Missouri Tigers football explained

Currentseason:2024 Missouri Tigers football team
Teamname:Missouri Tigers football
Firstyear:1890
Athleticdirector:Laird Veatch
Headcoach:Eliah Drinkwitz
Headcoachyear:4th
Hcwins:28
Hclosses:21
Stadium:Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium
Stadcapacity:62,621
Stadsurface:AstroTurf RootZone 3D3[1]
Fieldname:Faurot Field
Ncaadivision:I FBS
Conference:Southeastern Conference
Pastaffiliations:WIUFA
(1892–1897)
Missouri Valley
(1907–1927)
Big Eight
(1928–1995)
Big 12
(1996–2011)
Location:Columbia, Missouri
Websitename:mutigers.com
Websiteurl:https://mutigers.com/sports/football
Atwins:711
Atlosses:590
Atties:52
Bowlwins:16
Bowllosses:20
Natltitles:0
Unnatltitles:2 (1960, 2007)
Conftitles:15
(3 WIUFA, 12 Big Eight)
Divtitles:5
Big 12 North:
2007, 2008, 2010
SEC East:
2013, 2014
Allamericans:14
Fightsong:Every True Son, Fight Tiger
Mascotdisplay:Truman the Tiger
Marchingband:Marching Mizzou
Pagfreelabel2:Outfitter
Pagfreevalue2:Nike
Rivalries:Arkansas (rivalry)
Illinois (rivalry)
Iowa State (rivalry)
Kansas (rivalry)
Nebraska (rivalry)
Oklahoma (rivalry)

The Missouri Tigers football program represents the University of Missouri (often referred to as Mizzou) in college football and competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

Missouri's football program dates back to 1890, and has appeared in 36 bowl games (including 11 New Year's Six bowl appearances: four Orange Bowls, four Cotton Bowls, two Sugar Bowls, and one Fiesta Bowl). Missouri has won 15 conference titles and 5 division titles, and has two national-championship selections recognized by the NCAA. Entering the 2024 season, Missouri's all-time record is 711–590–52 (.545).[2]

Since 2012, Missouri has been a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC)[3] and competes in the Eastern Division. Home games are played at Faurot Field ("The Zou") in Columbia, Missouri, named for hall of fame coach Don Faurot.

Hall of famer Gary Pinkel, coach from 2001 to 2015, has the most wins in Missouri football history, setting that mark with his 102nd win in the AT&T Cotton Bowl on January 3, 2014.[4] Pinkel's record with Mizzou after his final game on November 27, 2015, is 118–73 .

Since the 2020 football season, the team has been coached by Eliah Drinkwitz.

History

See also: List of Missouri Tigers football seasons.

Conference affiliations

Championships

The Missouri Tigers have 15 conference championships and five conference division titles.[5]

National championships

The Tigers were selected as national champions by NCAA-designated major selectors in 1960 and 2007. Neither championship is claimed by the university.[6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

11–0† No. 5 No. 4
12–2 No. 4 No. 5
† The 1960 record was 10–1, but was later changed to 11–0 due to Kansas' subsequent forfeit [11]

Conference championships

Missouri has won 15 conference championships.

1893† 4–3 2–1
1894† 4–3 2–1
1895† 7–1 2–1
1909 7–0–1 4–0–1
1913 7–1 4–0
1919 5–1–2 4–0–1
1924 7–2 5–1
1925 6–1–1 5–1
1927 7–2 5–1
1939 8–2 5–0
1941 8–2 5–0
1942 8–3–1 4–0–1
1945 6–4 5–0
196011–0 7–0
19699–2 6–1
† Co-champions
‡ The 1960 Big Eight title was retroactively awarded after a loss to Kansas was reversed due to Kansas' use of a player who was later ruled to be ineligible.[12] [13]

Division championships

The Tigers were previously members of the Big 12 North division between its inception in 1996 and the dissolution of conference divisions within the Big 12 in 2011. The Tigers joined the SEC as members of the SEC East starting in 2012. Missouri has won five division championships.

