January 2007

Let Us Feature You In Our Alumni Notes!
If you’d like our Varsity M members to know what you’ve been up to lately, please complete the following form
and send it to the address listed below, or, feel free to e-mail your information to [email protected].
Name___________________________________ Maiden Name_____________________________________
City/State Where You Live__________________________________________________________________
E-Mail Address ___________________________________________________________________________
Sport(s) Played at MU _____________________________________________________________________
Year(s) Played at MU_ _____________________ Year(s) Lettered __________________________________
Degree(s) You Earned _____________________________________________________________________
Tell Us What You’re Up To ________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Send completed form to: Jayson Meyer/ MAA/ 123 Reynolds Alumni Center / Columbia / MO/ 65211
or e-mail your information to: [email protected].
Published three times a year for all University of Missouri-Columbia Varsity M members.
2006 Hall of Fame Class Honored
During Homecoming 2006
The Varsity M Association was
pleased to honor four of the six recipients of the University of Missouri
Hall of Fame 2006 class on our float
during Homecoming 2006. Jerome
Sally, Nikki Thole, Julie Effinger and
Wes Roper were able to attend
this year’s event and enjoyed a fun
filled day as guests of the Varsity M,
Alumni Association and the Athletic
Department.
February 2007
Volume 13 Issue 1
Overall, this year’s Homecoming
event was well attended by our members. The day began with another
spectacular parade organized by the Mizzou Alumni Association followed by the Varsity M
tailgate meal, a tunnel formed of alumni athletes on the field to welcome the team, then we
witnessed a very exciting win against Kansas State. All in all, another spectacular event for
Varsity M and a wonderful win for Mizzou. Special thanks to Brock Hessing who chaired the
Homecoming event for the second year, and to the many other board members and members
who pitched in to make our
event such a huge success again
this year.
Above and Right: Several
Varsity M members gather
prior to the start of the
What’s Inside...
Homecoming Recap
Where Are They Now?
Fall Sports Wrap Up
Spring Sports Preview
Alumni Assoc. Report
Facilities Update
Left: Hall of Famers, Jerome Sally (football),
Julie Effinger (swimming), Nikki Thole (soccer) and Wes Roper (wrestling) before the
parade.
Message From the President
Varsity M
Association
Mizzou Sports Complex
Facilities Update
Mizzou Athletics Training Complex
Reuniting MU Letterwinners
Sandi Strother, President
Volleyball 1982-1986
I remember the day in 1996 that I received a letter from
baseball alum Ray Uriarte inviting me to attend a Varsity M
Association board meeting. Not long after that first meeting,
I was asked to join the board. Now ten years later, as I enter
my final six months of my two year term as President, I am
continually fascinated as I look back and see how our Association has grown in membership, in credibility, and in value.
Believe it or not, there was a time when most of the
Athletic department staff, and current student-athletes,
could not tell you who we were or what our purpose was.
There was a time when we had little to offer our members,
very few newsletters or a website to communicate with our
few hundred members, few reunions that we assisted with,
no gameday tailgates and no access to coaches or current
student-athletes to share our story. Board members will
tell you that we faced our ups and downs as staff changed
within Athletics.
Today, the Varsity M Association flourishes through our
connection, and strong relationship with, both the Athletic
department and Alumni Association. We speak to our student-athletes annually during team meetings, we assist with
mentoring events, help coaches with team reunions, host
a tailgate before each home football game, provide our
members with free Spirit Passes, discounted season football
tickets, discounts on merchandise, as well as providing all of
the benefits of Mizzou Alumni Association membership. It has
certainly been a decade of positive growth and change.
All of this change and growth didn’t occur over night,
and certainly took many people to push our initiatives ahead.
There are board members who have dedicated many more
years of time and energy than I have to this association....
Brock Hessing, Ray Uriarte, Mel Sheehan, Terry Maglich,
George Boucher, Bob Gooch, Bob Myers, Rich Bernsen
and Henry Wiebe, as well as others who have joined us in
recent years to breathe new life into new programs....Carl
Fudge, Nancy Hedrick, Lynette Morasch, Brad Scrivner,
Rick Penrose, Al Laffoon, Randy Jostes, and Terri McHolland. I send my appreciation to each board member as well
as to our Athletic Department and Alumni Association, and
to all of our nearly 1,000 members, for making sure that the
Varsity M Association continues to grow at Mizzou!
