Mizzou has been playing football for 130 years. As we wait and hope that season 131 will start on time, we're going to take a look back through Tiger history and identify the best of the best.
Over the next six weeks, we'll pare down our list of 64 players (selected, seeding and put into regions by position) to the best player in Tiger history. And PowerMizzou.com subscribers will make the pick.
The brackets will be posted and explained below. Then, on our premium message board, we will start a poll for each matchup. The polls will remain open through the week, closing on Friday night. The winners will move on to the next round, we will update the bracket and publish a new story and new polls the following Sunday. After six weeks, we will have the best Tiger football player as selected by our subscribers.
There are no guidelines for the voting. You can vote for the player you think is the best, you can vote for your favorite player, you can vote based on what they did at Mizzou, what they did in the pros, who had the best hair or what high school they went to. It's your vote, do with it as you please.
Anyone can see the bracket in this story, but to vote, you'll need to be a subscriber. Sign up for your membership today and you won't be charged until September 1st.
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OFFENSIVE BACKFIELD REGION
1) Chase Daniel vs 16) Steve Pisarkiewicz: Daniel set pretty much every passing record in the books at Mizzou while leading the Tigers to a No. 1 ranking and a school record 12 wins in 2007, a season in which he finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting. Pisarkiewicz threw for a then school record 3,413 yards in three years as a starter and was a first round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1977 NFL Draft.
2) Phil Bradley vs 15) Drew Lock: Bradley led the Big Eight in total offense for three straight seasons and ended his career with nearly 6500 total yards rushing and passing. He was the all Big Eight quarterback in 1978, the Big Eight offensive player of the year in 1980 and a three-time all-conference pick. Lock threw for more than 12,000 yards and accounted for 109 touchdowns as a four-year starter. He was the first-team all-SEC quarterback in 2017.
3) Paul Christman vs 14) Joe Moore: Christman was a two-time Heisman finalist, finishing third in 1939 and fifth in 1940. He was Mizzou's all-time leading passer until 1976. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and his number 44 is retired by Mizzou. Moore had nearly 2400 yards from scrimmage in just three seasons. He left Mizzou as the school record holder for rushing yards in a season and career and is a member of the school's Hall of Fame.
4) Brad Smith vs 13) Zack Abron: Smith rewrote the Missouri record book and led the rebirth of Missouri football. He was the first quarterback to throw for 8,000 yards and run for 4,000 in a career and holds the school record for rushing yardage. Playing in the same backfield, Abron ran for more than 3,000 yards in his career and holds the school record for rushing yards by a running back.
5) Corby Jones vs 12) Blaine Gabbert: Jones led Missouri to back to back bowl games in 1997 and 1998, the first time the Tigers had qualified for the postseason in 14 years. He threw for nearly 3700 yards and ran for more than 2500 in his career. Gabbert threw for more than 6800 yards and accounted for 48 touchdowns in just two seasons as a starter before being a first round NFL draft pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
6) James Wilder vs 11) Tony Galbreath: Wilder ran for 2300 yards and had 400 receiving in three seasons for the Tigers and accounted for 24 touchdowns. He went on to a success NFL career with Tampa Bay. Galbreath had 1,972 yards from scrimmage and 18 touchdowns in two seasons. He also complete 8 of 11 passes including four touchdowns. He was an all-Big Eight back in 1974.
7) Bob Steuber vs 10) Henry Josey: In 1941, Steuber was third in the country in rushing yards after moving from receiver in 1940. The following year, Steuber was second in the country with 1,098 yards and was an all-American. He held the school rushing record for 28 seasons and is still in the top ten in school history in scoring. His number 37 is retired by Mizzou. Josey had nearly 3,000 yards from scrimmage and 31 touchdowns in a little more than two full seasons. He averaged seven yards per touch for his career and overcame a devastating knee injury to return and lead Mizzou to the 2013 SEC Championship game.
8) Devin West vs 9) James Franklin: West was an all-American in 1998, emerging from a crowded backfield the previous two years to run for a school record 1,578 yards. He holds the single-season record for rushing yards and all-purpose yards and is in the top five for career rushing yardage at Mizzou with 2,954. Franklin was a three-year starter who threw for nearly 7,000 yards and ran for another 1,700. He accounted for 72 touchdowns and quarterbacked the Tigers to the 2013 SEC East title.
PASS CATCHERS REGION
1) Kellen Winslow vs 16) TJ Moe: Winslow was a two-time all-Big Eight pick and a 1978 Consensus all-American. He is a member of the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame. His number 83 is retired by the Tigers. Moe caught 188 passes for more than 2000 yards between 2009 and 2012. He was second-team all-Big 12 in 2010 and honorable mention in 2011.
