MIZZOU MOMENTS
2023 1
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Print by
#INVESTINGINLIVES
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From all of us to all of you, thank you for an incredible year! We created this book as a commemorative thank you as we celebrate the memories we made together in 2023. None of this would be possible without the best fans in the land! Let’s continue the MOmentum in 2024!
M-I-Z!
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 4
Quotes
43
Fundraising Highlights
53
Head Coach Hires
7
Season Reviews
45
Academic Success
55
Facility Updates
37
Individual Highlights
47
Community Service
57
Name, Image & Likeness
39
Attendance Highlights
49
Mizzou Hall of Fame
58
Thank You, Tigers
41
Ticket Sales
51
Tigers in the Pros
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TIGER TALES
We loved hearing your favorite Mizzou memories this year and thought we’d share some of them with you here.
“As a football player for Mizzou in the late ‘70s, early ‘80s I remember the exhilaration of taking Faurot Field at the start of every game. A thunderous crowd, Marching Mizzou, the cannon blast, and Truman riding his firetruck with the siren blaring. But the first thing always looked at was the iconic Rock M behind the north end zone. I expected it to be covered with fans and to be unrecognable. This year, that expectation became a gameday reality once again! That is my favorite memory of 2023! May we forever Cover the M. M-I-Z!” - Randall Jostes (Board President, Mizzou Letterwinners Club)
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“I loved the face painting at the football games and the light sabers from basketball!” - Ella (Young Mizzou Fan) “My hat is off to all of you....and especially to the hard-working student athletes! Thanks, from an old Mizzou fan.” – Carole (Football Fan)
“As fans for 25 years plus this is the best atmosphere we’ve experienced in a long time. Very Good!” – Joel (Volleyball Fan) “The energy around Mizzou Athletics is at the highest point I’ve seen. Mizzou Athletics has raised the expectation level to win championships — and we have seen the benefits from that vision. The best is yet to come for Mizzou Athletics.” - Michael Haverty (TSF Donor and Mizzou Baseball Letterwinner)
“Great atmosphere and environment! We brought our daughters (and a friend), and they all had a great time. The in-game entertainment was fun for all ages and kept our kids engaged. The volleyball team plays with a lot of passion and made the experience very enjoyable for all of us! MIZ!” - Tory (Volleyball Fan) “I get chills when we come out for the coin toss. Just the energy, that college rowdiness. Being able to play at Mizzou and this great city of Columbia has been special.” - Darius Robinson (Football Student-Athlete)
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“I am thankful for Mizzou as it has provided me with new experiences and relationships that allow me to grow every day as a person.” - Bella Hollenbach (Soccer Student-Athlete)
“We are delighted to be part of the Mizzou athletic family. 2023 has been a great year. Our family has a history of supporting the University and Missouri athletics going back to the early 1900s. It would be difficult to identify a more transformative year in the storied history of Mizzou. As a True Son it was important for Cheri and I to give back and honor my parents. We look forward to great things to come in 2024.” - Cheri & Chuck Whitten (TSF Donors)
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“The new look of the black seats and the new scoreboard were a great upgrade. Love the new look. The students were again great and love to see their enthusiasm. Looking forward to another great year” – Jo (Men’s Basketball Fan)
“The homecoming parade was the best day of my life! Thank you! The opportunity was just so amazing. It was an opportunity I will never forget! M-I-Z!” - Caroline (Young Mizzou Fan) “Love Coming home to Columbia and Mizzou. Homecoming was special and the team and win made it even better. Was sitting near a lot of players’ parents. Tried to let them know how proud they should be of their sons. Told Mr. & Mrs. Schrader what a tough kid they have and should be sooooo proud of such an awesome young man.” – Donald (Football Fan)
“The University of Missouri athletics has generated great excitement for the University of Missouri fan base and the entire state of Missouri during the 2023 season. Not only have the men’s football and basketball programs accomplished outstanding results but all Mizzou athletics have also contributed outstanding success. The coaches and their staff have performed at the highest level.” – Don Walsworth (TSF Donor)
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JEDIER HERNANDEZ
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BASEBALL
LUKE MANN
Mizzou Baseball made strides early in 2023, led by second-team All-SEC third baseman Luke Mann, who tied the program’s alltime home run record, finishing his career with 49. Mann’s 21 homers for the season rank second-all-time in program history. With attendance up 43% from 2022, the Tigers set a singleseason home attendance record, drawing 37,133 fans over 23 games to break the previous mark set in 2008. After the season, a new era of Mizzou Baseball began with the hiring of former Tigers assistant Kerrick Jackson as the program’s new head coach. Jackson, a St. Louis native, previously served as the head coach at Memphis and Southern University. In 2024, Jackson will lead a rebuilt coaching staff, which includes former Mizzou head coach Tim Jamieson, and a revamped roster.
