​Sunya Payne simply stood out.No matter the setting – be it waving blue and grey pompoms from her treasured seat at a Memphis basketball game or tirelessly championing young people during her decadeslong career with Memphis Shelby County Schools – Payne’s passion and fingerprints stretched far and wide.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhich is why the first few days following her death on July 12 have been awash with emotional tributes and fond remembrances. Payne was 55.“Always a ray of sunshine,” reads a Facebook post from the official Tiger Bookstore account.“Her smile, her kindness and her unwavering Tiger spirit and enthusiasm will truly be missed,” Terry Kraker Harter wrote.Memphis fan Sunya Payne cheers on the team while holding a sign that says “in Penny we trust” during the game between Clemson University and University of Memphis at FedExForum in Memphis, Teen., on Saturday, December 16, 2023.“Absolute all-heart Tiger,” commented former Tiger Sport Properties general manager Todd Kucinski.Visible and vocal, Payne was a fixture at FedExForum, especially since the Penny Hardaway era began in 2018. A graduate of Whitehaven High School, LeMoyne-Owen College and Christian Brothers University, Payne was also a strong behind-the-scenes presence, lending her time and energy to the Memphis Rebounders – the program’s longtime fan- and supporter-led fundraising group.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut Payne was most recognizable among Tigers fans as the bubbly social butterfly with the 1,000-watt smile before tip-off and the unflinching, stentorian cheerleader once the game began – in Memphis or elsewhere.“She was a force, particularly on the road,” said senior deputy athletics director Tim Duncan, who knew Payne since high school. “On the road, she single-handedly held her own with any fan base. And, like Penny said, she didn’t mind any of the smoke they brought, because they couldn’t out-fan her.”Duncan recalled a conversation he had with her on the phone during the 2024-25 season, when she told him she would not be making the trip to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational.“She was crying on the phone, that’s how much she wanted to be there,” he said.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPayne was equally as passionate about her career, which began as a teacher in 1997. Nearly 12 years later, she became a school principal. And, in 2019, Payne was named director of partnerships and advancement for MSCS.Her enthusiasm was always evident, but perhaps never more so than when Memphis basketball and education overlapped. Payne played an integral role in the Tiger program’s community involvement in recent years — especially in schools. In March 2025, former players Tyrese Hunter, Dain Dainja and PJ Haggerty visited Brownsville Road Elementary School as a reward for students who achieved their reading goals for the school year.Payne danced down the aisle as the Tigers arrived.Tennessee Senate Minor