Where I Come From: My All-Time Favorite Mizzou Player
by RPT on Jul 8, 2010 9:00 AM CDT
in EA Sports NCAA FB 11
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Missouri fans have been spoiled in the last several years by a combination of some of the school's best talent and a bevy of genuinely likable personalities. Chase Daniel earned his way to a Heisman finish. Chase Coffman hurdled his way into our hearts. Martin Rucker fought and scrapped his way into being America's favorite tight end. We've had the quote machines in Lorenzo Williams and SPOOOOOOOOOON.
And that's all just in the last few seasons.
The Beef might make his case for Brock Olivo. An entire generation of Mizzou students will make their case for Brad Smith. Everyone I've mentioned is a fantastic and worthy pick. But my favorite player is one I don't particularly expect everyone to agree with; in fact, it's become somewhat of a running joke on Rock M Nation. My favorite player played only 20 games in a Mizzou uniform, but my appreciation for the manner in which he played the game meant that when I had the chance to purchase a game-worn uniform of his, I couldn't pass up the opportunity**.
Cornelius "Pig" Brown: Irrationally and undeniably my favorite Mizzou player of all-time.
Here's what I had to say about Brown WAY back in the nascent stages of RMN in early 2008 when we held our Mizzou 25 Tournament:
If you were to build a human out of the 2007 football team, it might look something like this: Chase Daniel was the face, Gary Pinkel the brains, Lorenzo Williams the mouth, William Moore the hands, and Martin Rucker/Chase Coffman the "juevos." But only one player was the heart: Pig Brown.
Our fair Cornelius may have saved Mizzou's season on several occasions before anyone even knew how special of a season it would turn out to be. Against Illinois, his 100+ yard fumble return was a 14-point swing that completely changed the momentum of that game. Later, his interception iced it and gave Mizzou its signature non-conference win.
Once conference play began, Pig was all over the field. Against Nebraska, his thundering (albeit illegal) hit on Maurice Purify helped set the tone in the secondary for the unit to become one of the most punishing in the Big 12. Against Texas Tech, where the physicality of his secondary became VERY apparent, Pig turned the "Air Raid" offense into his personal playground. He finished the day with 14 tackles, 4.5 of them for loss, as well as a pick and two breakups.
His injury against Iowa State could have been devastating, but both Pig and the Tigers refused to let "Brian Smith syndrome" kill the momentum they'd built early in the season. His emotional contribution to his team and the program was actually most apparent when Gary Pinkel broke his own rule to allow the injured Pig to travel to road games, helping spur Mizzou to a 55-10 thumping of Colorado in Boulder. Pig may have only been on the field for eight games in Mizzou's finest season, but for a website that loves stats like "points per play," I'd be hard pressed to find someone with more "contribution to the program per appearance" than Pig Brown.
So, to you good readers, I ask: Who is your favorite Mizzou player of all-time? And, better yet, who is the player you love that qualifies as an "outside-the-box" type of pick?
**Personal story: I actually DID pass up the opportunity at first. I went to the tent sale the night before the spring game, saw the jersey, saw the steep price tag and sighed heavily as I left it on top of the pile. Later that night, I felt like I'd passed up a HUGE opportunity and figured it was worth the splurge. I woke up early to stand in line for the tent sale's opening and shot straight for the jerseys. I went through all of the jerseys, both home and away, and wasn't able to find the jersey, and I feared someone picked up on the greatness that I had foolishly left on top of the pile the day before. I gave the home jerseys one more lookthrough, and by the grace of whatever deity you believe in, I was able to find the jersey and purchase it. My future kids don't need to go to college, right?
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I'd LIKE to say Andrew Gachkar
both because of the pound of flesh (or bone, at least) that he has given to his program, and because my wife is friends with his mother.
But, I just can’t say it. He hasn’t done enough to warrant putting his name above a long list of players who amazed me.
I think I’ve got to go with Justin Gage. Talk about a guy who did everything!
One of only 3 Tigers (Danario – 2009, Gage – 2002, Bailey – 1992) with over 1000 yards receiving in a single season.
At the time of his graduation, he held the following records:
Most Passes Caught:
Game: 16, Justin Gage at Bowling Green, 9/14/02 Season: 82, Justin Gage, 2002 Career: 200, Justin Gage, 1999-2002
Most Yards Gained:
Game: 236, Justin Gage vs. Baylor, 11/10/01 Career: 2,704, Justin Gage, 1999-2002
Most Consecutive Games With A Pass Reception:
34, Justin Gage, 2000-02
He was the best receiver and best QB on a team that woefully needed both, AND he was the fire that drove Mizzou’s Elite Eight team in hoops. Justin was a local guy who could have played just about anywhere, but chose to play for his local school.
Jeremy Maclin
made you feel as though we had the best player on the field every week.