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NICK HONOR
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KOBE BROWN
MEN’S BASKETBALL A magical debut season for Whitten Family Men’s Basketball Head Coach Dennis Gates and his remodeled roster caught fir in February, starting with DeAndre Gholston’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer at No. 6 Tennessee in an SEC showdown of two top 15 teams. The Tigers finished the regular season strong, earned the program’s highest seed in the SEC Tournament (No. 4) and reached the SEC semifinals for the first time in program history after another victory over Tennessee. Led by first-tea All-SEC forward Kobe Brown, Mizzou marched into the NCAA Tournament as a No. 7 seed and in Sacramento, California, notched the program’s first March Madness victory in 13 years, a first-round takedown of Utah State, the team’s 25th victory of the season. The momentum continued into November when Mizzou signed the nation’s No. 2-ranked recruiting class, adding five four-star prospects to the foundation of Coach Gates’ program.
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MAMA DEMBELE
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WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
HAYLEY FRANK
Led by All-Southeastern Conference forward Hayley Frank, Mizzou Women’s Basketball opened SEC play with three straight wins and reached the postseason for the 10th time in 11 seasons under head coach Robin Pingeton, playing two games in the WNIT. Coach Pingeton rebuilt her roster in the offseason, adding Missouri Gatorade State Player of the Year Grace Slaughter plus three graduate transfers to the roster.
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TYLER FREINER, RYDER JAMES, BLAKE MORRIS, DREW ROGERS AND CARSON HELMER
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REILLY REVORD
CROSS COUNTRY Mizzou began the fall with two first-place finishes in the Mizzou XC Opener, with Drew Rogers taking the top spot for the men and Lydia Roller coming in first for the women The men’s and women’s teams placed 11th and 12th, respectively at the NCAA Midwest Regional in Stillwater, Oklahoma, led by Blake Morris and Jenna Schwartz as their top finishers
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LUTHER BURDEN III
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FOOTBALL
CODY SCHRADER
Head Coach Eliah Drinkwitz’s program enjoyed a breakthrough 10-2 regular season, sparked by a week 3 last-second victory
He bre lastSta M expl lead III a Br dec
over defending Big 12 champion Kansas State, an exhilarating 30-27 win that ended with Harrison Mevis’ SEC-record 61yard field goal. Powered by an explosive offense that featured SEC regular-season rushing leader Cody Schrader, breakout playmaker Luther Burden III at wide receiver and secondyear starting quarterback Brady Cook, the Tigers opened 6-0 for the first time in a decade and by the end of the regular season, notched SEC victories over Vanderbilt, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida and Arkansas, while giving No. 1 Georgia its stiffest test of the regular season. With a dominant
Tenn its s to s just t the f a sea was an Allare
day at Arkansas to secure the Battle Line Rivalry trophy, the Tigers became just the seventh Mizzou team to record doubledigit wins and the first since 2014. Picked sixth in the SEC Eastern Division at the start of the season, Mizzou finished the regular season ranked No. 9 in the major national polls. Drinkwitz was named SEC coach of the year by The Associated Press and the Southestern Conference. Mizzou Football had five first-tea All-SEC selections and two second-teamers. The Tigers meet Ohio State in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic in Arlington, Texas, on December 29.
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JACK LUNDIN
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MEN’S GOLF Following an appearance in the Southeastern Conference Championships quarterfinals, Mizzou’s Men’s Golf returned to the NCAA postseason, earning an NCAA Regional bid to Morgan Hill, California, the program’s 16th regional appearance. Charlie Crockett earned second-team All-SEC honors, becoming the fifth Mizzou golfer recognized by the SEC since the Tigers joined the league in 2012. In the fall, under newly hired coach Glen Millican, the Tigers won the Chicago Highlands Invitational.
CHARLIE CROCKETT
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JADE ZAMORA
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WOMEN’S GOLF
EMILY STAPLES
Under the leadership of head coach Caroline Westrup, Mizzou Women’s Golf made major strides in the fall, posting the secondbest 72-hole team score (843) in program history at the Sam Golden Invitational in Texas. Sophomore standout Melanie Walker followed a strong freshman season with two top-five finishes in the fall and became the first student-athlete in Mizzou history to be named SEC women’s golfer of the week.
