| 14 July 2009
To try to answer this question I’ve come up with six categories that I will use to try to measure the enjoyability of each team: State of the program prior to the season, big wins, likable players, iconic moments, coaching, response after facing adversity. I’ll give you the first three tonight and the final four tomorrow. The winner will get a shot of Victory Whiskey on us.
State of program prior to start of season
Football
After decades of ineptitude the Tigers had played in three bowl games in four years so they had achieved a degree of success. But they were also coming off a heartbreaking loss in the Sun Bowl and an 8-5 season that only managed to wet Mizzou fans’ appetites and left them wanting more. Mizzou football had the national perception of being a respectable program but a program that had underachieved and failed to capitalize on the dazzling talents of Brad Smith and the weakened state of the Big 12 North. Everyone knew the Tigers had the talent to win the Big 12 North. But most felt that Gary Pinkel and his staff were incapable of ever leading the program to national prominence.
Basketball
Basketball
Likable Players
And more than any team I’ve ever watched, these players just got along with each other. You could tell in the way they played, the way they talked and the way they conducted themselves off the court. That’s the most enjoyable thing to see from a fan’s perspective.
Edge: I’ve tried writing this paragraph about six times and keep changing my mind about which way to go so I think that’s my cue that this should be ruled a push. It’s hard to compare because a football team has so many more players than a basketball team. There’s just no way to decide who’s more likable between Kim English and Tommy Saunders. Completely impossible.
More to come tomorrow.
The basketball program was in a much different state prior to this year. After decades of success (but no Final Fours) under the tutlege of Norm Stewart, Quin Snyder took the reigns of the program and drove it straight to hell.
After giving Quin/asking Quin to take the boot, Mike Anderson was brought in to clean shit up. After a promising first season the program took a major step back following the notorious Athenagate incident.
After seeing the b-ball squad miss the NIT for the third consecutive season and witnessing the emergence of the football program there were very few Tiger fans that truly gave a damn about the basketball team. Even the ones that cared were pretty much content sacrificing the basketball season if it meant more wins for the football team. Going into the 08-09 season most fans would have been content with an NIT birth and thrilled if the team even knocked on the door of the Big Dance.
Edge: Big edge to the basketball program. At least the football team had done enough to make people care if they failed.
Big wins
Football
Big wins
Football
There were several. It all started in the first conference game of the season against the Huskers. The game was billed as a Big 12 North showdown of Ali-Frazier proportions but ended up having much more in common with Tyson-Spinks. The final result was 41-6 and the end of the Bill Callahan era.
After a hard fought loss on the road to Oklahoma, the Tigers took care of business through the rest of the conference season (something they had not done in previous seasons) leading up to the regular season finale.And then came the Big One. The iconic moment of iconic moments. Armageddon at Arrowhead.
I don’t have to tell what losing that game would have done to Mizzou fans. For all intents and purposes, the Border War would have been over. But instead the Tigers handled the Jayhawks 36-28 in a game that really was never that close. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, unless the Tigers and Jayhawks play in a National Championship game or Final Four there will never be a bigger Border War game.
And finally, there was the Cotton Bowl where Tony Temple forever endeared himself into the hearts of Tiger fans. Many Mizzou fans were worried that the Tigers would tank after coming so close to a National Championship game and then missing out on the BCS entirely. But Ol’ Mizzou gave the proverbial F*CK U! to the bowl selection committee and gave the Razorbacks a beating that even Rhianna wouldn’t be able to forgive them for (too soon?).
Basketball
Again, there were several. The non-conference schedule was unspectacular with only a couple quality wins over Cal and USC. But the Tigers started gaining momentum early in the conference season with road wins at Okie State and Texas.
But then kansas came to town and everyone seemed to know that if the Tigers were ever going to turn the corner this season they were going to need to find a way to outduel their arch rivals. And that they did. Despite a horrendous first half and trailing for essentially the entire game, the Tigers found a way to crawl back into the game and then Big Shot Za’ worked his way into Tiger lore with one magical shot.
As fun as that Border War was the Tigers weren’t done with their big winning. After getting their asses handed to them by kU at Allen Fieldhouse the Tigers were faced with a huge Senior Night game against Oklahoma only 72 hours later. Mizzou got major contributions from not one, not two, not three, but all FOUR seniors (yes, even the MAJic man) and Leo Lyons made Blake Griffin look like a little cross dressing bitch. Mizzou finished undefeated at Mizzou Arena for the first time ever and, at least momentarily, played its way back into the Big 12 regular season title hunt.
Then came the postseason. I would call the Tigers’ three victories in the Big 12 Tournament and first round Dance victory over Cornell workmanlike more than I would call it big. But it’s hard to overstate how huge the win over Memphis was. It wasn’t just that the Tigers beat the tigers. It was the way they ran Calipari’s team off the damn floor. The nation realized Missouri was a very solid team again after the Big 12 Tournament. The nation realized Missouri was ready to compete for a Final Four after this game.
Edge: I give the edge to the grid ironers. The regular season wins over Oklahoma and kansas were awesome, but I think only the Memphis win can compete with the football team’s big wins when you consider their historical importance.
Likable Players
Football
This team had the full-circle of likable athletes. It had the cocky leader that other fans loved to hate: Chase Daniel. The wacky charismatic leader with a heart of gold: T. Rucker. The jaw-dropping talent: J-Mac. Former walk-on turned starter: Tommy Saunders. Fallen star on a quest for redemption: Tony Temple. Emotional leader known for kicking holes in hotel walls: Zo Williams. Inspiration on crutches: Pig Brown. Dorm room linebacker: Greg Bracey. Everything. Even a sweet touchdown celebration.
In addition to these likable characters the uniting force behind this team was that they wanted their fallen teammate, Aaron O’Neal, to have a lasting legacy that no one would forget. Mission accomplished. Doesn’t get much more likable than this.
Basketball
Basketball
Not an unlikable player on this team. On one side of the locker room you’ve got the freshman who started talking about Final Fours the second he stepped on campus, Kimmie English. Matt Lawrence suffered through boos from his own fans before becoming a fan favorite in his senior year. There’s Zaire Taylor’s smoothness and J.T. Tiller’s grit. Oh, and don’t ever forget DeMarre Carroll’s junkyard doggedness. Even Leo Lyons, who used to be public enemy No. 1 for Mizzou fans, became a Manny Ramirez-type of player (“That’s just Leo being Leo”).
And more than any team I’ve ever watched, these players just got along with each other. You could tell in the way they played, the way they talked and the way they conducted themselves off the court. That’s the most enjoyable thing to see from a fan’s perspective.
Edge: I’ve tried writing this paragraph about six times and keep changing my mind about which way to go so I think that’s my cue that this should be ruled a push. It’s hard to compare because a football team has so many more players than a basketball team. There’s just no way to decide who’s more likable between Kim English and Tommy Saunders. Completely impossible.More to come tomorrow.
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