2007Big 12 North L 17–38
2008L 21–62
2010N/A lost tiebreaker to Nebraska
SEC East L 42–59
L 13–42
† Co-champion

Bowl games

Missouri has appeared in 36 bowl games, including 11 New Year's Six bowl appearances: 4 Orange Bowls, 4 Cotton Bowls, 2 Sugar Bowls, and 1 Fiesta Bowl, with an all-time bowl record of 16–20.[14] The team also accepted a bid to the 2020 Music City Bowl against Iowa, which was subsequently canceled due to COVID-19.[15]

Missouri's entire bowl history is shown in the table below.[16]

L 7–20
L 7–21
Don Faurot L 0–2
L 27–40
Don Faurot L 23–24
Don Faurot L 7–20
L 0–14
W 21–14
W 14–10
W 20–18
W 35–10
L 3–10
L 35–49
W 34–17
W 20–15
W 24–14
L 25–28
W 19–17
L 17–21
L 24–35
W 34–31
L 14–27
W 38–31
L 38–39
W 38–7
W 30–23OT
L 13–35
L 24–27
W 41–24
W 41–31
W 33–17
L 16–33
L 33–38
L 22–24
L 17–27
W 14–3

Rivalries

Currently active

Arkansas

See main article: Battle Line Rivalry. Missouri and Arkansas first met in 1906 in Columbia, Missouri, and played each other five times prior to Missouri joining the SEC in 2012, and then becoming Arkansas' permanent cross-division rival in 2014. The annual meeting was dubbed the Battle Line Rivalry. On November 23, 2015, a new rivalry trophy was unveiled for the annual game. Missouri leads the series 11-4 as of the conclusion of the 2023 season, which saw the Tigers dominate Arkansas 48-14 in Fayetteville.

Oklahoma

See main article: Missouri–Oklahoma football rivalry. Oklahoma leads the series 67-24–5 through the 2022 season.[17] From 1940 through 1974, the teams played for the Tiger-Sooner Peace Pipe trophy. The rivalry will be renewed in 2024, as the teams will be members of the same conference again.[18]

South Carolina

A new rivalry was started in 2012 when Missouri joined the SEC East. With both schools located in cities named Columbia (Columbia, Missouri, and Columbia, South Carolina), the mayors of the cities commemorate the winner with the "Mayor's Cup" trophy for the annual game. Missouri leads the series 9-5 as of the conclusion of the 2023 season.

Historic

Illinois

See main article: Illinois–Missouri football rivalry.

The rivalry between Missouri and Illinois is modeled after the two schools' longstanding basketball rivalry, and it garners the most interest around St. Louis, with both schools having alumni and fans in the area. It has not been played annually, with 24 matchups occurring from 1896 to 2010, with Missouri leading the series 17–7. Between 2000 and 2010, the schools met in St. Louis six times, with Missouri winning each time. In 2026, the series will be renewed for a four-year period, to be played on campus sites.

Iowa State

See main article: Iowa State–Missouri football rivalry.

Missouri and Iowa State first met in 1896 and the regional rivalry was born. Before the 1959 match-up between the two schools, which took place in Ames, Iowa, field testing showed that the telephones the two schools used to communicate with their coaches in the coaches' box were wired so that either school could hear what was happening on the other sideline. The problem was fixed before the game, but neither of the two coaches knew that. Northwestern Bell Telephone Company of Ames then decided to have a trophy made to commemorate the incident, thus the Telephone Trophy was born.[19] [20] When Missouri left the Big 12 for the SEC, the rivalry was essentially ended.Missouri leads the series with Iowa State 61–34–9 through the 2022 season.

Kansas

See main article: Border War (Kansas–Missouri rivalry). Missouri leads the series with Kansas 57–54–9 through the 2021 season. With history dating back to Bleeding Kansas in the 1850s, the "Border War" rivalry was well-known as one of the longest-lasting and fiercest rivalries in college sports. The teams met annually, traditionally for the final game of the regular season, from 1891 through 2011 when Missouri left the Big 12 for the SEC.[21] The series is set to renew in 2025.[22]

Nebraska

See main article: Missouri–Nebraska football rivalry. Nebraska leads the series 65–36–3 through the 2022 season.[23] From 1892 through 2010, the teams played for the Victory Bell trophy.

