Beautiful Football Saturdays

Every college has its legends and lore. Tales of great events that happened at some time or another. Stories of people and places that came before that linger in the history of the school. Missouri is no different, and this weekend marks the 20th anniversary of a piece of football legend that I remember like it was yesterday.

Back in 1990, my freshman year of school, Missouri faced the University of Colorado in what has since been known as the Fifth Down Game. In the final moments of the game, officials failed to stop the play and allowed Colorado to score on a fifth down. That’s the extent of the football I can explain on it, I just know it cost us the game.

What strikes me now is that every year, I think about that game when Missouri is up against Colorado. It was all the talk that fall. I’m not that big of a football fan, but I will always cheer on my Mizzou, because that, too, is the tradition.

Ever since college, when fall rolls around, my memory drifts back to those clear blue skies and cool crisp air of a Missouri autumn. What we’d call a beautiful football Saturday. Game day rituals ensued.

I don’t remember when the hot wings tradition began for us, but I will forever associate hot wings with football, specifically Missouri football. Hot wings and beer. No matter what time kick-off was, we ate hot wings and drank beer (well not me, not a beer fan). And not just any hot wings, CJ’s BYFO wings. In bulk.

I don’t remember watching many games – I was far more interested in the crowd. I cheered with my Missouri boys, stood in awe on those super cold days when they’d strip of the shirts and stand in bare painted chests. So many memories associated with those beautiful football Saturdays – the time it was so cold we stopped in a medical school building on our walk back so my feet could warm up. The time when a friend from Baytown visited and proclaimed it to be the coldest he’d ever been sitting the stands at Memorial Stadium. Entire Saturday schedules that revolved around the game. So many pieces that became part of my personal history. Good memories with some of the best of friends who I cannot believe I’ve now known for 20 years.

An article in today’s Kansas City Star talked about the 20th anniversary of that Fifth Down Game, and how the current players, some of whom weren’t even born when that game was played, aren’t familiar with it. That’s when I realized, that just as it’s part of my history and lore, the time I spent at Missouri and the events of those years are part of the school’s legend and lore. The Fifth Down Game that shaped a fall season for us, and what probably lured me into Mizzou football, is a piece of the school history that just happened while I was there.

So while the actual anniversary means very little to me, the back story of that legendary game is part of Mizzou’s history, and a much more meaningful and cherished piece of my history, too.