Mike Bedosky neared the covered walkway which would take him into the stadium he used to dominate. He was in awe. Because it wasn’t the same stadium, not at all.

“This whole place,” Bedosky said of the Mizzou football complex. He didn’t need to finish the thought.

“I haven’t been to campus yet, but I look over there and I see buildings I know didn’t used to be there.”

The man they called “Bedrock” in the early 1990’s is back in Columbia this weekend for a Tiger football camp. Eleven years ago, Bedosky had just finished up his senior year at Missouri, a four-year stint that included four letters and two all-Big Eight first-team selections as an offensive guard. He would go on to a one-year stint with the NFL's Cleveland Browns.

Now, Bedrock comes back in his second year as the head coach at Chapel Hill (GA) High School.

“After my freshman year in college, I had an opportunity to work with the YMCA day camp,” Bedosky explained. “I had six and seven year-old boys and I thought it was the greatest thing in the world. So, I wanted to go into teaching. I’ve been fortunate to have a lot of great coaches and it’s a way to pay back.”

Bedosky moved to Georgia because his wife was from the area. He is currently a teacher in Douglasville, GA. Chapel Hill has had a football program for just six years. Bedosky was an assistant coach for the first four before taking over the reigns for the 2003 season. His team won three games a year ago and his father-in-law, who was shooting video of the team’s camping experience hopes Bedrock can move them up to “five, six, maybe seven” wins this season.

It seemed to Bedosky a logical choice to bring his club camping at Ol’ Mizzou. While none of the current coaches were on staff when Bedosky was a Tiger, he has felt a connection to his alma mater nonetheless.

“It’s the Tigers,” he said. “Mark Alnutt’s here, we played together and he works in the office. Pat Ivey and I played together here and he’s head strength coach. There’s still a tie there.”

In addition, Bedosky is impressed with how Pinkel runs his program and saw an opportunity to give his kids a unique experience.

“We’re a young team this year. We needed some experience and some eye-opening to see what we’re doing and where we’re going,” said the coach. “It’s good for my kids to get them away, let them see something a little different and get them a different opportunity, different possibilities.”

“Tennessee is about as far north as most of these kids have ever been.”

Of course, it helps that Bedosky met his wife in Columbia, and that his mother, Deedie, a Mizzou grad, still lives in Jefferson City.

“I know my mom still comes up and catches games when she can,” Bedosky said.

Bedrock himself hasn’t seen many Tiger games of late. He’s buried deep in Southeastern Conference territory down in Georgia. However, he’ll make the road trip to Troy State this season to watch Mizzou take on the Trojans.

“We don’t get back a whole lot, it’s hard,” he said. “We travel when we can. We came back this past April and that was the first trip back in about two years.”

Just like the stadium and the campus, the team Bedosky will watch is a much changed version of the Black and Gold. The 2004 Tigers are coming off an Independence Bowl appearance and are being picked among the top 20 teams in the country by just about everyone who’s in the business of forecasting. Bedosky, meanwhile, was the bedrock of four clubs that went just 13-29-1. The Tigers were 3-7-1 in his senior season, an effort that got head coach Bob Stull relieved of his job. During Bedosky’s career, the Tigers won only seven conference games. Two came against Kansas, two against Kansas State, two against Oklahoma State and one against Iowa State. But that was then, and times, as they say, are a-changin’ in Columbia.

“I’m happy to see Missouri doing so well,” Bedosky said. “You always hope in some way, shape or form, you helped it get there. I know all the guys I played with are excited to see Missouri have that opportunity.”

Bedosky is doing his part to keep the Tigers going strong. He’s got two offensive line prospects in the house: his sons. Stephen is six and Trey is three. For that matter, Bedrock himself looks like he might still be able to suit up, even at 33.

“I don’t think they had much hope with my build,” Bedosky says with a laugh. “They’re definitely not going to play a skill position.”