Missouri Tigers football

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 Tigers football
2025 Missouri Tigers football team
First season	1890; 135 years ago
Athletic director	Laird Veatch
Head coach	Eliah Drinkwitz 4th season, 37–24 (.607)
Stadium	Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium (capacity: 62,621)
Field	Faurot Field
Field surface	AstroTurf RootZone 3D3[1]
Location	Columbia, Missouri
NCAA division	Division I FBS
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Past conferences	WIUFA (1892–1897) Missouri Valley (1907–1927) Big Eight (1928–1995) Big 12 (1996–2011)
All-time record	720–593–52 (.547)
Bowl record	17–20 (.459)
Unclaimed national titles	2 (1960, 2007)
Conference titles	15 (3 WIUFA, 12 Big Eight)
Division titles	5 Big 12 North: 2007, 2008, 2010 SEC East: 2013, 2014
Rivalries	Arkansas (rivalry) Illinois (rivalry) Iowa State (rivalry) Kansas (rivalry) Nebraska (rivalry) Oklahoma (rivalry) South Carolina
Consensus All-Americans	14
Current uniform
Colors	Old gold and black[2]
Fight song	Every True Son, Fight Tiger
Mascot	Truman the Tiger
Marching band	Marching Mizzou
Outfitter	Nike
Website	mutigers.com

Missouri's football program dates back to 1890, and has appeared in 37 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. Entering the 2024 season, Missouri's all-time record is 711–590–52 (.545).^[3]

Since 2012, Missouri has been a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC)^[4] 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.^[5] Pinkel's record with Mizzou after his final game on November 27, 2015, is 118–73 (.618).

Barry Odom took over as head coach for the 2016 season, following Pinkel's retirement. Odom would be fired following the 2019 season after going 25-25 overall and 13-19 in the SEC over 4 seasons at the helm.

Since the 2020 football season, the team has been coached by Eliah Drinkwitz. Drinkwitz has returned the Mizzou football program to prominence, with back to back 10+ win seasons and Top 25 finishes in the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

History

See also: List of Missouri Tigers football seasons

Conference affiliations

• Independent (1890–1892)
• Western Interstate University Football Association (1892–1897)
• Independent (1898–1906)
• Big Eight Conference (1907–1995)
  • Missouri Valley 1907–1927, unofficially called Big Six 1928–1947, Big Seven 1947–1957 and Big Eight 1957–1964
• Big 12 Conference (1996–2011)
• Southeastern Conference (2012–present)

Championships

The Missouri Tigers have 15 conference championships and five conference division titles.^[6]

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.^{[7][8][9][10] [11]}

Season	Coach	Selectors	Record	Final AP	Final Coaches
1960	Dan Devine	Poling System	11–0†	No. 5	No. 4
2007	Gary Pinkel	Anderson & Hester	12–2	No. 4	No. 5

† The 1960 record was 10–1, but was later changed to 11–0 due to Kansas' subsequent forfeit ^[12]

Conference championships

Missouri has won 15 conference championships.

Year	Conference	Coach	Overall Record	Conference Record
1893†	WIUFA	H.O. Robinson	4–3	2–1
1894†			4–3	2–1
1895†		C.D. Bliss	7–1	2–1
1909	Big Eight	William Roper	7–0–1	4–0–1
1913		Chester Brewer	7–1	4–0
1919		John F. Miller	5–1–2	4–0–1
1924		Gwinn Henry	7–2	5–1
1925			6–1–1	5–1
1927			7–2	5–1
1939		Don Faurot	8–2	5–0
1941			8–2	5–0
1942			8–3–1	4–0–1
1945		Chauncey Simpson	6–4	5–0
1960‡		Dan Devine	11–0	7–0
1969†			9–2	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.^[13][14]

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.

Season	Division	Coach	Opponent	CG Result
2007†	Big 12 North	Gary Pinkel	Oklahoma	L 17–38
2008†			Oklahoma	L 21–62
2010†			N/A lost tiebreaker to Nebraska
2013	SEC East		Auburn	L 42–59
2014			Alabama	L 13–42

† Co-champion

Bowl games

Missouri has appeared in 37 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 17–20.^[15] The team also accepted a bid to the 2020 Music City Bowl against Iowa, which was subsequently canceled due to COVID-19.^[16]

Missouri's entire bowl history is shown in the table below.^[17]

