During the 2007-2008 season, Missouri won the Big 12 North Championship. They also won Braggin’ Rights in the Arch Rivalry game, the Victory Bell against Nebraska, and the Telephone Trophy against Iowa State. Then to top of the end of the Regular Season they won the Lamar Hunt Trophy and the Indian War drum in the Border Showdown. Finally, after Losing to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship game, Mizzou went to Dallas, where they defeated Arkansas to win the Cotton Bowl.
This was Missouri’s best football team in school history and because of the tremendous talent, success followed. After the Mizzou student athletes finished their collegiate careers they went their separate ways, many of them to the NFL. Jeremy Maclin and Ziggy Hood were drafted in the first round, later followed by William Moore in the third and Chase Coffman in the fourth. In the next few years other talented Tigers game out of the draft as well, including Sean Weatherspoon and Aldon Smith, both in the first round.
Many of these former Tigers have established themselves in the NFL and this Sunday some of them will be competing against each other. This Sunday the NFL Conference Championship games will be played. There is a lot of excitement throughout the country over these two games. With one of the best, if not the best divisional playoff round in NFL history, these games will have to be truly phenomenal to outshine last weekend.
The NFC championship game will be a special one for Mizzou fans. The game will consist of five Mizzou football alumni, three for Atlanta and two for San Francisco. These players include: safety, William Moore, linebacker, Sean Weatherspoon, and tight end, Chase Coffman. These Tigers will be competing against two Tigers, one who was there before them and one who came to Columbia after. Those professional athletes are linebacker, Aldon Smith and defensive end, Justin Smith.
Mizzou has had great teams in the past decade. The athletes that made up those great teams have gone their separate ways and some have become very successful pro football players. For Kansas City and Mizzou sports fans this game will be a tough one to chose who they want to win. But as for me, I will be rooting for former Kansas City Chiefs tight end, Tony Gonzalez and the Atlanta Falcons.