The Mizzou Tigers will run into The ZOU to kick off the month of November in gold pants, a black jersey, and the traditional tiger head logo helmet.
The traditional Mizzou Tiger football helmet has a gold “bumper” reading Tigers for a 3D look.
The traditional Mizzou Tiger football helmet has the tiger head logo on each side.
The traditional Mizzou Tiger football helmet says Mizzou on the back in a special font designed by Nike.
#84 Michael Egnew – Miami Dolphins Tight End – Thursday, 7:35, NFL Network
#10 Chase Daniel – Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback – Sunday, 12:00, CBS
#25 William Moore – Atlanta Falcons Safety – Sunday, 12:00, FOX
#91 Sheldon Richardson – New York Jets Defensive Tackle – Sunday, 12:00, FOX
#48 Beau Brinkley – Tennessee Titans Long Snapper – Sunday, 12:00, CBS
#50 Zaviar Gooden – Tennessee Titans Linebacker – Sunday, 12:00, CBS
#61 Tim Barnes – St. Louis Rams Center – Sunday, 12:00, CBS
#59 Andrew Gachkar – San Diego Chargers Linebacker – Sunday, 12:00, CBS
#96 Ziggy Hood – Pittsburgh Steelers Defensive End – Sunday, 3:25, CBS
Mizzou Football Family brings you its edition of a special #ThrowbackThursday. Happy Halloween!
Mizzou Defensive Tackle Lucas Vincent was a pirate for Halloween when he was a kid.
Mizzou Safety Ian Simon dressed up as Harry Potter with his brother one year.
Mizzou Linebacker Michael Scherer wanted to be Mr. Freeze from “Batman” on Halloween.
Mizzou Quarterback Eddie Printz was a Viking one Halloween.
Mizzou Quarterback Maty Mauk says the only thing he would wear for Halloween was a football jersey.
Mizzou Wide Receiver Wesley Leftwich was a baby Dalmation.
Mizzou Cornerback David Johnson dressed up as a ninja one Halloween.
Mizzou Wide Receiver Levi Copelin dressed up as a big, buff Batman one year.
Mizzou Linebacker Joe Burkett dressed up as his idol – a Chiefs football player.
Mizzou Offensive Lineman Justin Britt was a vampire in Lebanon, Missouri.
Mizzou Center Evan Boehm was a fierce ninja for Halloween in Lee’s Summit, Missouri.
Mizzou Quarterback Corbin Berkstresser had many costumes as a kid including a cowboy and of course, a football player.
DALLAS (FWAA) — Missouri senior wide receiver L’Damian Washington is the weekly nominee for the 2013 Discover Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award that will be announced at the end of the season.
Washington, the rangy 6-foot-4 wide receiver from Shreveport, Louisiana, has been the emotional leader for the 10th-ranked Tigers this season after a tumultuous upbringing that included the murder of his father when he was five years old. A decade later his mother, Sonya, only 38, died after complications with a blood clot.
Washington, the second youngest of four brothers, was left to help raise the family with his two older brothers. The fourth brother is still in high school. They bonded and stayed together, despite attempts to split them up. And when it came time for L’Damian to accept a college scholarship, after initially planning on attending nearby Louisiana Tech, his brothers encouraged him to go to Missouri.
Washington has overcome all the obstacles and has a resume that ranks him among the top receivers in college football. Through eight games this season, he leads the Tigers with 635 yards receiving on 33 catches (a 19.2 yards-a-catch average) and has eight touchdown receptions.
The Courage Award was created by ESPN ‘s senior columnist Gene Wojciechowski, also a FWAA member. A select group of writers from the FWAA vote on the winner each year. The requirements for nomination include displaying courage on or off the field, including overcoming an injury or physical handicap, preventing a disaster or living through hardship.
Previous winners of the FWAA’s Courage Award are Clemson wide receiver Daniel Rodriguez (2012), Michigan State offensive lineman Arthur Ray Jr. (2011), Rutgers defensive tackle Eric LeGrand (2010), the University of Connecticut football team (2009), Tulsa’s Wilson Holloway (2008), Navy’s Zerbin Singleton (2007), Clemson’s Ray Ray McElrathbey (2006), the Tulane football team (2005), Memphis’ Haracio Colen (2004), San Jose State’s Neil Parry (2003) and Toledo’s William Bratton (2002).