Award winners

Don Faurot – 1964

Warren Powers – 1978

Brock Olivo – 1997

Chase Coffman – 2008

Cody Schrader — 2023

Player accomplishments

All-Americans

Missouri has 38 first-team All-American selections as of 2017, 14 of whom were consensus selections.[24]

† Consensus selection

Retired numbers

See main article: List of NCAA football retired numbers. Missouri has retired six jersey numbers representing seven players as of 2017.

23 1962, 1964–65 [25]
1966–68
27 1994–97
37 1940–43
42 1939–41
44 Paul Christman1938–40
83 1975–78

Hall of Fame

College Football Hall of Fame

Missouri has 15 inductees into the College Football Hall of Fame.[26]

Bill RoperCoach 1951
Paul Christman1956
Don FaurotCoach 1961
Bob Steuber1971
Coach 1973
Ed Travis1974
Darold Jenkins1976
Coach 1983
Coach 1985
HB 1998
2002
2003
2011
Gary PinkelCoach 2022
Jeremy Maclin2023

Pro Football Hall of Fame

Two Missouri players have been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame:[27]

1995
2007

Mascot

Truman the Tiger was introduced as the school's mascot against the Utah State Aggies in 1986, receiving his name from former president Harry S Truman. Truman has been named the "Nation's Best Mascot" three times since 1986, most recently in 2014.[28]

Homecoming

See 1911 Kansas vs. Missouri football game

The NCAA[29] as well as Jeopardy! and Trivial Pursuit[30] recognize the University of Missouri as the birthplace of Homecoming, an event which became a national tradition in college football. The history of the University of Missouri Homecoming can be traced back to the 1911 Kansas vs. Missouri football game, when the Missouri Tigers faced off against the Kansas Jayhawks in the first installment of the Border War rivalry series.[31] [32] Now the Tigers nearly sell out Memorial Stadium every Homecoming, which is usually a home game in October.

Future opponents

Conference opponents

From 2012 to 2023, Missouri played in the East Division of the SEC and played each opponent in the division each year along with several teams from the West Division. The SEC will expand the conference to 16 teams and will eliminate its two divisions in 2024, causing a new scheduling format for the Tigers to play against the other members of the conference.[33] On March 20, 2024, the SEC announced that they would continue with 8 conference games for the 2025 season, and that each team would play their same conference opponents from the 2024 schedule, only with the host locations switched.[34]

2025 Conference Schedule

Non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of August 4, 2024.[35]

Kansas
Sep 6
Arkansas–Pine Bluff
Sep 5
Illinois State
Sep 4
San Diego State
Sep 2
Missouri State
Sep 1
Southeast Missouri
Aug 31
at Colorado
Aug 30
Northern Illinois
Sep 4
Missouri State
Sep 3
San Diego State
Sep 9
at BYU
Sep 8
Louisiana
Oct 4
at Kansas
Sep 12
at San Diego State
Sep 11
Southeast Missouri
Sep 9
Illinois
Sep 15
Colorado
Sep 7
Kansas
Sep 6
at Kansas
Sep 11
at San Diego State
Sep 10
at Illinois
Sep 16
Illinois
Sep 15
UMass
Oct 18
at Illinois
Sep 26
Illinois
Sep 18
at Illinois
Sep 16
at Northern Illinois
Sep 29
at North Texas
Sep 14
North Texas
Sep 13
at Illinois
Sep 18
Illinois
Sep 17
Troy
Nov 21
Florida Atlantic
Oct 2
Northern Illinois
Sep 30
Army
Oct 13
Florida Atlantic
Oct 12
at Florida Atlantic
Sept 20
Army
Oct 15