2) Chase Coffman vs 15) Joe Stewart: Coffman holds school records for receptions (247) and touchdowns (30). He was a two-time all-Big 12 first-team selection and was on the second team once. He was a consensus all-American and won the Mackey Award in 2008. Stewart could have gone in two brackets here, playing his first two years as a running back and his last two as a wide receiver. All told he had 1,802 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns. He was all-Big Eight as a running back in 1976 and a receiver in 1977.
3) Jeremy Maclin vs 14) Linzy Collins: Maclin was a two-time all-American in two seasons at Missouri after missing his first year with a torn ACL. In 2007 he set the national freshman record with 2,776 all-purpose yards, including more than 1,000 receive and 1,000 on kickoff returns. He set the school record for all-purpose yardage in just two seasons and held the single-season receiving record with 102 catches for 1,260 yards and 13 touchdowns as a redshirt sophomore. Collins had 1,760 yards in two seasons and has two of the top ten individual games in school history with 193 and 229 yards in his two games against arch-rival Kansas. He was an all-Big Eight pick in 1990 and was drafted in the 12th round by the Green Bay Packers.
4) Danario Alexander vs 13) Leo Lewis: Alexander was productive for three years with 78 catches for 997 yards and eight touchdowns despite multiple injuries. But in 2009, he re-wrote the Tiger record book making 113 catches for 1,781 yards and 14 touchdowns, records which all still stand. He had three of the seven 200-yard games in school history in that season and ranks 1st in career receiving yardage, fourth in receptions and second in touchdowns. Lewis had 1,147 yards from scrimmage in his career as a Tiger, but added another 948 on returns, which helped him carve out an 11-year NFL career after starting in the Canadian Football League.
5) Martin Rucker vs 12) Henry Marshall: Rucker ranks second in career receptions (203), fifth in touchdowns (18) and sixth in yardage (2175). He capped his career with a consensus all-American season in 2007 and left with a school record 50 straight starts. Marshall was an all-American in 1975 after catching 44 passes for 945 yards and nine touchdowns. Oddly, in the two seasons before that, he had just six catches for 78 yards. Marshall was a third round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs, for whom he played 11 seasons.
6) Justin Gage vs 11) William Franklin: Gage came to Missouri as a quarterback, but made the move to receiver as a sophomore. He piled up 2704 yards (2nd in school history) on 200 catches (third) and scored 18 touchdowns (fifth). Gage has the top two receiving games in school history, catching 13 passes for 236 yards against Baylor and 16 for 236 against Bowling Green. Franklin caught 143 passes for 2,125 yards (both in the top 11 in school history) and scored 13 touchdowns in four seasons despite playing on a receiving corps with Maclin, Rucker, Coffman and Alexander among others.
7) Michael Egnew vs 10) J'Mon Moore: Egnew carried on the tight end tradition left by Rucker and Coffman with a consensus all-American season in 2010. After making just seven catches in his first two years, Egnew caught 90 passes (the most in the country for a tight end) for 762 yards and five touchdowns. He ranks tenth on Mizzou's career receptions list. Moore ranks fourth among Mizzou receivers all time in yardage (2477) and touchdowns (21) and is seventh in receptions with 158. His 1,082 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2017 are both fourth in school history for a single season.
8) Mel Gray vs 9) Victor Bailey: Gray had 1,491 yards and 14 touchdowns receiving and added another 112 and three scores rushing in three seasons from 1968-70. He was a sixth round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals, for whom he played 11 seasons and made four Pro Bowls before finishing his pro career in the USFL. Bailey transferred to Mizzou from UTEP after his freshman season, following coach Bob Stull, and made 128 catches for 2116 yards and 12 touchdowns in three seasons. He made the all-Big Eight team as a senior and was a second round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles.
IN THE TRENCHES REGION
1) Justin Smith vs 16) Jeff Gaylord: Smith was an honorable mention all-Big 12 player as a freshman in 1998 before making the first-team in 1999 and 2000. He was an all-American in 2000 as well when he set school records with 11 sacks and 24 tackles for a loss. He still ranks second on Mizzou's career list with 22.5 sacks despite playing just three seasons and is the career leader with 50 tackles for a loss. Gaylord was the Big Eight defensive player of the year, doing so as a senior in 1981 when he was also named an all-American. Gaylord had eight sacks and 18 tackles for a loss that season. He was a fourth round pick of the Los Angeles Rams, but did not make the roster and went on to be more well-known as a professional wrestler.