Brad Smith
Turned us all into believers
Elke ware zoon, zo blij van harte / Hemels boven ons zijn blauw / Er is een geest zo diep binnen ons / Oud Missouri dit is voor jou / Waneer de band het Tijger oorlogslied speelt / En wanneer de strijd over is / We zullen stampen, stampen, stampen, rond de kolommen / Met een kreet voor oud Mizzou!
by Dutch Missourian on Jul 8, 2010 9:48 AM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Jeff Wolfert
I don’t know why, maybe I liked the idea that here we have the most accurate kicker in the history of the NCAA, and still he doesn’t get that much press. He almost killed it for me at the Alamo Bowl (which I got to go to) with that missed field goal, but I guess it’s okay since we won that game anyways.
Jeff Wolfert
i just have a fascination of kickers dont really know why
Wolfert
Great backstory, but more importantly, great kicker. After suffering through years and years of bad kickers, Wolfert’s greatness was a revelation.
Corby.
Actually, my top three aren’t separated by much. Corby and Brad Smith both could be considered to save Mizzou football. And I loved Ron Janes. He was just a pure badass, and he rocked a bitchin’ beard. If someone told me that he drank pure gasoline, I would probably believe it.
Former Mizzourah.net asshat
I always loved Zane Gilmore
Primarily because his kids’ names were L’Zane and ZiKane (ok, I have no actual proof of that – nor do I know the correct spelling – but I heard it repeated often during his tenure at Mizzou).
Not horrible at all.
Does it have Mo Purify stuck to the shoulder of it?
(still one of the most vicious hits I’ve ever seen live…even if it wasn’t legal)
Former Mizzourah.net asshat
the one and only
chase daniles i mean do i really have to say why. the little guy gave 6 foot nothing guys like myself hope
by trueson87 on Jul 8, 2010 12:12 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
I was always a huge Justin Gage fan.
A few others who were off the main radar that I really liked:
Dedrick Harrington, Brock Olivo, Dwayne Blakely & for whatever reason, Marcus Bacon
My wife and I were big fans of Sir Marcus Bacon
We always called Brock Christopher “Eggs” when he was lined up next to Bacon.
he always seemed to go 110mph.
played hard and was pretty athletic. I just always found myself watching him and waiting for that time when he would spring the big play
devin west for me.
on a side note, what’s the deal with flipping us the bird in the picture above? just to say “haha suckers”? :-)
Anyone who wants to be a can't-hack-it pantywaist who wears their mama's bra, raise your hand. -Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez
vince sebo
just kidding, but seriously…
probably devin west for me too. he made the long trip to ames worth it with about 12 straight 5-8 yard runs on a 4th quarter drive that just crushed the souls of those poor cyclone players and fans. i will be eternally grateful for those 10 minutes
Tough call
but I think I have to go with T. Rucker. Charismatic guy who loved being out there, and an incredible player. We used to play a game to count how many guys it took to bring him down. I think we got to 7 or 8 one time. That type of effort made it really easy to love him. Plus by all accounts he’s a really great guy.
T. Rucker it is.
"I'm a genius, but I'm a misunderstood genius."
"What's misunderstood about you?"
"Nobody thinks I'm a genius."
by Transmogrified Tiger on Jul 8, 2010 12:40 PM CDT reply actions
T Ruck
Gotta go with the big TE that never got tackled by 1 or 2 guys. It always took a pile to bring him down. That guy gave it everything he had on every play. And I heard plenty of stories about how nice a guy he is too.
I met him once when I worked for the ticket offce. He was coming in to fill out his tickets for the bowl game, and he had just been named an all-american that morning. I just said congratulations on being an all-american and I swear the guy blushed. He kinda laughed and thanked me, as if he was almost embarassed by it.
Greatest story at the ticket office though, not gonna name names, but a player came in to fill out the tickets and listed one person as ‘friend’ which was his girlfriend, and on a seperate card put down another person as ‘future gf’. he requested that the two not know each other was at the game. I never found out how it ended (assume it blew up on him eventually), but he tried that for a few games that fall.
T Ruck has to be in anyone's top 5, regardless of era.
Greatest story at the ticket office though, not gonna name names, but a player came in to fill out the tickets and listed one person as ‘friend’ which was his girlfriend, and on a seperate card put down another person as ‘future gf’. he requested that the two not know each other was at the game. I never found out how it ended (assume it blew up on him eventually), but he tried that for a few games that fall.
Confirmed. This is a great story. There needs to be an open thread one day for ‘Brush with Greatness’…just random stories of us normal people running into athletes and celebs. I’ve got a couple good ones with Tracy Morgan and Mark McGwire (umm, yeah, they are separate stories. To my knowledge, those two have never hung out together).
Former Mizzourah.net asshat
I really liked Pig as well, just hit people like an uncontrolled freight train.
Probably one of my favorites in the last few years Stryker Sulak, because he played pretty good, sorta unheralded , but that name was just badass.