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JOCELYN MOORE
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GYMNASTICS
GRACE ANNE DAVIS
It was a record-breaking season for Mizzou Gymnastics in more ways than one. The program set a home attendance record with 6,041 fans on hand for a February 19 victory over No. 5 Auburn, on a night All-SEC standout Jocelyn Moore earned a perfect 10.0 score on the vault, just the third perfect score in team history. Two weeks later, Mizzou tallied its highest team score in program history (197.850) in a win over Arkansas and later outscored No. 8 Alabama, good for a program-best fourth dual victory in SEC competition. Led by head coach Shannon Welker, the Tigers posted their highest SEC Championships score (197.000) and highest NCAA Regional score (197.600) while advancing to the Regional Finals in Los Angeles, where they finished third overall. Five different MU gymnasts earned All-SEC honors, including Alisa Sheremeta, who added AllAmerica accolades on the balance beam at the NCAA Championships.
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MILENA FISCHER
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SOCCER
KYLEE SIMMONS
In head coach Stefanie Golan’s third season, Kylee Simmons headlined Mizzou Soccer’s 2023 campaign, leading the SEC in points (24) and goals (11) during the regular season to earn first-team All-SEC honors. Only six players have scored more goals in a single season for the Tigers.
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KARA DALY
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SOFTBALL Under head coach Larissa Anderson, Mizzou Softball qualifie for its 16th consecutive NCAA Tournament and finished the season with 35 victories. The Tigers capped the regular season with a pair of walk-off wins over Arkansas, both coming on game-winning home runs by Kara Daly. All-SEC center fielder Alex Honnold, a finalist for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, assembled one of the best offensive seasons in program history. She powered the Tigers’ lineup, finishing fifth in the SEC in hitting (.414), slugging (.800) and runs (51) during the regular season while hitting a teambest 14 home runs. Shortstop Jenna Laird earned second-team All-SEC honors.
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CLÉMENT SECCHI
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SWIMMING & DIVING
CATIE RODOCKER
Clément Secchi’s first-place finish in the 200 butterfly at the SEC Championships was among the highlights for head coach Andrew Grever’s Swimming and Diving team in 2023. Secchi added a bronze medal in the 100 butterfly at the SEC Championships and contributed to the men’s team’s 16th-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Jack Dahlgren earned first team All-American accolades with fifth- and seventh-place finishes in the 200 freestyle and 200 backstroke, respectively, at the NCAA Championships, while Secchi (100 butterfly) and Ben Patton (100 breaststroke) both earned honorable mention All-American honors. All three men’s relay teams earned top20 finishes. For the women’s team, Malin Grosse and Kamryn Wong both earned SEC All-Freshman Team honors.
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MAE & INAH CANETE
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TENNIS
ANDREA ARTIMEDI
Following the May promotion of interim head coach Bianca Turati to head coach, Mizzou Tennis resumed play in the fall, highlighted by a doubles victory for sisters Mae and Inah Canete over Brown University at the ITA National Fall Championships. The Tigers ended the fall on a high note with seven wins at the Drake Invite.
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EUPHÉNIE ANDRE
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TRACK & FIELD
ROBERTO VILCHES
Few Mizzou student-athletes enjoyed a better 2023 than high jumper Roberto Vilches, who won a conference title at the SEC Outdoor Championships following his silver medal at the SEC Indoor Championships. He went on to earn first-tea All-American honors at both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships, finishing seventh and third, respectively. Under the watch of head coach Brett Halter, seven Tigers advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Championship Finals, with six earning AllAmerican honors. Skylar Ciccolini and Sophia Rivera took fift and sixth in the javelin at the NCAA Outdoor Championships to earn All-American status, while teammate Claudina Diaz did the same in the high jump, taking fifth place. Kaia Harris (discus) and Euphénie Andre (triple jump) also earned All-American accolades. At the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, Mizzou’s Arianna Fisher measured a program-best mark in the triple jump and finished sixth overall
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DILARA GEDIKOGLU & MORGAN ISENBERG
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VOLLEYBALL First-year head coach Dawn Sullivan
worked wonders
for Mizzou Volleyball, guiding the Tigers back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2020, winning 18 games overall, including a first-round victory in the NCAA Tournament, more than the two previous seasons combined (14). Sullivan, voted SEC Coach of the Year, guided the Tigers to nine SEC victories, while Jordan Iliff and Maya Sands earned All-SEC honors for their standout seasons. Sands, a first-year transfer from UNLV, was named the league’s Libero of the Year. Sierra Dudley, the league’s most productive freshman setter, made the SEC’s All-Freshman Team.
