Missouri Tigers football facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Missouri Tigers football
First season	1890; 135 years ago
Athletic director	Laird Veatch
Head coach	Eliah Drinkwitz 6th season, 38–24 (.613)
Stadium	Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium (Capacity: 62,621)
Field	Faurot Field
Field surface	AstroTurf RootZone 3D3
Location	Columbia, Missouri
NCAA division	Division I FBS
Conference	SEC
Past conferences	WIUFA (1892–1897) Missouri Valley (1907–1927) Big Eight (1928–1995) Big 12 (1996–2011)
All-time record	721–593–52 (.547)
Bowl record	17–20 (.459)
Unclaimed nat'l 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 (rivalry)
Consensus All-Americans	14
Current uniform
Colors	Black and Old Gold
Fight song	Every True Son, Fight Tiger
Mascot	Truman the Tiger
Marching band	Marching Mizzou
Outfitter	Nike
Website	mutigers.com

The Missouri Tigers football team plays for the University of Missouri, also known as Mizzou. They are part of college football's top division, the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

Team History and Achievements

The Missouri Tigers football program started way back in 1890. Since then, they have played in 37 important bowl games. These include 11 major "New Year's Six" bowl appearances. The team has won 15 conference titles and 5 division titles. As of the start of the 2025 season, Missouri's overall record is 721 wins, 593 losses, and 52 ties.

Since 2012, Missouri has been a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Their home games are played at Faurot Field, often called "The Zou," in Columbia, Missouri. The stadium is named after the famous coach Don Faurot.

Coaching Milestones

Gary Pinkel coached the team from 2001 to 2015. He holds the record for the most wins in Missouri football history. He achieved his 102nd win in the Cotton Bowl on January 3, 2014. Pinkel's final record with Mizzou was 118 wins and 73 losses.

Barry Odom became the head coach for the 2016 season after Pinkel retired. Odom coached for four seasons, with a record of 25 wins and 25 losses.

Since the 2020 season, Eliah Drinkwitz has been the head coach. He has helped the Mizzou football program become very strong again. The team had back-to-back seasons with 10 or more wins in 2023 and 2024. They also finished in the Top 25 rankings in both of those years.

Conference Changes Over Time

The Missouri Tigers have been part of several different conferences throughout their history:

• Independent (1890–1892)
• Western Interstate University Football Association (1892–1897)
• Independent (1898–1906)
• Big Eight Conference (1907–1995)
  • This conference was known by different names over the years, including Missouri Valley, Big Six, and Big Seven.
• Big 12 Conference (1996–2011)
• Southeastern Conference (2012–present)

Championship Wins

The Missouri Tigers have won 15 conference championships and five conference division titles.

National Championship Recognition

Missouri has never been chosen as a "Consensus National Champion" by the main NCAA polls. However, they were selected as national champions by one major selector in both 1960 and 2007. The university does not officially claim these championships.

† The Tigers' original 1960 record was 10–1. It was later changed to 11–0 because the Big Eight conference gave Missouri a win by forfeit.

Conference Championship Titles

Missouri has won 15 conference championships.

† Co-champions
‡ The 1960 Big Eight title was given to Missouri later. This happened after a loss to Kansas was changed because Kansas used a player who was not allowed to play.

Division Championship Titles

The Tigers were part of the Big 12 North division from 1996 to 2011. They then joined the SEC East in 2012. Missouri has won five division championships.

† Co-champion

Bowl Game Appearances

Missouri has played in 37 bowl games. This includes 11 major "New Year's Six" bowl games. They have a bowl game record of 17 wins and 20 losses. The team was supposed to play in the 2020 Music City Bowl, but it was canceled due to COVID-19.

Here is a list of all of Missouri's bowl game appearances:

Team Rivalries

The Missouri Tigers have several exciting rivalries with other college football teams. Some of these rivalries are still active today, while others are historic.

Current Rivalries

Arkansas Razorbacks

Missouri and Arkansas first played in 1906. They became permanent rivals in 2014 when Missouri joined the SEC. This yearly game is called the Battle Line Rivalry. A special trophy was created for the game in 2015. Missouri leads the series 12–4 as of the end of the 2024 season. Missouri won the 2024 game 28–21.

Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma leads the series 67-25–5 as of the 2024 season. From 1940 to 1974, the teams played for the Tiger-Sooner Peace Pipe trophy. This rivalry started again in 2024 because both teams are now in the same conference. Missouri won the 2024 game 30–23.

South Carolina Gamecocks

A new rivalry began in 2012 when Missouri joined the SEC East. Both schools are in cities named Columbia. The mayors of these cities give the winner the "Mayor's Cup" trophy each year. Missouri leads this series 9–6 as of the end of the 2024 season.

Historic Rivalries

Illinois Fighting Illini

The rivalry between Missouri and Illinois is very popular in the St. Louis area. The teams have played 24 times between 1896 and 2010. Missouri leads the series 17–7. They played in St. Louis six times from 2000 to 2010, with Missouri winning every game. This rivalry will start again in 2026 for four years.

Iowa State Cyclones

Missouri and Iowa State first played in 1896. This regional rivalry became famous for the "Telephone Trophy." This trophy was created after a funny incident in 1959. The phones used by coaches to talk to their teams were accidentally wired together! The rivalry mostly ended when Missouri left the Big 12. Missouri leads the series 61–34–9 as of the 2022 season.

Kansas Jayhawks

Missouri leads the series with Kansas 57–54–9 as of the 2021 season. This "Border War" rivalry is one of the oldest and most intense in college sports. It dates back to the 1850s. The teams played every year from 1891 to 2011. The series is set to start again in 2025.

Nebraska Cornhuskers

Nebraska leads the series 65–36–3 as of the 2022 season. From 1892 to 2010, the teams played for the Victory Bell trophy.

Award-Winning Players and Coaches

Many Missouri Tigers players and coaches have won important awards.

Individual Awards

• 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

All-Americans

Missouri has had 38 players chosen as first-team All-Americans. Fourteen of these players were "consensus" selections, meaning they were picked by most of the major selection groups.

† Consensus selection

Retired Jersey Numbers

Johnny Roland

Missouri has honored seven players by retiring six of their jersey numbers. This means no other player on the team will wear these numbers.

Football Hall of Fame Members

Kellen Winslow

Roger Wehrli

College Football Hall of Fame

Fifteen people connected to Missouri football have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Pro Football Hall of Fame

Two Missouri players have been honored in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which is for the best professional football players.

Team Mascot

Truman the Tiger is the official mascot for the University of Missouri. He was first introduced in 1986. Truman got his name from former U.S. President Harry S Truman. Truman has been named the "Nation's Best Mascot" three times, most recently in 2014.

Homecoming Tradition

See 1911 Kansas vs. Missouri football game

The University of Missouri is known as the birthplace of Homecoming. This is a special event that has become a national tradition in college football. The first Homecoming event happened around the 1911 Kansas vs. Missouri football game. This game was part of the Border War rivalry series.

Upcoming Games

Conference Games

From 2012 to 2023, Missouri played in the East Division of the SEC. They played every team in their division each year. They also played some teams from the West Division. The SEC expanded to 16 teams in 2024 and removed its divisions. This created a new schedule for the Tigers. On March 20, 2024, the SEC announced that teams would continue to play 8 conference games for the 2025 season. Each team will play the same opponents as in 2024, but the home and away locations will be switched.

2025 Conference Schedule

Non-Conference Games

Here are the non-conference games that have been announced for future seasons.