Season	Coach	Bowl	Opponent	Result
1924	Gwinn Henry	Los Angeles Christmas Festival	USC	L 7–20
1939	Don Faurot	Orange Bowl	Georgia Tech	L 7–21
1941		Sugar Bowl	Fordham	L 0–2
1945	Chauncey Simpson	Cotton Bowl Classic	Texas	L 27–40
1948	Don Faurot	Gator Bowl	Clemson	L 23–24
1949		Gator Bowl	Maryland	L 7–20
1959	Dan Devine	Orange Bowl	Georgia	L 0–14
1960		Orange Bowl	Navy	W 21–14
1962		Bluebonnet Bowl	Georgia Tech	W 14–10
1965		Sugar Bowl	Florida	W 20–18
1968		Gator Bowl	Alabama	W 35–10
1969		Orange Bowl	Penn State	L 3–10
1972	Al Onofrio	Fiesta Bowl	Arizona State	L 35–49
1973		Sun Bowl	Auburn	W 34–17
1978	Warren Powers	Liberty Bowl	LSU	W 20–15
1979		Hall of Fame Classic	South Carolina	W 24–14
1980		Liberty Bowl	Purdue	L 25–28
1981		Tangerine Bowl	Southern Miss	W 19–17
1983		Holiday Bowl	BYU	L 17–21
1997	Larry Smith	Holiday Bowl	Colorado State	L 24–35
1998		Insight.com Bowl	West Virginia	W 34–31
2003	Gary Pinkel	Independence Bowl	Arkansas	L 14–27
2005		Independence Bowl	South Carolina	W 38–31
2006		Sun Bowl	Oregon State	L 38–39
2007		Cotton Bowl Classic	Arkansas	W 38–7
2008		Alamo Bowl	Northwestern	W 30–23OT
2009		Texas Bowl	Navy	L 13–35
2010		Insight Bowl	Iowa	L 24–27
2011		Independence Bowl	North Carolina	W 41–24
2013		Cotton Bowl Classic	Oklahoma State	W 41–31
2014		Citrus Bowl	Minnesota	W 33–17
2017	Barry Odom	Texas Bowl	Texas	L 16–33
2018		Liberty Bowl	Oklahoma State	L 33–38
2020	Eli Drinkwitz	Music City Bowl	Iowa	No Contest
2021		Armed Forces Bowl	Army	L 22–24
2022		Gasparilla Bowl	Wake Forest	L 17–27
2023		Cotton Bowl Classic	Ohio State	W 14–3
2024		Music City Bowl	Iowa	W 27–24

Rivalries

Currently active

Arkansas

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.^[18] Missouri leads the series 11-4 as of the conclusion of the 2023 season, which saw the Tigers beat Arkansas 48-14 in Fayetteville.^[19]

Oklahoma

Main article: Missouri–Oklahoma football rivalry

Oklahoma leads the series 67-25–5 through the 2024 season.^[20] From 1940 through 1974, the teams played for the Tiger-Sooner Peace Pipe trophy. The rivalry was renewed in 2024, as the teams are members of the same conference again. Missouri won the 2024 matchup 30-23. ^[21]

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.^[22][23] Missouri leads the series 9-6 as of the conclusion of the 2024 edition of the rivalry.^[24][25]

Historic

Illinois

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.^[26] 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.^[27]

Iowa State

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.^[28][29] 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.^[30]

Kansas

Main article: Border War (Kansas–Missouri rivalry)

Missouri leads the series with Kansas 57–54–9 through the 2021 season.^[31] 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.^[32] The series is set to renew in 2025.^[33]

Nebraska

Main article: Missouri–Nebraska football rivalry

Nebraska leads the series 65–36–3 through the 2022 season.^[34] From 1892 through 2010, the teams played for the Victory Bell trophy.

Award winners

• Amos Alonzo Stagg Award – For Contributions to Football

Don Faurot – 1964

• Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award

Warren Powers – 1978

• Mosi Tatupu Award – Best Special Teams Player

Brock Olivo – 1997

• John Mackey Award – Best Tight End

Chase Coffman – 2008

• Burlsworth Trophy – Best Former Walk-On Player

Cody Schrader — 2023

Player accomplishments

All-Americans

Missouri has 38 first-team All-American selections as of 2017, 14 of whom were consensus selections.^{[35]: 121–126}