The grand-opening of the Mizzou Athletics Training Complex
is set to take place in February. Sixteen million dollars went into
renovating this building which has taken on a completely new look.
The facility now includes
a 10,000 sq. ft dining hall
where all 550 of our
current student-athletes
can eat dinner. It also
includes a state-of-theart weight room, equipment room and brand
new coach’s offices and
locker rooms for baseball, football, soccer, and
softball.
Old Hawthorne Golf Course
Old Hawthorne is now the new home golf course for our Mizzou men’s and women’s golf teams. In the fall of 2006, Missouri
and Old Hawthorne agreed to a 20 year contract that makes Old
Hawthorne the home golf course. As part of the agreement, the
Department of Athletics will have the opportunity to hold three golf
tournaments at Old Hawthorne each
year from October 1-May 1. Two of
these will be three-day intercollegiate
tournaments (one men’s and one
women’s), with the third tournament
being a one-day fundraising event to
benefit the golf programs. In addition,
Mizzou will have the opportunity to
host a Big 12 Conference Championship or NCAA Regional Tournament
once every 10 years. For more information about Old Hawthorne, please
visit www.oldhawthorne.com.
Jump Shot Inventor Honored
Varsity M member John Cooper, BS Ed ’34, M Ed ’37, EdD ’46, has been a pioneer in
the game of basketball and in the science of human performance. His lifelong achievements were recognized recently by the University as the recipient of the Mizzou Alumni
Association’s Faculty-Alumni Award.
At just six fee tall, “Hop John” Cooper, a three-season varsity Tiger, was among the
first to take basketball above the rim. Since most opponents had never seen a jump shot,
they had no idea how to guard him and he never had a shot blocked his entire college
career. He set Big Six records with up to 47 percent of the Tigers’ season scoring and
has since been inducted into the Missouri Basketball Hall of Fame. Cooper taught at
the University of Southern California and created the world’s first doctoral program
in kinesiology at Indiana University, from which he retired in 1982. The author of 20
standard textbooks and 80 articles, Cooper defined the science of biomechanics and
kinesiology, which was previously part of physical education. He went on to pioneer
the use of computer simulation, high-speed photography, holography and laser beam
technology in biomechanics. His research has served as the basis for preventive and
restorative sports medicine. The first of six siblings who are all Mizzou graduates, Cooper, was married to Charlianna Cooper
who passed away on July 4, 2006.
Through the Faculty-Alumni awards program, Mizzou expresses its pride and appreciation for individuals and their service
to higher education. It focuses attention not only on outstanding individuals and their accomplishments, but also on the vital
relationship between factually and alumni in promoting the best interests of the University.
The Varsity M Association extends its congratulations to John Cooper on this well deserved honor and thanks him for his
service to Mizzou.
Pave the Way for Success
Mizzou Alumni Association members are proud each year to provide more than $200,000
in student scholarships. Now is your chance to help more of the best and brightest students
attend Mizzou while leaving your own mark in MU history.
A contribution of $375 and above to the Mizzou Alumni Association entitles you to recognition on a brick paver in Mizzou Legacy Walk, located at the entrance to the Reynolds
Alumni Center. This project will allow the Association to increase and expand the support
of student scholarships.
Each brick has space for up to three lines of thirteen characters each. Donors may purchase
as many bricks as they wish and family and friends may be grouped together. The intallation
of inaugural bricks is scheduled for Summer 2007 so act now and reserve your spot on the
Mizzou Legacy Walk today to let future Tigers follow in your footsteps.
Visit www.mizzou.com for more information or call (800) 372-6822 for details on how
your tax deductible donation will help to pave the way for student success at Mizzou.
Where Are They Now?
BASKETBALL
Kathy J. Turpin, BS-Education (’80), MS-Western Illinois.