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BROCK MAULLER
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WRESTLING
ROCKY ELAM
Another year, another champion for head coach Brian Smith’s Wrestling program. Keegan O’Toole defended his title in the 165-pound weight class at the NCAA Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma, becoming the third wrestler in program history to win multiple NCAA titles. Rocky Elam took home the title in the 197-pound weight class at the Big 12 Championships. Coach Smith’s program continued its sustained excellence with a 12th consecutive conference championship, capturing the Big 12 team title, before finishing fifth at the NCAA Championships. The Tigers qualified 10 wrestlers for the NCAA Championships and produced five All-Americans. It marked Mizzou’s fourth top-five finish on the spor s biggest collegiate stage.
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CODY SCHRADER
MAYA SANDS
KOBE BROWN
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INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS In his memorable senior season, Men’s Basketball’s Kobe Brown was named First Team All-SEC and later became Mizzou’s first first-round selection in the NBA draft in five years, going to the Los Angeles Clippers with the No. 30 overall pick. Teammate D’Moi Hodge, fresh off setting Mizzou’s singleseason record for steals, also headed to Los Angeles, signing with the Lakers as an undrafted free agent. Cody Schrader (Football) added to his remarkable story, leading the SEC in rushing through the regular season in his second season at Mizzou after transferring from Division II Truman State. In the Tigers’ victory over Tennessee, the former walk-on became the first player in SEC history to post 200 yards rushing and 100 yards receiving in the same game. Schrader earned multiple All-America accolades, was selected First Team All-SEC and named the 2023 Burlsworth Trophy winner given to the nation’s best player who began his career as a walk on. Jocelyn Moore (Gymnastics), named a Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association Regular Season All-American on the vault, finished the regular season ranked No. 5 on the apparatus and posted the first perfect Mizzou vault score in team history, earning a 10.0 against Auburn — just the second Tiger in program history to earn a perfect score. She also won the vault title at the SEC Championships. Melanie Walker (Women’s Golf) became the first student-athlete in program history named SEC golfer of the week, and after leading MU in scoring in three of four fall events, she was named the Virginia Sports Golf Association Women’s Golfer of the Year. Keegan O’Toole (Wrestling) took home his second consecutive NCAA Championship at the 165-pound weight class, one of five All-Americans for MU along with teammates Rocky Elam, Brock Mauller, Peyton Mocco and Zach Elam. In the fall, O’Toole continued his banner year with another championship, his second title at the U-23 World Championships in Albania. Two more student-athletes captured conference championships: Track and Field’s Roberto Vilches, who swept the high jump titles at the SEC Indoor and Outdoor Championships; and Wrestling’s Rocky Elam at the Big 12 Championships. In the winter and spring seasons, Mizzou featured 19 individual All-American performers: seven student-athletes in Track and Field, five in Wrestling, three in Gymnastics, one in Softball and three in Swimming and Diving plus three Swimming relay teams.
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ATTENDANCE HIGHLIGHTS In the fall, Football led the SEC in attendance growth for the second straight year, averaging 60,169 fans per game, an increase of 11% from 2022. Men’s Basketball led the country in attendance growth with an increase of 63% in 2022-23. Gymnastics and Wrestling both produced single-event attendance records at the Hearnes Center in meets against Auburn (6,041) and Iowa State (4,819), respectively, while Baseball and Softball set single-season home attendance records. Volleyball also saw a surge in home attendance, averaging 2,453 fans per contest, more than fiv times the average size of MU’s 2022 crowds. The crowd for Mizzou’s home finale against Florida (5,452) nearly matched the program’s season attendance total for the previous year (5,496).
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TICKET SALES HIGHLIGHTS For the first time since 1980, Football sold out of tickets for five consecutive games, filling Memorial Stadium to capacity for every game against Power Five competition this fall. Football season ticket sales increased by 10.64% in 2023, while Mizzou’s ticket allotment for the 2023 Cotton Bowl sold out in 18 hours. Volleyball season ticket sales increased by 384% in coach Dawn Sullivan’s first season Men’s Basketball sold out of tickets for seven home games and sold more than 2,000 new season tickets, an uptick of 32%, the program’s highest year-to-year increase since 2017-18. As student engagement continued to soar at home contests, Mizzou sold a record 11,000 student all-sport passes for 2023-24.