• Ed Lindenmeyer, T 1925
• Paul Christman, QB 1939
• Darold Jenkins,† C 1941
• Bob Steuber, RB 1942
• Harold Burnine, DE 1955
• Danny LaRose,† DE 1960
• Ed Blaine, T 1961
• Conrad Hitchler, DE 1962
• Johnny Roland,† DB 1965
• Francis Peay, OT 1965
• Russ Washington, OT 1967
• Roger Wehrli,† DB 1968
• Mike Carroll, OG 1969
• Scott Anderson, C 1973
• John Moseley, DB 1973
• Henry Marshall, WR 1975
• Morris Towns, OT 1976
• Kellen Winslow,† TE 1978
• Bill Whitaker, DB 1980
• Brad Edelman, C 1981
• Jeff Gaylord, DT 1981
• Conrad Goode, OT 1983
• John Clay,† OT 1986
• Devin West, TB 1998
• Rob Riti,† C 1999
• Justin Smith, DE 2000
• Martin Rucker,† TE 2007
• Jeremy Maclin,† AP 2007 & 2008
• Chase Coffman,† TE 2008
• Danario Alexander, WR 2009
• Grant Ressel, K 2009
• Michael Egnew,† TE 2010
• Michael Sam,† DE 2013
• Shane Ray,† DE 2014
• Marcus Murphy, ST 2014
• Kentrell Brothers, LB 2015
• Harrison Mevis, K 2021
• Cody Schrader, † RB 2023

† Consensus selection

Retired numbers

See also: List of NCAA football retired numbers

Johnny Roland

Missouri has retired six jersey numbers representing seven players as of 2017.^{[35]: 119–120}

Missouri Tigers retired numbers
No.	Player	Pos.	Tenure	Ref.
23	Johnny Roland	HB	1962, 1964–1965	[36]
	Roger Wehrli	CB	1966–1968	[36]
27	Brock Olivo	RB	1994–1997	[36]
37	Bob Steuber	E/HB	1940–1943	[36]
42	Darold Jenkins	C	1939–1941	[36]
44	Paul Christman	QB	1938–1940	[36]
83	Kellen Winslow	TE	1975–1978	[36]

Hall of Fame

Kellen Winslow

Roger Wehrli

College Football Hall of Fame

Missouri has 15 inductees into the College Football Hall of Fame.^[37]

Player	Position	Induction
Bill Roper	Coach	1951
Paul Christman	QB	1956
Don Faurot	Coach	1961
Bob Steuber	HB	1971
Jim Phelan	Coach	1973
Ed Travis	T	1974
Darold Jenkins	C	1976
Frank Broyles	Coach	1983
Dan Devine	Coach	1985
Johnny Roland	HB	1998
Kellen Winslow	TE	2002
Roger Wehrli	CB	2003
Lloyd Carr	QB	2011
Gary Pinkel	Coach	2022
Jeremy Maclin	WR	2023

Pro Football Hall of Fame

Two Missouri players have been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame:^[38]

Player	Position	Induction
Kellen Winslow	TE	1995
Roger Wehrli	CB	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.^[39]

Homecoming

See 1911 Kansas vs. Missouri football game

The NCAA^[40] as well as Jeopardy! and Trivial Pursuit^[41] 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.^[42][43] 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.^[44] 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.^[45]

2025 Conference Schedule

Opponent	Site	Result
Alabama	Faurot Field Columbia, MO
at Arkansas	Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium Fayetteville, AR (Battle Line Rivalry)
at Auburn	Jordan-Hare Stadium Auburn, AL
Mississippi State	Faurot Field Columbia, MO
at Oklahoma	Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK (rivalry)
South Carolina	Faurot Field Columbia, MO (Mayor's Cup)
Texas A&M	Faurot Field Columbia, MO
at Vanderbilt	FirstBank Stadium Nashville, TN

Non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of August 4, 2024.^[46]

2025	2026	2027	2028	2029	2030	2031	2032	2033	2034	2035
Central Arkansas Aug 30	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
Kansas Sep 6	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
Louisiana Oct 4	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
UMass Oct 18	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

