Stake Your Claim
35 years ago I arrived at Mizzou. Prior to enrolling at Mizzou, I had never even been on campus and did not grow up even paying much attention to Mizzou. Little did I know then just how much I would fall in love ❤️ with the school and everything about Mizzou. And that love has deepened more and more since I left the state more than 25 years ago.
I walked and walked around campus (my goodness it’s way more beautiful than it was when I was here) and couldn’t believe the memories that flowed. My goosebumps were permanently standing up. I gotta tell y’all——this is a SPECIAL PLACE.
Of course I had to go to the bookstore to buy my 133rd and 134th Mizzou hats. And of course a trip to Shakespeares.
I think about having the privilege of seeing Doug smith and peeler and Sandbothe and Warren and Hafer and so many others. I remember Kent Kiefer and Mike Jones. Corby Jones and Devin West and Brock Olivo. Then I remember being awestruck by a young man from Ohio named Bd Smith. Are you kidding me? Then T-Ruck and Zach (the Huskers radio broadcast called “a bowling ball of butcher knives”) Abron? Then Chase and Chase and Jeremy Maclin and William Moore and Spoon and Armageddon at Arrowhead. Then James Franklin and LaDamian Washington. But Henry “The Missouri Outlaw” Josey probably caused every single Missouri fan to cry tears of absolute joy as he ripped off the TD that sent the Tigers to ATL.
Can YOU FEEL IT???
I looked into the eyes of the hundreds of Mizzou fans I saw today and I realized I am not alone in my thoughts.
This school, this town, this place—-
This is MY SCHOOL. This is YOUR SCHOOL. THIS IS OUR SCHOOL!
What exactly does this mean to you?
Well folks—-we are on the national stage. Sports talk radio nationwide has been buzzing about this matchup. LSU is SEC royalty. They’ve won 3 national championships in the last 20 years.
Truth be told, most folks in the SEC think we are gonna get our asses run out of our own stadium.
In the words of a competing fans in the heart of the SEC.
I’ve heard it all.
“y’all play in a high school stadium.”
“It’s basically like playing Vanderbilt.”
“Mizzou fans don’t really even care about football.”
“Y’all give us a good game on occasion but basically you’re meaningless in the SEC. You have never been and never will be relevant.”
“Least intimidating place to play in the sec other than Vanderbilt of course.”
And from my LSU buddies there’s this little gem:
“You have a nice little team.”
You know what???
We have here tomorrow an absolutely unparalleled OPPORTUNITY.
There is absolutely NOTHING TO LOSE. I expect our team to play FAST, LOOSE and FREE. And I sure as heck hope they will also play with an edge—-a PISSED OFF edge.
The team’s motto this year is “SOMETHING TO PROVE.”
I would suggest that our Mizzou team and WE as FANATICS have rarely had a greater opportunity to prove exactly WHO WE ARE.
Because we have the chance to do ahead and STAKE OUR CLAIM. Want respect????
We have the chance to go ahead and GRAB IT AND TAKE IT!
So——how will we respond???
Better yet—-HOW WILL YOU RESPOND?
Will YOU be in your SEAT 15 minutes before kickoff???? Will you literally participate in the game and influence the outcome? Will you give your team that added surge of adrenaline—- that extra gear that can make the difference between a drive killing sack or a scoop and score and a defensive breakdown?
It really is a very fine line between winning and losing.
Remember the atmosphere of the absolute gold frenzied fans of Nebraska 07??? I honestly believe that that crowd on that specific night wouldn’t even allow the Huskers to get any rhythm at all. Nope. 41-6. YEP! 6. How satisfying was it to give the Huskers the condescending golf clap they used to give us?
How about the feeling and emotion and ALL OUT ENERGY as Gahn McGaffie made his magical contribution to MISSOURI history???
Do you remember???
Can you FEEL IT?????
WILL YOU PROTECT THIS HOUSE??????????????
Prove it to Me!!!!
SHOW ME!!!!!!!!!!!