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FUNDRAISING HIGHLIGHTS Membership in the Tiger Scholarship Fund grew from 6,000 in the fall of 2021 (13th in the SEC) to more than 16,000 in the fall of 2023 - an increase of 166%.
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ACADEMIC SUCCESS A total of 82 student-athletes graduated in Spring 2023 with 17 more in Summer 2023 and 24 scheduled to graduate in December. In the spring, 202 student-athletes earned a GPA of 3.00 or higher. Student-athletes recorded a Mizzou-record GPA of 3.35 in the spring with 17 teams posting program GPAs of 3.00 or better, including team-record GPAs in the spring for Baseball, Football, Gymnastics, Men’s Basketball, Men’s Cross Country, Men’s Golf, Men’s Track and Field, Soccer, Softball, Women’s Basketball and Women’s Cross Country. In the spring, 202 student-athletes were named to their respective Dean’s List, while 108 student-athletes were named to the SEC Honor Roll, coming from Baseball, Men’s Golf, Women’s Golf, Men’s Track and Field, Women’s Track and Field, Softball and Tennis. Also, 11 student-athletes from Wrestling made the Big 12 Honor Roll. Individually, Kobe Brown (Men’s Basketball) was named SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year, Keegan O’Toole (Wrestling) was named a Second Team 2023 CoSIDA Academic All-American, Alex Honnold (Softball) was named a Third Team 2023 CoSIDA Academic All-American and Brady Cook (Football) was named the SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year. In addition to the spring semester’s record GPA, 100% of Mizzou’s Spring 2023 graduates secured successful career placement. // 45
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COMMUNITY SERVICE From January to December, Mizzou student-athletes completed 5,745 hours of community service, supporting more than 100 organizations. Studentathletes devoted considerable time serving Special Olympics Missouri, Columbia Public Schools, Coyote Hill, The Food Bank, and Habitat for Humanity.
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HALL OF FAME
A decorated class joined the Mizzou Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame in 2023 with inductees representing seven different sports: from left sixtime NCAA champion in Cross Country and Track and Field Karissa Schweizer, Wrestling NCAA champion Drake Houdashelt, Track and Field multievent specialist Nick Adcock, former Baseball head coach and current assistant coach Tim Jamieson, two-sport Football and Basketball standout Justin Gage and Swimming and Diving NCAA champion Fabian Schwingenschlögl. // 49
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TIGERS IN THE PROS At the conclusion of the Major League Baseball playoffs, Mizzou was the country’s only college program with a player on each of the reigning championship teams in the NFL, the NBA and MLB: Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton, Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. and Texas Rangers pitcher Max Scherzer. Former Mizzou infielder Ian Kinsler also won his second World Series, this time as a member of the Rangers’ front office. Mizzou Football All-SEC defensive end Isaiah McGuire became Mizzou’s latest NFL draft pick, going to the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round. Basketball’s Kobe Brown was the final pick in the first round of the NBA draft, going to the Clippers with the No. 30 overall pick. Four Mizzou Baseball players were taken in the MLB draft, led by pitcher Austin Troesser, drafted by the New York Mets at No. 135 overall. Former Football All-American Jeremy Maclin, now retired after a decade in the NFL, was elected to the NFF College Football Hall of Fame, joining former Tigers head coach Gary Pinkel, who was inducted in 2022. In October, Maclin’s name was added to the Ring of Honor at Memorial Stadium in a surprise ceremony during the Tigers’ game against LSU.
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HEAD COACH HIRES Four new head coaches took over Mizzou programs for the 2023-24 season. Volleyball’s Dawn Sullivan made an instant impact, leading the Tigers to 17 regular-season victories and an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament. Sullivan, a former standout student-athlete at Kansas State, came to Mizzou from UNLV, where she had worked under current Mizzou Director of Athletics Desireé Reed-Francois.
Baseball head coach Kerrick Jackson spent the 2023 season as the head coach at Memphis and previously revitalized Southern University’s program. Jackson, a St. Louis native, served as a Mizzou assistant from 2011-15. Jackson, the first Black head baseball coach in the SEC, was named Baseball America’s Trailblazer of the Year.