About the Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl is a 351-member, primarily-volunteer non-profit sports organization that promotes and serves the South Florida community. The Orange Bowl features a year-round schedule of events culminating with the Discover Orange Bowl on January 3, 2014. Other Orange Bowl core events include the MetroPCS Orange Bowl Basketball Classic, Orange Bowl Youth Football Alliance presented by Sports Authority, Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships, Orange Bowl International Youth Regatta, Orange Bowl Swim Classic and Orange Bowl Paddle Championships. For more information on the 2013-14 Orange Bowl events, including promotional and volunteer opportunities through the Ambassador Program, log on to www.orangebowl.org.
The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization founded in 1941, consists of more than 1,200 men and women who cover college football. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson at tiger@fwaa.com or 972-713-6198.
Mizzou Tiger Talk was full of interesting conversation this week.
Recently Coach Gary Pinkel’s former coach and mentor Don James, who coached at both Kent State and the University of Washington, passed away.
At the Coach James’ memorial service, Pinkel ran into old players from the Washington team he coached. It had been more than 25 years since he had seen them last. A lot happens in that amount of time, including those players having kids going off to college and them entering a stage of life a lot athletes don’t think about while they are so young playing.
Pinkel was stoked to see his old team again to reflect on times had with Coach James.
“He was an organizational genius,” Pinkel said. “I was very lucky.”
Also, junior tailback Marcus Murphy and junior defensive lineman Markus Golden talked about the team. They elaborated on what it takes to be good teammates and the way the team bonds.
The things a team does to bond can be so simple but so effective. Whether it’s playing videogames, watching movies or listening to music, the things the Mizzou Tigers do to increase their chemistry and family love for one another has proven to be helpful for all involved both on and off the field.
Here’s a look at how #MizzouMade Tigers in the NFL produced on the gridiron during week 8:
Justin Smith – San Francisco 49ers Defensive Tackle
Michael Egnew – Miami Dolphins Tight End
Sheldon Richardson – New York Jets Defensive End
William Moore – Atlanta Falcons Safety
Mizzou will kick off at 11:00 am CST when they face Kentucky on Nov. 9 in Lexington.
This will be the fourth ever meeting between the two programs, with the Wildcats holding a two to one advantage. Mizzou got its first conference victory as a member of the SEC when they defeated Kentucky 33-10 last season at The ZOU.
The game will be televised on either FSN or ESPNU.
WHEN: Saturday, November 2 at 6:00pm CST
WHERE: The ZOU (67,124) Columbia, Mo.
TV: ESPN (national) Steve Levy – play-by-play, Brian Griese – color, Tom Luginbill – sideline
SERIES: Missouri leads 1-0
COACHES: Butch Jones, Tennessee 4-4 (1st year), overall 54-31 (7th year) Gary Pinkel, Missouri 97-62 (13th year) overall 170-99-3 (23rd year)
One of the biggest positive signs that Mizzou fans got this week was the announcement on Monday by head Coach Gary Pinkel that senior quarterback James Franklin would be listed at third on the depth chart this Saturday and was questionable to return. Although the news isn’t a definitive statement that Franklin will play.
It will be only the second ever meeting between the two schools, with Mizzou claiming the inaugural game of the series last season with a 51-48 quadruple overtime thriller in Knoxville last year. This will be Tennessee’s first ever game inside of the state of Missouri.
The senior captain L’Damian Washington continues to lead Mizzou at wide receiver. He’s amassed 635 yards and eight touchdowns, which is tied for second in the SEC. Fellow teammate and senior Marcus Lucas leads the team in receptions with 39.
On the rushing side of things, the ‘Three Headed Monster’ of Henry Josey, Russell Hansbrough and Marcus Murphy is firing on all cylinders. They’re all still averaging more than 50 yards per game, giving them an average of more than 150 yards per game as a combined unit. It’s gotten harder for opponents to stop the run when they’re not sure who they’re going to be trying to stop each play.