Sincerely
Guy V Furay
Missouri 1990
35 years ago I arrived at Mizzou. Prior to enrolling at Mizzou, I had never even been on campus and did not grow up even paying much attention to Mizzou. Little did I know then just how much I would fall in love ❤️ with the school and everything about Mizzou. And that love has deepened more and more since I left the state more than 25 years ago.
I walked and walked around campus (my goodness it’s way more beautiful than it was when I was here) and couldn’t believe the memories that flowed. My goosebumps were permanently standing up. I gotta tell y’all——this is a SPECIAL PLACE.
Of course I had to go to the bookstore to buy my 133rd and 134th Mizzou hats. And of course a trip to Shakespeares.
I think about having the privilege of seeing Doug smith and peeler and Sandbothe and Warren and Hafer and so many others. I remember Kent Kiefer and Mike Jones. Corby Jones and Devin West and Brock Olivo. Then I remember being awestruck by a young man from Ohio named Bd Smith. Are you kidding me? Then T-Ruck and Zach (the Huskers radio broadcast called “a bowling ball of butcher knives”) Abron? Then Chase and Chase and Jeremy Maclin and William Moore and Spoon and Armageddon at Arrowhead. Then James Franklin and LaDamian Washington. But Henry “The Missouri Outlaw” Josey probably caused every single Missouri fan to cry tears of absolute joy as he ripped off the TD that sent the Tigers to ATL.
Can YOU FEEL IT???
I looked into the eyes of the hundreds of Mizzou fans I saw today and I realized I am not alone in my thoughts.
This school, this town, this place—-
This is MY SCHOOL. This is YOUR SCHOOL. THIS IS OUR SCHOOL!
What exactly does this mean to you?
Well folks—-we are on the national stage. Sports talk radio nationwide has been buzzing about this matchup. LSU is SEC royalty. They’ve won 3 national championships in the last 20 years.
Truth be told, most folks in the SEC think we are gonna get our asses run out of our own stadium.
In the words of a competing fans in the heart of the SEC.
I’ve heard it all.
“y’all play in a high school stadium.”
“It’s basically like playing Vanderbilt.”
“Mizzou fans don’t really even care about football.”
“Y’all give us a good game on occasion but basically you’re meaningless in the SEC. You have never been and never will be relevant.”
“Least intimidating place to play in the sec other than Vanderbilt of course.”
And from my LSU buddies there’s this little gem:
“You have a nice little team.”
You know what???
We have here tomorrow an absolutely unparalleled OPPORTUNITY.
There is absolutely NOTHING TO LOSE. I expect our team to play FAST, LOOSE and FREE. And I sure as heck hope they will also play with an edge—-a PISSED OFF edge.
The team’s motto this year is “SOMETHING TO PROVE.”
I would suggest that our Mizzou team and WE as FANATICS have rarely had a greater opportunity to prove exactly WHO WE ARE.
Because we have the chance to do ahead and STAKE OUR CLAIM. Want respect????
We have the chance to go ahead and GRAB IT AND TAKE IT!
So——how will we respond???
Better yet—-HOW WILL YOU RESPOND?
Will YOU be in your SEAT 15 minutes before kickoff???? Will you literally participate in the game and influence the outcome? Will you give your team that added surge of adrenaline—- that extra gear that can make the difference between a drive killing sack or a scoop and score and a defensive breakdown?
It really is a very fine line between winning and losing.
Remember the atmosphere of the absolute gold frenzied fans of Nebraska 07??? I honestly believe that that crowd on that specific night wouldn’t even allow the Huskers to get any rhythm at all. Nope. 41-6. YEP! 6. How satisfying was it to give the Huskers the condescending golf clap they used to give us?
How about the feeling and emotion and ALL OUT ENERGY as Gahn McGaffie made his magical contribution to MISSOURI history???
Do you remember???
Can you FEEL IT?????
WILL YOU PROTECT THIS HOUSE??????????????
Prove it to Me!!!!
SHOW ME!!!!!!!!!!!
Sincerely
Guy V Furay
Missouri 1990
