Missouri
His success at Arizona State resulted in an offer from the University of Missouri, which he accepted on December 18, 1957. At first, Devine was reluctant to accept the position, his flight to Missouri had developed engine trouble. In addition, Devine had hot chocolate spilled on him by a stewardess during the flight, which arrived six hours late.
Over the next 13 years, Devine would turn the once-dormant program into a consistently competitive school that finished with a Top 20 ranking nine times. His record of 93–37–7 (.704) included four bowl game victories, with his winning percentage passing that of Don Faurot, the legendary coach who had preceded him. He is still second on Missouri's all-time wins list, behind only Faurot.
After finishing 5–4–1 in his first year in 1958, Devine (with two years left on his contract) gained some job security when a group of Mizzou alumni funded a $150,000 life insurance policy that covered him as long as he remained as head coach of the Tigers. The investment paid off as Missouri never lost more than three games over the next decade.
In 1960, the Tigers began the year unranked, but after shutting out SMU 20–0, in the season opener, moved up to 16th and continued to head upward in the weekly rankings. Following that win with eight straight victories, Missouri became the top-ranked team in the country following a 41–19 victory over Oklahoma.
Needing only a victory over the Kansas to clinch a national championship, the Tigers (favored by a touchdown) instead were stunned in a 23–7 upset loss—later reversed after an investigation revealed that KU's Bert Coan had received illegal benefits and was thus ineligible. After an Orange Bowl victory over Navy on January 1, 1961, Missouri finished the year ranked fifth in a season which saw upwards of four teams claim a share of the national title.
While never again reaching that level, Missouri maintained its strength throughout the 1960s, with Devine taking on the added duties of athletic director in 1967. During his three years in the latter role, he made a key hire when he selected Norm Stewart to head the fortunes of the school's men's basketball squad.
After finishing 9–1 in 1969, a season capped off with a massive 69–21 win over KU that saw Jayhawk coach Pepper Rodgers showing the peace sign to Devine late in the game and Devine "return half of it", Missouri faced Penn State University in the 1970 Orange Bowl. The Nittany Lions entered the game with a 28-game winning streak, and extended the string by intercepting seven Tiger passes in a 10–3 defensive battle.
Read more about this topic: Dan Devine
Famous quotes containing the word missouri:
“The traveller on the prarie is naturally a hunter, on the head waters of the Missouri and Columbia a trapper, and at the Falls of St. Mary a fisherman.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Then they seen it, the old Missouri River shinin’ in the moon and across it the lights of St. Louis.”
—Dudley Nichols (1895–1960)
“Slavery is founded in the selfishness of man’s nature—opposition to it, is [in?] his love of justice.... Repeal the Missouri compromise—repeal all compromises—repeal the declaration of independence—repeal all past history, you still can not repeal human nature. It still will be the abundance of man’s heart, that slavery extension is wrong; and out of the abundance of his heart, his mouth will continue to speak.”
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)