2) Darold Jenkins vs 15) Conrad Hitchler: Jenkins was a captain of the 1941 Missouri team that went to the Sugar Bowl and was also an all-American that season. He played middle linebacker, but was better known for his work at center. He served six years in the United States Army, logging 27 combat missions in WWII and is one of seven players to have his number retired by the Tigers. Hitchler played tight end and defensive end for the Tigers. He led the team in receiving in 1961 and was an all-Big Eight selection in 1961 and 1962 as well as an all-American in 1962.
3) Danny LaRose vs 14) Howard Richards: LaRose was a star on both sides of the ball for Missouri, leading the team in receiving as a tight end twice and starring on the defensive line. He was an all-American for Missouri's Orange Bowl team in 1960 and was a second round pick of the Detroit Lions in 1961. He played for the Lions, Steelers and Dolphins in his NFL career. Richards started 40 consecutive games at right tackle from 1977-80. He was a two-time all-Big Eight selection and a second team all-American as a senior. He was a first round pick of the Dallas Cowboys for whom he played six seasons before one year in Seattle. Richards is now the color commentator on the Mizzou radio broadcasts.
4) Russ Washington vs 13) Aldon Smith: Washington was a two-time all-Big Eight player and an all-American at defensive tackle in 1967. He was the fourth overall pick of the San Diego Chargers in the 1968 NFL Draft and played 14 seasons. He made five Pro Bowls and four all-pro teams and is in the Chargers Hall of Fame. After a redshirt season, Smith burst on the scene as a redshirt freshman in 2009 with 11.5 sacks, which at the time was the Mizzou school record. He had 19 tackles for a loss, sixth most in school history for a single season. He was the Big 12 defensive newcomer of the year before making the all-conference first-team in 2010. Smith ranks ninth in school history with 17 sacks and was the seventh overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers.
5) Francis Peay vs 12) Ed Blaine: Peay played two seasons at Mizzou, but was an all-American in 1965 when the Tigers were third in the country in rushing and beat Steve Spurrier and Florida in the Sugar Bowl. He was the 10th overall pick in the draft by the New York Giants and played eight years with the Giants, Packers and Chiefs. He later became the second black head coach in Big Ten history, coaching six seasons at Northwestern. Blaine was an all-Big Eight and all-American lineman in 1961 and was an honorable mention member of Mizzou's all-century team in 1961. He was a second round pick of the Green Bay Packers, who won the NFL Championship in his rookie season before he spent four years with the Eagles.
6) Ed Travis vs 11) Shane Ray: Perhaps the first great player in Tiger history, Travis wasn't good enough to earn a scholarship and started his career at Tarkio College. He then went into the armed forces in World War I before finally getting to suit up for the Tigers in 1919. He played two seasons, earning all-Missouri Valley honors in both years and helping Mizzou to a 12-2-2 record. He played three years of pro football in St. Louis and Rock Island, IL. He was inducted in to the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1972 and the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame two years later. Ray started for the Tigers nearly a century later, setting the school sack record with 14.5 in 2014. He also had 22.5 tackles for a loss that season, fourth on the all-time school list. In barely more than two seasons, Ray had 120 tackles and 19 sacks. He was a first round draft pick of the Denver Broncos.
7) John Clay vs 10) Sheldon Richardson: Clay was one of four Tigers to be named all-Big Eight three times in his career, doing so from 1984-86. He was an all-American as a senior and a first round pick of the Los Angeles Raiders in 1987 before having his career cut short by injury. Richardson spent just two seasons at Missouri but made 112 tackles, six sacks and forced three fumbles despite playing defensive tackle. He was first-team all-SEC in 2012 when he made 75 tackles on the interior. He was a first round draft pick of the New York Jets as the 13th overall pick.
8) Morris Towns vs 9) Brad Edelman: Towns was a three-year starter and was named an all-American in 1976 when the Tigers beat four top 15 teams. He was the 11th overall pick in the 1977 draft and spent nine seasons with the Houston Oilers and Washington Redskins. Edelman made all-Big Eight in 1980 and all-American in 1981 on the offensive line. He was a second round pick of the New Orleans Saints and played nine years for the team, making five Pro Bowl rosters.