References

1. Blum, Eric (June 23, 2021). "New turf installed at Faurot Field for Mizzou's 2021 football season". Columbia Daily Tribune. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
2. Mizzou Athletics Brand Identity Guidelines (PDF). July 9, 2019. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
3. "NCAA FBS Records".
4. http://www.secdigitalnetwork.com/NEWS/tabid/473/Article/229185/university-of-missouri-to-join-southeastern-conference.aspx University Of Missouri To Join Southeastern Conference
5. http://www.kansascity.com/2013/12/01/4661805/mu-notebook-pinkel-matches-faurot.html Gary Pinkel matches Don Faurot for most wins at Mizzou
6. "Missouri Composite Championship Listing". Archived from the original on May 16, 2008.
7. Amy Daughters (May 4, 2011). "College Football: The Top 25 Schools That Have Never Won a National Championship". Bleacher Report.
8. "Mizzou Named National Champs By One BCS Computer Ranking". mutigers.com. Missouri Athletics. January 17, 2008. Archived from the original on September 9, 2018. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
9. "Missouri Edges Kansas and LSU to Finish #1". andersonsports.com. Anderson and Hester. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
10. 2018 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records (PDF). Indianapolis: National Collegiate Athletic Association. August 2018. p. 108. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
11. 2020 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. August 2018. pp. 113–114. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
12. "The 1960 MU-KU Controversy". November 21, 2010.
13. Morey, Earl (December 9, 1960). "Big Eight voted 5-3 to strip KU's title in Bert Coan action". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). p. 1.
14. "Jayhawks lose league title". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 9, 1960. p. 2B.
15. "Missouri Tigers Bowls". College Football at Sports-Reference.com.
16. "2020 Music City Bowl canceled as COVID-19 outbreak forces Missouri to pull out of game vs. Iowa". CBSSports.com. December 27, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
17. "Missouri Bowl History". Archived from the original on May 25, 2011.
18. "What is the Battle Line Rivalry? Arkansas-Missouri Rivalry Explained". collegefootballnetwork.com. November 23, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
19. "Missouri 48-14 Arkansas (Nov 24, 2023) Game Recap". ESPN. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
20. "Winsipedia - Oklahoma Sooners vs. Missouri Tigers football series history". Winsipedia. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
21. Matter, Dave (June 14, 2023). "Mizzou football hosts Oklahoma in 2024 in Sooners' SEC debut season". STLtoday.com. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
22. Soble, Jack (October 28, 2022). "Buffaloe wants Mayor's Cup to stay in Missouri". Columbia Missourian. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
23. Cloninger, David (September 6, 2017). "USC battles Missouri for the Mayor's Cup and much more". Post and Courier. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
24. "Winsipedia - Missouri Tigers vs. South Carolina Gamecocks football series history". Winsipedia. Archived from the original on November 20, 2024. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
25. "Missouri at South Carolina Box Score, November 16, 2024". College Football Reference. Archived from the original on November 20, 2024. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
26. Kelley, Kevin (November 20, 2017). "Illinois, Missouri schedule four-game football series". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
27. Matter, Dave (November 20, 2017). "Mizzou, Illinois revive football series for 2026-29". STLtoday.com. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
28. "Telephone Trophy Archived 2011-09-29 at the Wayback Machine"
29. "Mascot & Football Traditions Archived 2008-09-15 at the Wayback Machine"
30. "Winsipedia - Missouri Tigers vs. Iowa State Cyclones football series history". Winsipedia. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
31. "Winsipedia - Kansas Jayhawks vs. Missouri Tigers football series history games list". Winsipedia. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
32. "Missouri Vs. Kansas: No Hate Like Old Hate". February 24, 2012.
33. "Ex-Big 12 rivals Kansas, Missouri to resume play". ESPN.com. May 2, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
34. "Winsipedia - Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Missouri Tigers football series history". Winsipedia. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
35. "2017 Record Book" (PDF). mutigers.com. Missouri Athletics. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
36. Retired and revered SEC jersey numbers by Nick Cole on Saturday Down South.com
37. "College Football Hall of Fame Inductees". Atlanta Hall Management, Inc. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
38. "HALL OF FAMERS BY COLLEGE". PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
39. "Truman the Tiger – 2015–16 General". University of Missouri. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
40. "U celebrates Homecoming Week 2004 : UMNews : University of Minnesota". .umn.edu. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
41. "The History of Homecoming". Active.com. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
42. Chrös Mcdougall And Blaine Grider. "Tradition's beginnings mysterious". Columbia Missourian. Archived from the original on December 9, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
43. Director of Digital Media, Eric J Eckert; [e-mail] (September 23, 2011). "> Archives > Editorials > Vincent's Views". York News-Times. Retrieved December 5, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
44. Emerson, Seth (June 1, 2023). "SEC approves 8-game football schedule for 2024, no decision yet on long-term format". The Athletic. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
45. Kwiecinski, Chris (June 14, 2023). "Mizzou football schedule for 2024 is set: Here's who the Tigers play". Columbia Daily Tribune. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
46. "Missouri Tigers Football Schedules and Future Schedules". fbschedules.com. Retrieved August 4, 2024.

External links

• Official website