Defensively, Mizzou is strong as Michael Sam leads the nation in sacks with 10 and tackles-for-loss with 16. Sam was announced as a Chuck Bednarik Award semifinalist this week with his All-American caliber of play. We’ve all seen the talent that Kony Ealy and Markus Golden have displayed this year to make Mizzou one of the deepest teams in the SEC at defensive line. But if you’re looking for an up-and-comer, look no further than redshirt freshman Harold Brantley, who had a season high of four tackles last week.
Senior linebacker Andrew Wilson continues to find the ball. He leads the team in tackles with 58. He’s also Mizzou’s active career tackling leader with 277. Senior Donovan Bonner is having his best season as a Missouri Tiger, and sophomore Kentrell Brothers has started every game so far for the team.
The secondary got a huge boost as senior cornerback E.J. Gaines was cleared from injury this week. His counterpart Randy Ponder has been a huge success in the absence of Gaines, and true freshman Aarion Penton showed incredible depth in the secondary.
One of the things that has helped the team out so much is the tremendous fan support they’ve received this season. There will only be two more opportunities to see the Tigers at The ZOU this season: this Saturday and against Texas A&M on Nov. 30 for the 2013 regular season finale.
Mizzou senior defensive end Michael Sam has been thrilling Mizzou fans this season with his phenomenal play. He’s caught the attention of fans, as well as opposing offenses as they try to plan on how to handle such a quick player.
You can now add the prestigious Maxwell Club to the list of people who have taken notice, as Sam was announced as a semifinalist today for the 19th Chuck Bednarik Award, honoring college football’s best defensive player.
Sam has exploded to amass 10 sacks on the season to lead both the SEC and the FBS. He is also the national leader in tackles-for-loss with 16. In addition to these respectable numbers, it is worth noting that of the 23 times this season that a player in FBS football has gotten three sacks or more, Sam is responsible for three of those stat lines single-handedly.
The semi-finalists will compete until November 25, when three are picked from the group of 16 as finalists. The award winner will be announced on December 12 on ESPN.
Sam will be in action this Saturday as the Tigers take on Tennessee at the ZOU on ESPN at 6:00pm CST.
The Law of the Edge
Observe
Teams are always looking for an edge. You’ve seen it. A football team recruits new talent or develops new plays to beat a tough opponent or even brings in a whole new program to turn around a legacy of losing. Hoping to improve their productivity, businesses invest in new technology. and companies fire their ad agencies and hire new ones to launch campaigns, hoping to make gains on their competitors. The more competitive the field, the more relentless the search for an edge.
What is the key to success? Is it talent? Hard work? Technology? Efficiency? To be successful, a team needs all of those things, but it still needs something more. It needs leadership. Personnel determine the potential of a team. Vision determines the direction of a team. Work ethic determines the preparation of a team. Leadership determines the success of a team.
Everything rises and falls on leadership. If a team has great leadership, it can achieve at the highest level.
Look at any team that has achieved great success, and you will find that it has strong leadership. What empowered the Chicago Bulls to win six NBA championships? Most casual fans would say that Michael Jordan was simply more talented than everyone else. His talent certainly played a role, but those who followed the Bulls know it was more than just talent. The leadership edge of Phil Jackson and Michael Jordan pushed those teams to excel. The difference between two equally talented teams is leadership. That’s the Law of the Edge.
Learn
With good leadership, everything improves. Leaders are lifters. They push the thinking of their teammates beyond what was thought to be possible. They elevate others’ performances, making them better than they’ve ever been before. And they raise the expectations of everyone on the team. Although managers are able to maintain a team at its current level, leaders are able to lift it to a higher level than it has ever reached before.
1. Leaders create an environment where each team member wants to be responsible. Good leaders know how to read people and encourage them to take responsibility for their part on the team. But they also remember that they are responsible to be their teammates.
2. Leaders push their teammates to fulfill the promises of their potential. The team can only reach its potential if each of the individuals on the team reach their potential.
3. Leaders learn quickly and encourage others to learn quickly also. Leaders lift themselves to a higher level first, and then they lift the others around them. Modeling comes first, then leadership. If everyone is improving, then the team is improving.