Bianca Turati joined the Tennis program as an assistant coach in January, took over as interim head coach in February and was named head coach in May. The former University of Texas student-athlete began her first full season at Mizzou in the fall.
Men’s Golf head coach Glen Millican brought extensive experience to Mizzou’s program in July, having spent the previous 22 seasons as head coach at New Mexico, where he guided the Lobos to eight conference championships and eight NCAA Championship Finals appearances.
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FACILITY UPDATES This past summer, Mizzou officially opened the Stephens Indoor Practice Facility, a state-of-the-art $33 million football facility that is adjacent to Memorial Stadium’s South End Zone Complex. The 86,400-square foot building serves as Mizzou’s primary indoor practice field, freeing up the previously used Devine Pavilion for baseball, softball and soccer. In 2023, Mizzou also installed lights across the outdoor football practice fields. The start of basketball season unveiled $4.3 million in renovations to Mizzou Arena, including a new expanded videoboard, a modernized on-screen projection system and new black seats across the lower bowl. In November, the UM Board of Curators passed a resolution for Mizzou Athletics to initiate renovation plans for the North End Zone of Football’s Memorial Stadium. A new videoboard and upgraded sound system will be installed for the 2024 season.
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NAME, IMAGE & LIKENESS
In 2023, Mizzou worked collaboratively with state legislators and governmental affairs and general counsel colleagues to create a cutting-edge approach to Name, Image and Likeness to benefit students-athletes and provide coaches with a competitive advantage, including the revised state NIL law that went into effect August 28. Mizzou Athletics developed a variety of innovative partnerships, notably with the St. Louis Sports Commission, while partnering with a national group licensing company to provide additional opportunities for student-athletes. In a partnership with the MU School of Journalism, Mizzou student-athletes have collaborated with journalism students to study their branding potential, while the MU School of Law is offering a clinic for law students to review NIL contracts.
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“We are tremendously proud of the success our Mizzou teams and student-athletes have experienced over the last year on the fields of competition, in the classroom and throughout the community. The Board of Curators is committed to investing in the future of Mizzou Athletics, and 2023 showcased the momentum that’s been building in Columbia, for now and years to come.” — 2023 University of Missouri Board of Curators Chair Michael Williams
“Mizzou Athletics has a uniquely positive impact on our campus, our region and our state, and that’s why this past year was so special for Tiger fans throughout Missouri and around the globe. We are proud of our Mizzou student-athletes who continue to strive for excellence in athletics and academics. I join fellow Mizzou alumni and fans as we look forward to another exciting and successful year in 2024.” — 2024 University of Missouri Board of Curators Chair Robin Wenneker
“As we’re guided by our championship culture at the University of Missouri, it’s important to recognize and celebrate the tremendous achievements our Mizzou programs have accomplished in 2023. Our student-athletes, coaches and Director of Athletics have created incredible momentum and have established the foundation for continued success.” — University of Missouri President Mun Choi // 58
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THANK YOU, TIGERS As 2023 comes to a close, we reflect on what has been an incredible year for Mizzou Athletics. Our teams and our 550 student-athletes have created lasting memories for Mizzou fans with their performances this year. What’s left unseen is the hours of practice and workouts they pour into their craft to deliver those magical moments. We witnessed historic moments in 2023, from Coach Gates and Kobe Brown leading our Men’s Basketball team to Mizzou’s first NCAA Tournament victory in 13 years to Jocelyn Moore’s perfect 10.0 in front of a record-breaking Gymnastics crowd. We witnessed inspiring moments, from Keegan O’Toole’s wrestling triumphs to Cody Schrader’s charge through the Southeastern Conference as he earned All-SEC and All-American honors along with the Burlsworth Trophy. We witnessed powerful moments, from our Volleyball team’s remarkable turnaround to Harrison Mevis’ 61-yard game-winning field goal. Away from the spotlight of competition, our student-athletes continue to thrive in the classroom at record-setting levels and contribute to the community with their time and generosity. Their success is not possible without the support of our passionate fans. We saw soaring attendance figures in 2023, while our Tiger Scholarship Fund membership has set participation records. With that level of commitment to Mizzou Athletics, together with investments from our Board of Curators and University President Mun Choi and our entire campus community, we have the momentum and alignment to create more memorable moments in 2024 and beyond. Thank you for your passion and support for Mizzou in 2023 as we look forward to building on this success in the year ahead. M-I-Z!
Desireé Reed-Francois Director of Athletics
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SEE YOU IN DALLAS
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