Athletics
The Missouri Tigers are a member of the Southeastern Conference. Mizzou is the only school in the state with all of its sports in the NCAA Division I and a football team that competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). These are the nation's highest levels of college sports. The colors are black and gold.
Athletic sports include men's and women's basketball, baseball, cross country, football, golf, gymnastics, swimming & diving, softball, track, tennis, volleyball, women's soccer, and wrestling. Historic sports included a shooting club, in which the ladies' team in 1934 won a national championship. Former football coach Dan Devine holds the record at the university for most wins on the gridiron. Additionally, former basketball coach and alum Norm Stewart maintains the record for most wins on the hardcourt.
MU football games are played on Faurot Field. Built in 1926, the stadium has an official capacity of 71,004, and features a nearly 100 ft (30 m). wide "M" behind the north end zone. Men's and women's basketball games are played at the Mizzou Arena, located just south of the football stadium. The Hearnes Center hosted men's and women's basketball from 1972 to 2004 and is still used for other athletic and school events.
The Missouri Tiger men's basketball team has had 22 NCAA tournament appearances, the second-most NCAA Tournament appearances without a final four. The Tigers have appeared in the regional finals (Elite Eight) of the NCAA tournament six times, two under legendary coach Norm Stewart. The Tigers have won 15 conference championships in total: first with the Missouri Valley conference, to the Big 6, and the big 8 conference. In 1994 the Tigers went undefeated in the Big 8 to take the regular season title. In 2009 Missouri won its first Big 12 Championship, over Baylor. Missouri went on to win its second Big 12 Championship in its final season in the Big 12 in 2012, once again defeating Baylor. Standout players from the Mizzou's basketball team include, Anthony Peeler, John Brown, Jon Sundvold, Steve Stipanovich, Kareem Rush, Keyon Dooling Doug Smith, Willie Smith, Norm Stewart, Linas Kleiza, Derrick Chievous, DeMarre Carroll, Kim English and Marcus Denmon.
The official mascot for Missouri Tigers athletics is Truman the Tiger, created on September 16, 1986. Following a campus-wide contest, Truman was named in honor of Harry S. Truman, the only U.S. president from Missouri. Today, Truman the Tiger appears to cheer on the team, mingle with supporters at Mizzou athletic events as well as at pep-rallies, alumni association functions, and frequent visits to Columbia-area schools.
On November 24, 2007, the Mizzou football team played its biggest rival, Kansas, at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. At that time KU was ranked No. 2 and MU was ranked No. 3 nationally. At the end of the game, Mizzou defeated KU, 36–28. The following day MU was ranked No. 1 in the country for the second time in its history. On December 1, 2007, the Mizzou football team lost the Big 12 Championship game in San Antonio, Texas, to Oklahoma 38–17, falling out of national title and Bowl Championship Series contention. They played in the Cotton Bowl January 1, 2008 at Dallas, Texas and defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks 38–7. In the final Associated Press "Top 25 football poll" of the 2007 season, Mizzou was ranked No. 4 in the country, its highest finishing position in the team's history.
On November 6, 2011, the University of Missouri announced that it would be leaving the Big 12 Conference to join the Southeastern Conference effective July 1, 2012. In September 2012, the school's wrestling team became an associate member of the Mid-American Conference, as the SEC does not sponsor wrestling.
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