Kathy and her family have moved back to Missouri after six
years in Florida. She serves as the Director of the National
Center for Drug Free Sports and Sports Management, Inc.
in Kansas City after 26 years in intercollegiate athetics. She
looks forward to returning to Mizzou to follow Tiger athletics!
Her daughter, Jennifer, is currently a junior at Mizzou and son,
Andrew is a senior at Park Hill High School in Kansas City.
Notes of Interest
Scrivner Elected Vice President
Brad Scrivner has accepted the position of
Varsity M’s Vice-President, and will become
President at the beginning of the new fiscal
year, July 1, 2007. He is community bank
president with UMB Bank in Jefferson City. Scrivner graduated from Jefferson City High
School in 1987 and went on to play football
for the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he obtained
a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 1992. FOOTBALL
MU-KU Football Games Move to Kansas
City in 2007-08
Robert Ritter, BA-English (‘65), MBA-Western New England
College, MA (‘73). Flew over 400 combat missions in Vietnam
as a USAF pilot & served as a Senior Officer & on Board of
Directors with three health care companies. He and his wife,
Jude, have two grown children and live in Aiken, SC where
he is retired.
The University of Missouri and University of Kansas have
approved terms of an agreement with the Kansas City Sports
Commission and the Kansas City Chiefs that will move the
schools’ football games to Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas
City, Mo., for the 2007 and 2008 seasons. Both games are
scheduled for Thanksgiving weekend each year.
SWIMMING
Kim (Knudson) Waters, BS Human Environmental Sciences
(‘97), Master of Education (‘99), Ph.D. in Education (‘04),
Competed from 1993 to 1996; Kim is a Health Education
Coordinator for Anoka County Community Health in Minnesota and is married with one son.
Would you like to share your news and updates with
your fellow letterwinners? Please complete and return
the update form on the back of this issue of Claws &
Stripes.
To have your information published in our next
newsletter, or on the website, visit the Varsity M
website at http://varsity-m.missouri.edu
Thank You To Our Sponsors
Summer Athletic Camps at MIZZOU
Are your kids interested in attending summer athletic camps
at Mizzou this year? MU has a number of options available
for athletes of all skill levels. For more information on summer athletic camps, visit the official tigers website, www.
mutigers.com, choose the “Fan Zone” link, then “Camps.”
NCAA Certifies MU Programs
This past fall, the NCAA Division I Committee on Athletics
Certification announced that the University of MissouriColumbia has been certified. An institution that has been
certified is considered to be operating its athletics program in
substantial conformity with NCAA’s operating principles.
The athletics certification process, which is meant to ensure
the NCAA’s fundamental commitment to integrity in intercollegiate athletics, was initiated in 1989. The core of the
certification process is the institution’s self-study in which
campus-wide participation is critical. Benefits of the selfstudy include increased self awareness and an opportunity to
educate individuals across campus and the community about
the athletics program’s goals and purposes, affirmation of
the aspects of the athletics program worthy of praise, and
opportunities to improve.
The self-study was reviewed by the NCAA Committee on
Athletics Certification and followed by a visit from a peer-review team of selected individuals from Division I institutions
or conferences with knowledge of intercollegiate athletics.
Fall Sports Review
Football:
The Tigers had a terrific
season finishing 8-4 before heading to the
Brut Sun Bowl in El Paso, TX where they
suffered a last minute loss to Oregon State.
Three Tigers were named 1st Team All Big12 including Marcus Bacon, Joel Clinger,
and Martin Rucker. This year included a
victory over Kansas State for the first time
in 13 years and a victory over Kansas for
the first time in 3 years.
Tim Ross closed out his season by qualifying for the NCAA
Championships where he finished 126th,100 places better then
he finished last year.
Women’s Golf: The team played
five tournaments this fall. Their best finish was third place at the Price’s “Give
‘em Five” Invitational in Las Crucas, NM.
Ellen Hoeper finished with an even-par
54-hole total of 216 to finish second
personally.