Possibly one of the greatest last games played by a player that had ups and downs was Tony Temple. I stood up and clapped for at least a half hour after the final touchdown in the Cotton Bowl, when he got carried off. So many highs and lows to his career and then to end like that, just made me think about him differently.
But my overall favorite player from Mizzou, has gotta be Spoon. There’s a reason why I have a jersey with his number. Gonna miss yelling his name at the games.
Given enough velocity even a pig will fly
by MarioVanPeebles Republic of China on Jul 8, 2010 12:57 PM CDT reply actions
Given what happened to his Achilles...
… I don’t think it’d be as humorous as you think.
by RPT on Jul 8, 2010 2:48 PM CDT up reply actions
Jeremy Maclin
The best pure talent Mizzou has had since at least Justin Smith, maybe since Winslow, and maybe since ever. And he wears it well. It was always a pleasure to root for the kid, and even though I’ve never much liked the Eagles, I kinda find myself rooting for them now.
Droege or Riti
It’s too easy to say Brad Smith or Chance O’McDanielssen, or even Devin West, so I’ll go with a couple of the big guys.
Corby!
Corby Jones … before Chase, before Brad, there was Corby. Others may have had more talent, but Corby made me enjoy Mizzou football again after so many of the depressing years.
Tie between Brad Smith and Chase Coffman
Because I was a Freshman in 2005 and because I can.
until you are so nude
Is this stuff supposed to be football-only?
I’ll go with Willy Moore for football, but if it’s any sport I have to choose DeMarre Carroll.
If you give a man a fish, they say, he'll stink up the whole town. However, give said man a fishing rod and he'll poke your eye out.
This is a pretty tough one for me
I really didn’t start paying attention until 2005. I guess if I was put on the spot, I’d either say Brad Smith or Will Ebner.
Making you feel old since 9/26/09
favorite player
no one remembers him, but my favorite was watching Kenny Boston play defensive back
I was lucky enought to sit next to
his older brother (his only family at the game) during his breakout game against Illinois.
It was crazy, his bro was on the phone with his mom the whole game so when Pig made the 2 greatest plays during that game (the fumble return & the game saving interception) his bro would pass the phone over to me to confirm to his mom what Pig did during that game was true.
Thats one game I will never ever forget.
For me I can’t reduce my favorite all-time player to 1.
Fight Tigers Fight!
Ziggy Hood
He might not be the best player ever to stand on Farout Field but Ziggy will always hold a special place in my memories. Solid player, hard worker and an all around nice guy.
I was working in the lab where Ziggy did his ‘problem hours’ and he was just a good guy who put the same type of attention into his work as he did into football. Honestly, Ziggy personifies the type of athelete, regardless of sport, that I admire most in that he attempted to make the most of what he had even if he might never blossom into the ‘star’ that most fans are looking for.
It's hard for a DT to be a star...Suh aside, of course...
…but I’d say becoming a first-round draft pick was all the blossoming he needed. I always loved reading stories about Hood in the Amarillo paper…they absolutely loved him in his home town…always a good sign.
Rock M Nation
I'm on Twitter! http://www.twitter.com/billconnelly1
Good point...
…I guess Ziggy is as much a star as a DT can become. I can remember how happy I was to hear that he went in the first round, couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.
Funny thing, although I had many opportunities to talk football with Ziggy I never did more than wish him luck on the upcoming game. To a certain extent I kick myself on that but on the other I always figured he got enough exposure to the fans who ask stupid questions.
Jeremy Maclin
I love me some B. Smith, but Maclin transcended Missouri, that’s how good he is.
For most intimidating, I vote for Russ McCullough. Don’t know if I spelled that right, but he’s the biggest human being I have ever seen. I think he was 6’10" and #325.
"When among evil companions, try to fit in." - Wild Bill Donovan
Chase Daniel
The guy who looked more like a plumber and less like a Heisman finalist is my all time favorite Mizzou player. Runners up are Willy-Mo, 12 Gage, Chase “stick-um hands” Coffman. and Brad Smith.
I just found this so post
My top football favorites:
1. Brad Smith – I started Mizzou when he (re)started Mizzou football
2. Jeremy Maclin – sheer humbleness despite his awesome ability
3. Zack Abron – I still remember the Zack-attack when he scored (my out-of-the-box pick)
4. Justin Gage – Justin “12” Gage as I recalled
5. Chase Daniel – but only the football player (Chance McDaniels’ssssss)
6. Chase Coffman – Hurdler extraordinaire
7. Kellen Winslow – I wish I could have been there to see him play
8. Martin Rucker – b/c I was always afraid he would fumble fighting for more yards but I loved his crazy personality
9. Chase Patton – b/c I played football with him in high school, awesome guy
10. Sean “SPOOOOOOON!” Weatherspoon – need I say more?
"You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." - Harvey Dent
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