Memphis president David Rudd said in a statement on Thursday the university would not be honoring former coach John Calipari, who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame.

Memphis was planning to honor the former coach at a dinner Dec. 28 but received an enormous amount of backlash from fans.

Rudd originally called it a "great homecoming" for Calipari, who piloted the Tigers from 2000-09 and led them to the 2008 national title game, although that season was vacated by the NCAA. Calipari took over Kentucky in 2009, led theWildcats to a national championship in 2012 and a nearly perfect record last season.