Evan Boehm, a junior offensive lineman, Maty Mauk, a redshirt sophomore quarterback, and Michael Scherer, a redshirt sophomore linebacker, decided to spend a warm and sunny Missouri summer day touring Mizzou’s beautiful campus in honor of everything it has meant to them during the duration of their student-athlete careers.
The trio fittingly started at the historic Tiger Walk Bridge, which they cross en route to making their way to the field two hours prior to every home game.
“We have fans, cheerleaders, band, the Golden Girls, everybody out here cheering us on and getting us ready for the game,” Mauk said.
The three then took the exclusive Mizzou Football golf cart to South residence hall, where all of the freshman football players live while attending their first year at our great school. Redshirt freshman tight end Jason Reese was then kind enough to give them a tour of his dorm room at South, all of which come equipped with desks and beds for two, as well as a walk-in closet and bathrooms that players share with their suitemates.
The threesome’s adventure progressed to Mizzou’s Greek Town, where they were received very warmly by our university’s sororities and fraternities.
“They get really festive in the homecoming, and they are very big supporters of Mizzou football,” Boehm said as they were driving through.
Stankowski Field, the proud site of the first ever homecoming in the world, was the next destination on the list.
“They have three fields, and a whole bunch of rec sports are played out here,” Boehm said as he and his compadres stood next to the track overlooking the turf field.
Stankowski was renovated last year at the same time as The ZOU.
The three then moved on to Cornell Hall, the impressive building that houses Mizzou’s Business School.
“This is where me and Evan spend most of our day going to class,” Scherer said. “It is home to the largest classroom on campus.”
After a quick visit to this classroom, the players headed over to the Student Center, where a great number of students spend a lot of their time hanging out and studying between classes. It was renovated in 2012 and offers a wide variety of products and services, from technology assistance to Mizzou merchandise, to plenty of tasty places to grab a quick bite to eat. Boehm himself has carved out time to relax at the Student Center.
“In the wintertime they have the fireplace turned on,” Boehm said. “You can sit by the fire and hang out, maybe read, study a little bit.”
The group then headed over to the Mizzou Store to show off a pretty snazzy shiny black-and-grey themed Mizzou football shirt that was designed by Mizzou Made quarterback and current Kansas City Chief Chase Daniel.
Mizzou’s Recreational Center was the next stop on the tour, which was No. 1 on Sports Illustrated’s list of recreational facilities back in 2005. Mauk certainly agrees.
“We have the nicest rec center in the country,” he proudly says. “We have 10 basketball courts. We’ve got three swimming pools. You go in here in the Grotto, we got a steam room and a sauna.”
Boehm also revealed that Coach Pinkel often treats the players and the coaching staff to a trip to the Grotto during fall camp.
“Some of us hang outside, some of us go inside,” Boehm said, “and just have a good ol’ pool day….and keep our mind off of football for a little bit.”
Mauk and Boehm also have a little rivalry going amongst themselves, and it has nothing to do with basketball or the Grotto.
“We play a lot of racquetball,” Mauk said. “And to this day he’s getting better, but he still needs practice.”
Boehm isn’t ready to concede to defeat to Mauk just yet.
“It’s my main goal before I leave here, is to beat Maty in at least two games of racquetball,” Boehm said. “Right now it’s not really working out too well.”
Mauk Boehm and Scherer then found themselves looking up at the towering prestige of Mizzou’s Memorial Union, another popular study area for students that also hosts many different events, ranging from campus ministry services to awards banquets. The building is comprised of two components, a north side (built after World War I to honor the 116 students who lost their lives during the conflict) and a south side (constructed following World War II to honor those fallen during that time as well).
Speaker’s Circle was a must-stop along the way, and the three made sure they didn’t miss it.
“It’s part of one of the seven traditions, is to stand right in the middle of the circle and scream ‘I love Mizzou’ three or four times,” Boehm said as the golf cart circled the circle.
Scherer then decided to give a demonstration of this tradition, while Mauk tossed a pass to a fellow student.
Shakespeare’s Pizza, another Mizzou staple, was calling the player’s names after a long day of touring the campus, so they all piled back into the golf cart to head down to the beloved pizza joint to enjoy an exceptional meal.
The threesome then traded some “M-I-Z”, “Z-O-U” chants with some patrons, and they cruised to the last, but not least, destination of the tour: the famed Mizzou Columns. The six pillars are one of the most historic landmarks in the whole state of Missouri and also hold the honor of being the second most photographed entity in the state as well.
“When you get here your freshman year, you run through the columns and you go get ice cream on the other side,” Boehm said. “It’s just a special tradition we have here at Mizzou.”
Anyone who saw these fine young men on this tour can surely come to one conclusion above all: This campus, this university—Mizzou through and through—is not just a place where they will receive an excellent education and accomplish great things out on the gridiron. It is, and forever will be, their home.
