions. Downs also oversaw the department's social media and website efforts and managed the communications staff.
After spending his first two years as a media relations intern, Downs was brought on full-time in August 2015 to serve in a dual role as an Assistant Director of Communications and Operations before being promoted to the head of the department as Director of Communications in June of 2018.
In his first year, Downs served as the media contact for the women’s basketball team and the men's soccer team as well as both the men's and women’s golf programs, while assisting men's basketball and baseball as the secondary contact. Overall, he has been the primary contact for 11 of the 15 sports at Lipscomb.
Before joining the Bisons staff, Downs earned a B.S. degree from Mississippi State University in 2012 where he majored in kinesiology with a concentration in sports studies and a minor in communication.
The Baldwyn, Mississippi native served as a student assistant in the Bulldogs’ Athletic Media Relations Department and worked heavily with the Bulldog baseball, men’s and women’s basketball and football teams. During his time in Starkville, Downs worked for ESPN, ESPN2 and Fox Sports South assisting with various game day duties.
He also had multiple opportunities to work directly with the SEC office at the 2012 SEC men’s basketball and baseball tournaments, as well as the 2012 SEC Football media days.