Notes and References

  1. News: New turf installed at Faurot Field for Mizzou's 2021 football season. Columbia Daily Tribune. July 28, 2021. June 23, 2021.
  2. Web site: NCAA FBS Records.
  3. http://www.secdigitalnetwork.com/NEWS/tabid/473/Article/229185/university-of-missouri-to-join-southeastern-conference.aspx University Of Missouri To Join Southeastern Conference
  4. http://www.kansascity.com/2013/12/01/4661805/mu-notebook-pinkel-matches-faurot.html Gary Pinkel matches Don Faurot for most wins at Mizzou
  5. Web site: Missouri Composite Championship Listing . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20080516092201/http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/big12/missouri/championships.php. May 16, 2008.
  6. Web site: College Football: The Top 25 Schools That Have Never Won a National Championship. Amy Daughters . Bleacher Report . May 4, 2011.
  7. Web site: Mizzou Named National Champs By One BCS Computer Ranking . https://web.archive.org/web/20180909185007/https://mutigers.com/news/2008/1/17/Mizzou_Named_National_Champs_By_One_BCS_Computer_Ranking.aspx . dead . September 9, 2018 . mutigers.com . Missouri Athletics . September 9, 2018 . January 17, 2008 .
  8. Web site: Missouri Edges Kansas and LSU to Finish #1 . andersonsports.com . Anderson and Hester . September 9, 2018 .
  9. Book: 2018 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records . National Collegiate Athletic Association . August 2018 . Indianapolis. September 9, 2018 . 108.
  10. Book: 2020 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records . National Collegiate Athletic Association . August 2018 . December 10, 2018 . 113–114.
  11. Web site: The 1960 MU-KU Controversy. November 21, 2010.
  12. News: Big Eight voted 5-3 to strip KU's title in Bert Coan action . Lawrence Daily Journal-World . (Kansas). Morey . Earl . December 9, 1960 . 1.
  13. News: Jayhawks lose league title . Eugene Register-Guard . (Oregon) . Associated Press . December 9, 1960 . 2B.
  14. Web site: Missouri Tigers Bowls. College Football at Sports-Reference.com.
  15. Web site: 2020 Music City Bowl canceled as COVID-19 outbreak forces Missouri to pull out of game vs. Iowa . 2022-11-09 . CBSSports.com . December 27, 2020 . en.
  16. Web site: Missouri Bowl History . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110525210800/http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/big12/missouri/bowl_history.php . May 25, 2011 .
  17. Web site: Winsipedia - Oklahoma Sooners vs. Missouri Tigers football series history . 2023-07-31 . Winsipedia . en.
  18. Web site: Matter . Dave . 2023-06-14 . Mizzou football hosts Oklahoma in 2024 in Sooners' SEC debut season . 2023-07-31 . STLtoday.com . en.
  19. "Telephone Trophy "
  20. "Mascot & Football Traditions "
  21. Web site: Missouri Vs. Kansas: No Hate Like Old Hate . February 24, 2012 .
  22. Web site: 2020-05-02 . Ex-Big 12 rivals Kansas, Missouri to resume play . 2023-07-28 . ESPN.com . en.
  23. Web site: Winsipedia - Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Missouri Tigers football series history . 2023-07-31 . Winsipedia . en.
  24. Web site: 2017 Record Book. mutigers.com. Missouri Athletics. February 14, 2018.
  25. https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/sec-football/retired-sec-jersey-numbers/ Retired and revered SEC jersey numbers
  26. Web site: College Football Hall of Fame Inductees. Atlanta Hall Management, Inc.. October 11, 2017.
  27. Web site: HALL OF FAMERS BY COLLEGE. PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME. October 11, 2017.
  28. Web site: Truman the Tiger – 2015–16 General. University of Missouri. October 11, 2017.
  29. Web site: U celebrates Homecoming Week 2004 : UMNews : University of Minnesota . .umn.edu . December 5, 2011.
  30. Web site: The History of Homecoming . Active.com . December 5, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121019180352/http://www.active.com/football/Articles/The_History_of_Homecoming.htm . October 19, 2012 . dead .
  31. Web site: Chrös Mcdougall And Blaine Grider . Tradition's beginnings mysterious . Columbia Missourian . December 5, 2011 . dead . https://archive.today/20121209005555/http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2006/10/20/traditions-beginnings-mysterious/ . December 9, 2012 .
  32. Web site: Director of Digital Media, Eric J Eckert; eric.eckert@yorknewstimes.com . > Archives > Editorials > Vincent's Views . . September 23, 2011 . December 5, 2011.
  33. Web site: Seth. Emerson. SEC approves 8-game football schedule for 2024, no decision yet on long-term format. The Athletic. 2023-06-01. 2023-06-20.
  34. Web site: Chris. Kwiecinski. Mizzou football schedule for 2024 is set: Here's who the Tigers play. Columbia Daily Tribune. 2023-06-14. 2023-06-21.
  35. Web site: Missouri Tigers Football Schedules and Future Schedules. August 4, 2024. fbschedules.com.