I have never seen anything like this in the 50 plus years I've been watching
Mizzou play football. From a season in which the Quarterback was suspended and then kicked off the team to the team boycotting practice and demanding the resignation of the University President...to the Head Coach saying he was resigning because of his health, it certainly made for a unique year.
I am sorry QB
Maty Mauk has been through such a
pressure filled time in his life. His father is battling cancer and I
personally know that is a major mental challenge. Maty Mauk also felt the
pressure of a huge fan base dis-satisfied with his offense's inability to the
move the ball. Some of it was Mauk's fault but a large portion of the
failure rested squarely on the shoulders of the offensive line. This is
more pressure than most 21 year old kids can handle and ultimately Mauk
succumbed to it. Apparently he also made a poor decision by placing
himself in a position where he would get into trouble. You know the
result. Head coach
Gary Pinkel removed him from the team permanently.
I certainly wish Maty Mauk well and hope he can get some help and land on his feet somewhere he can contribute. Mauk is a gifted athlete.
I have mixed emotions about the President of the
University retiring. I understand the frustration with the way minorities
have been treated at times in Columbia. I am white but I get it.
Keep in mind though that Columbia is probably the most liberal city in
the state of Missouri. But, it is in a region known as "
LittleDixie". I was not there to witness any of the insults but my belief
is the insults and epithets were hurled by non-University of Missouri students
in an effort to create racial disharmony. The motivation is difficult to
comprehend but the world is full of stupid ignorant people. As far as
TimWolfe resigning I believe it should not have happened. As one much wiser
than me put it..."how is one man supposed to stop racism in an entire
state". Wolfe could have been more transparent when approached by
African American students but he should not have been terminated. The
Chancellor of the Columbia campus also resigned under fire.
R. Bowen Loftin had been the object of African American wrath for several months until
the day of the University's Homecoming parade. At that time an incident
involving Wolfe and his car in the parade turned the wrath to him. I do
believe Loftin's resignation should have happened sooner.
This post is getting long so I will cut to the
chase. I am sorry that Gary Pinkel is resigning after restoring pride to
a program that had been a laughing stock of the nation until this millennium.
Pinkel never got to a BCS game or won a Conference Title but he took
Mizzou to the next level when he won divisional titles on four occasions in the
Big 12 and
SEC Conferences. While I am sad to see Coach Pinkel go, I
applaud his looking after his health and spending time with his family. Gary
Pinkel you will be missed.
And finally while the Tigers could have played in
a bowl game with a mediocre 5-7 record, I am glad they chose not to seek the
NCAA's approval to play in one as did
Minnesota and
Nebraska. Missouri stated
its reason as focusing on a new head coach and staff and recruiting for the
future. I am pleased with the selection of
Barry Odom as the new head
coach. Odom is a former Tiger player and has distinguished himself as a
top level Defensive Coordinator. His players are glad he is going to be
the boss. I'm pleased with him bringing in new staff for the 2016 season.
I hope the changes will take the Tigers to the next level. But I
know as a season ticket holder, alum and Tiger fan Odom will have his hands
full in 2016 when he has road games at
West Virginia,
LSU,
Florida,
SouthCarolina, and
Tennessee. I am
optimistic about the 2016 season. But to
wrap this up I hope I never see events at my beloved Alma Mater as I lived
through this past season.
M-I-Z!