Volleyball:
The women’s volleyall
team received their 7th consecutive
berth into the NCAA tournament. The
team beat No. 21 Santa Clara to advance
to the Second Round of NCAA action
before falling in a thrilling five game match
to No. 2 Stanford. They finished the year
18-13 overall with an 11-9 Big 12 record.
Senior outside hitter, Jessica Vander
Kooi, was named 1st Team All Big 12 for
the third consecutive year and named a CoSIDA Academic
All-American.
Soccer: Challenged with several key
injuries and a very young squad, the team
finished the season 10-9 overall with a 2-8
Big 12 record. Four members of the team
earned Academic All-Big 12 1st team honors and two members earned Academic
All-Big 12 honorable mention.
Swimming & Diving:
The
team had a very strong fall season
competing against some of the
best squads in the country as the
women cracked the top 25 in the
College Swim Coaches Association
poll coming in at No. 23. The men
received votes as well and ended
the fall season at the UGA Classic with a fourth place finish.
They competed against teams
all ranked in the Top 20 in the
country.
Cross Country: The men
finished sixth and the women
finished seventh in the Big 12
Championships. Missouri senior
Men’s Golf:
The 2006 highlight of
the men’s team came when Senior, John
Kelly, played well enough in the US Amateur to qualify for the 2007 US Open,
and a likely invitation to the Masters.
He competed in his first US Amateur
Championship after five failed attempts
and was named the 2006 Missouri Golf
Association Player of the Year.
Photos Courtesy of
Mizzou Athletics
The Tiger Scholarship Fund
The Tiger Scholarship Fund’s
mission is to raise awareness,
funding, and opportunity for
University of Missouri studentathletes.
Contributions from fans, friends,
family, and alumni are invested
in Mizzou student-athletes to
provide opportunity to excel in
the classroom, in competition,
and in life.
Tiger Scholarship Fund. It’s your Mizzou.
For more information contact Sarah Baumgartner:
1 Champions Drive • 573.882.0704 • mutigers.com
Spring Sports Preview
Baseball:
The Tigers, who are one of
just 22 teams in the nation to have advanced
to the past four NCAA Tournaments, return six position starters and five pitchers
from last year’s squad. Jamieson enters his
13th year at the helm of the Tigers with
the first win of the 2007 season marking his
400th career victory. They will be playing
Kansas at the Royals’ Kauffman Stadium on
April 25.
Men’s Basketball:
Head
Coach Mike Anderson has taken the
Tigers where no one thought possible
this year. The Tigers are playing a new
brand of basketball that is made up of
fast-paced and aggressive basketball. The Tigers started the season with nine
consecutive wins, and now have begun
the Big 12 schedule. They will conclude
the regular season at the Big 12 Tournament on March 8-11.
Softball:
Ehren Earleywine is the
new head softball coach at MU. He is
a Jefferson City, MO native and left 5
successful years at Georgia Tech to take
over for the Tigers. Beginning Feb. 9, the
squad will play a minimum of 59 games
including 22 against top-25 ranked opponents. Twenty-three of Missouri’s games
will be at home this year beginning with
a doubleheader against UMKC, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2007.
Wrestling:
The Tigers reached the No. 1 National Ranking for the first time ever in the program’s history this season. The team is led by senior, national champion,
Ben Askren along with his
younger brother, Max, who
is a standout on this squad. The team will end their
season in Auburn Hills,
Michigan to compete for
the National Championship
on March 15-17.
Gymnastics:
The Tigers look to
build upon last season’s No. 14 final ranking and third-place
finish at the NCAA
Southeast Regional
with a school-record
195.325 at the event.
Six freshmen join 10
returning letter winners, including 2006 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, Adrianne Perry,
in Missouri’s quest to make the 2007 NCAA Championships in Salt
Lake City, Utah. Missouri faces six programs ranked in the Top 25
this season, including Big 12 Conference rivals No. 7 Nebraska,
No. 10 Oklahoma and No. 13 Iowa State.
Women’s Basketball: Missouri
was off to a fast start with a 10-1 record
heading into conference play in January. Missouri’s EeTisha Riddle was named the
Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Player
of the Week, in a vote by media representatives from around the league, becoming just
the third player in league history to accomplish the feat in back-to-back weeks. Big 12
play consists of several top-25 opponents
and the Big 12 Tournament wraps up the
regular season on March 6-10.