BACK SEVEN REGION
1) Roger Wehrli vs 16) Darryl Major: Wehrli was a force in the defensive backfield, intercepting ten passes, including seven in his all-American senior season (a school record that stood for 39 years). But he was also one of the best return men in the country, setting the Big Eight record for punt return yards and leading the nation as a senior in addition to returning a kickoff 96 yards for a TD. He played 14 years for the St. Louis Cardinals, had 62 takeaways, made seven Pro Bowls and the 1970's all-decade team. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004. Major made 346 tackles from 1991-94, putting him 10th on the all-time school list. His 129 tackles as a junior are the 15th most in a single season.
2) Johnny Roland vs 15) Travis McDonald: Roland was seventh in the country in rushing as a sophomore before moving to defensive back as a junior. All he did there was captain the team to an 8-2-1 record and a Sugar Bowl win while being named an all-American. He had six interceptions, third in school history, and had 690 return yards. He went back to offense in the pros and was the NFL rookie of the year with the St. Louis Cardinals. In his NFL career he had 3700 yards rushing, 1400 receiving, 130 passing, 452 on kickoff returns and 444 on punt returns. He is a College Football Hall of Famer. McDonald played alongside Major from 1991-94. He made 164 tackles as a senior, still the Mizzou single season record, and ranks fifth all time on the school's tackles list with 386. That includes 242 solo stops, third in school history.
3) Andy Russell vs 14) Adrian Jones: Russell was a fullback at Missouri who had 775 yards from scrimmage. He's on the list for what he did after he left. Russell played 11 seasons as a member of the famed Steel Curtain defense in Pittsburgh. He was a seven-time Pro Bowler who had 18 interceptions and was named a member of the Steelers' all-time team. Jones was the Big Eight defensive newcomer of the year in 1986 and made the all-conference team in 1988-89. He is the all-time leader at Mizzou with 15 career interceptions.
4) Sean Weatherspoon vs 13) Erik McMillan: Weatherspoon is the only defensive player in Missouri history to be a three-time all-conference selection, making all Big 12 in 2007, 2008 and 2009. He is the third-leading career tackler at Mizzou and his 155 stops in 2008 are second on the school's all time list. He ranks second on the school's all-time tackles for loss list with 43.5, seven more than any other linebacker. He also had four interceptions and scored two career touchdowns. He was a first-round draft pick of the Atlanta Falcons and spent eight seasons in the NFL. McMillian intercepted 13 passes in a four-year career from 1984-87. He was named all-Big Eight as a sophomore. McMillan was a third round pick of the New York Jets and intercepted 22 passes in 86 career NFL games.
5) Kentrell Brothers vs 12) James Kinney: Brothers is Missouri's last all-American, garnering the honors after the 2015 season. He led the country with more than 12 tackles per game and his 152 are fourth on the school's all-time single season list. For his career, Brothers is eight on the career tackle list for the Tigers. He also had five interceptions and forced four fumbles. He was a fifth-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings and is still with the team. Kinney is the all-time leading tackler at Mizzou with 434 stops. He has two of the top six tackle totals in single-season history with 148 in 2002 and 147 in 2003. He had two interceptions and returned a fumble for a touchdown.
6) Eric Wright vs 11) DeMontie Cross: Wright intercepted 11 passes in just three seasons for the Tigers from 1978 to 1980. He was an all-Big Eight safety in his final two seasons. Wright was a second round pick of the 49ers and played ten seasons. He intercepted 18 passes, made four Pro Bowls and won two Super Bowls. Cross left Mizzou as the leading tackler in school history with 415 total stops. His 249 solo tackles are second all-time and he has three of the top 11 seasons in terms of total tackles (yes, that's a problem for a safety). He was second-team all-Big Eight as a junior and second-team all-Big 12 as a senior.
7) Bill Whitaker vs 10) E.J. Gaines: Whitaker is second all-time at Mizzou with 14 career interceptions and made all-Big Eight as a senior in 1980. He also returned 43 punts for 206 yards. He was a 7th round pick of the Green Bay Packers and played four years in the NFL. Gaines was a second-team all-Big 12 pick in 2011 and a first-team pick in the SEC in 2013. He had 244 tackles, eight interceptions and 20 passes defended in his career. He was a 6th round pick of the St. Louis Rams and is entering his sixth season in the NFL, now in Buffalo.
8) William Moore vs 9) John Moseley: Moore had 280 tackles and 11 interceptions in four years. He had eight of those picks in an all-Big 12 season in 2007. Moore also scored one defensive touchdown in each of his four seasons. He holds the single season record for interceptions and is tied for fifth on the career list. Moseley was a walk-on when he came to Mizzou and an all-American when he left it. He held the school record for punt return average for more than three decades and was taken in the 17th(!) round of the NFL Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals.
