Desiree Reed-Francois took over as Mizzou’s Director of Athletics 26 months ago. She came from UNLV and immediately set her sights on improving Mizzou’s game day experiences and connecting a fragmented fanbase across the state in one of very few states that features just one major college athletic program.
“We represent the whole state,” Reed-Francois said in an interview with PowerMizzou.com last week. “It really just resonated with me, whether it was in Memphis, Missouri or Mexico, Missouri or St. Louis or Kansas City or here in Columbia, people want us to be successful. They want us to do it the right way. And we listen to people we try and make adjustments based upon what people are telling us. And we want folks to have an incredible experience. We have the privilege of being able to be a part of people's special memories. And we don't take that for granted.”
In 2022, Mizzou reported a 19% increase in football attendance, the largest in the Southeastern Conference. Dennis Gates began his first year with nine consecutive wins. The Tigers’ reported attendance at home basketball games went from 6600 in 2021-22 to 11,571 last year, a 75% increase year over year. Mizzou didn’t report a single crowd of fewer than 7,052 people at a basketball game, 452 more than it averaged the year before. And, oh, by the way, the Tigers have gone 32-10 in football and basketball games since the start of that hoops season.
So, mission accomplished?
“Whenever you have great momentum then that means that you want to continue that momentum and you do that by constantly looking for greater goals,” Reed-Francois said. “Someone likened it to when you're riding your bike, and you're going up a hill, and then you hit that that top bit, you know, there's a bunch of bigger hills. So that means you’ve got to pedal even faster when you're going down that hill. And that's it. We're certainly not at the top of the hill. We're still going up. But we’ve got to keep pedaling and keep pedaling harder and keep pedaling faster.”
Reed-Francois has done plenty of pedaling in her 26 months. The results are being seen. But she sees none of the hills the Tigers have climbed and only those that lie ahead.
“We're not happy just being participants in the Southeastern Conference,” she said. “I'm not interested in participation trophies. We're in here. We deserve to be in here. And let's go. Let's continue to take this momentum and that's why we're pushing so hard.”
In no area has that been more obvious than the Tigers’ efforts since name, image and likeness went into effect in college sports. In late August, a new law went into effect in Missouri allowing Mizzou (and other in-state universities) to begin NIL payments to in-state high school prospects as soon as they sign to attend Mizzou. That gives the Tigers a months-long jump on other programs if they can keep in-state players at home. While some saw NIL as just another tool to help the traditional powers excel in college sports, many thought it was an opportunity to create parity in football and basketball, which both--but especially football--have severely lacked for decades.
“It’s certainly proving to be an asset for us,” Reed-Francois said. “We’ve been innovative in that space. I'm very thankful to our legislature. I'm very thankful to our governor to afford us this competitive opportunity. We're competitors and we're always gonna look for advantages. So if we can create an advantage out of out of chaos, that's what we're going to do.”
Reed-Francois knows others will emulate Missouri. Some already have. She knows there could be changes coming to the way NIL is enacted across the country. Many have called for guidelines and guardrails. Seemingly every other week there are federal government hearings on the issue (look up the ridiculous quotes from legislators about the subject at your own peril).
“What are we, year three in this? And so it's gonna continue to evolve, and that's fine,” she said. “This should have been happening. And so now we're in this period where it is bumps and bruises. Because it's a massive shift. I don't know if I would, I said chaos earlier, but I was referring more to like the business landscape. But in times of change, that's where there's opportunity. So we're going to try and maximize those opportunities, like we're doing.”
Missouri signed Eli Drinkwitz to a new contract in the middle of the 2022 season, a deal that would pay him $7 million guaranteed in the 2027 season. In early March, Mizzou announced a new deal for Gates, bumping him from $2.5 million to $4 million per year before his first season was even complete. That deal increases by $100,000 each year through 2028-29. And Reed-Francois? She’s not looking to go anywhere. Her own son, Jackson Francois, is a sophomore walk-on for Gates.
“I was on a Zoom with a recruit last night and I was talking to his parents about why we chose Mizzou for our only child before I was ever the athletic director,” she said. “Josh (her husband) was like, Desiree, if it's real, you need to go for that. I'm like, ‘What if I don't get it and Jackson's gonna be impacted?’ He's like, ‘Desiree, who better to build an athletic department for our only child?’ And so this is, you asked me why I like to talk with recruits and their parents. This is, yes it's a professional endeavor, but it's also just very personal. This is something very special to me.”
So far, so good. In addition to the football and basketball success, Missouri volleyball is in NCAA Tournament contention in Dawn Sullivan’s first season. Kerrick Jackson was hired this year to revitalize the Tiger baseball program. Gymnastics has entered the conversation of the nationally elite and wrestling has remained there. Next month, the Board of Curators will vote on a massive facilities project that should touch every team on campus.
Reed-Francois speaks glowingly about University President Mun Choi and Board of Curators Chairman Michael Williams. After years of so many factions pulling in so many directions, it appears Mizzou finally has all oars rowing in the same direction with the athletic department.
“We have great alignment with our board and our president,” she said. “Michael Williams as our board chair, he's a great man who cares about Mizzou and has really been an incredible supporter and driver. You couple that with the President and his innovation and his brilliance and we've got a really special moment in time.”
So how does Mizzou take that moment in time and create more moments from it? For Reed-Francois, it’s simple: Don’t look back.
“What's the old Wayne Gretzky quote,” Reed-Francois asks before answering it herself. “To skate where the puck is going, not where the puck is.
“Sky's the limit on what we can do here.”
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