Tiger Tribute
A Moment to Remember. . .a Lifetime to Honor
Please join us in honoring the lives of the following former
letterwinners that have passed away since June of 2006.
May their Mizzou memories never fade and their legacies
live on.
Mr. Clyde Julian Boyd, BS ‘55 - Football
Mr. John E. Brase, BS ‘55 - Football
Mr. John W. Brown - Football
Maj. Gen. Donald Dawson, BA ‘30, JD ‘38
Mr. Charles W. Denny, BA ‘56, JD ‘58 - Basketball
Mr. Edward Dissinger - Football
Mr. Steven J. Halliburton, BS ‘68, MS ‘71 - Track & Field
Mr. Joseph M. Jones, BA ‘39, MA ‘40 - Football
Mr. Charles F. Mehrer III, BA ’58 - Football, Track & Field
Mr. Norman P. Potash, BJ ’63 - Tennis
Mr. Stephen H. Silverman, BA ‘64 - Baseball
Friends of Varsity M
Thanks to the following Varsity M Association members who generously support our Association through
their tax-deductible donation.
Don Collier
Nancy Hedrick
Charles W. James
Jerry Mathis
Roger Short
Karl Englund
Bob Gooch
Brock L. Hessing
Jack Hudkins
Vernon F. Lightfoot, MD
Robert Lee Myers
Jerome Sally
Kathy Turpin
Varsity M Welcomes
New Board Member
The Varsity M Association Board of Directors is proud to
welcome new member Mr. Rick Penrose, swimming, to the
Board of Directors.
Following the summer board meeting, members agreed to
make a concerted effort to find new members to represent
sports that are currently not represented on the board. These
include: men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s tennis,
soccer, men’s basketball, softball, women’ track/cross country,
and gymnastics.
If you are a letterwinner, a member of Varsity M, and are
interested in learning more about Varsity M and how you can
represent your sport, please email Sandi Strother at varsity-m@
missouri.edu.
Varsity M Association
Board of Directors
Sandi Strother, President
Brad Scrivner, Vice-President
Lynette Morasch, Treasurer
Nancy Hedrick, Secretary
Rich Bernsen
George Boucher
Carl Fudge
Bob Gooch
Brock Hessing
Randy Jostes
Al Laffoon
Terry Maglich
Terri McHolland Ray Uriarte
Bob Meyers
Henry Wiebe
Rick Penrose
Mel Sheehan
Direct comments and questions about the Varsity M
Association to Sandi Strother at [email protected].
Questions regarding MUAA/VM membership should be
directed to Jayson Meyer at [email protected].
MAA Update
By Jayson Meyer
Assistant Director
of Alumni Relations
On February 11 each year, the University of Missouri
celebrates its founding. The state was not quite 20 years old
in 1839 when the General Assembly passed the Geyer Act to
establish the University. In the 168 years since then, Missouri
and its state university have grown and prospered together.
MU was the first and only public institution of higher learning
west of the Mississippi River -- an investment that Missourians
made in their future. Its mission then was straightforward: to
educate the state’s citizens and to promote higher learning
throughout Missouri.
As the University has grown, its mission also has grown in
size and complexity, but some things haven’t changed. Mizzou
still provides an exceptional education and is a place where
all qualified students can be successful.
As we celebrate Founders Day, I encourage you to reflect
on the role that Mizzou has played in your life and how well
MU has met the goals Missouri’s citizens set for it back in 1839.
I hope that you agree that it has exceeded the expectations
its founders set 168 years ago.
As alumni athletes you have played a special role in the history and tradition of our flagship institution. Your continued
dedication and support through membership in the Varsity M
Association and the Mizzou Alumni Association provide for
a stronger Mizzou.
The spirit and vision of our founders continues to be represented at MU by the strength of the Columns, the enormous
talent of faculty and staff, the great promise of our students,
and the devotion of our alumni and friends.
Here’s a health to thee, Mizzou, on your 168th birthday.