University Of Missouri: The Biography File
By: Sean Cartell
Twitter: @SEC_Sean
SEC Digital Network
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Missouri has become the Southeastern Conference’s 14th member. To familiarize yourself with important facts related to the Tigers’ athletics tradition, here is a quick rundown of what you need to know about Missouri athletics.
Founded: 1839
Enrollment: 32,415
Nickname: Tigers
Colors: Old Gold and Black
Mascot: Truman The Tiger (a Bengal tiger named after former U.S. President Harry S. Truman)
Previous Conference Affiliations: Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association (1907-1928); Big Six Conference (1929-1964); Big Eight Conference (1964-1996); Big 12 Conference (1996-Present) – north division
Sponsored Sports:
Men: Baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, swimming and diving, track and field, wrestling
Women: Basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, volleyball
National Championships:
o Baseball: 1954
o Men’s Indoor Track and Field: 1965
Notable University of Missouri Former Students (Non-Athletes)
• Skip Caray, sports broadcaster
• Sheryl Crow, musician
• Dennis Dodd, sports journalist
• Pat Forde, sports journalist
• Jim Lehrer, broadcaster
• Lisa Myers, news broadcaster
• Brad Pitt, actor
• Richard Richards, Astronaut
• Mort Walker, cartoonist
• Sam Walton, Wal Mart
• Tennessee Williams, playwright
• Jon Hamm, actor
State of Missouri Facts
• State Nickname: Show-Me State
• Known as “The Gateway to the West”
• Birthplace of U.S. President Harry S. Truman (Independence, Mo.)
• Winston Churchill’s “Iron Curtain Speech” (Fulton, Mo.)
• Mark Twain’s Boyhood Home (Hannibal, Mo.)
• Eastern Starting Point of Pony Express (St. Joseph, Mo.)
• Crossroads of Country Music (Springfield, Mo./Branson, Mo.)
• Barbecue (Kansas City, Mo.)