COLUMBIA, Mo. 鈥 From Missouri鈥檚 leap into the upper echelon of college football to a change in athletics department leadership to top-down administrative oversight, the 2023-24 sports year at MU was defined at its upper levels.
There were surprises 鈥 such as Eli Drinkwitz鈥檚 first winning season with the Tigers totaling 11 wins and former athletics director Desiree Reed-Francois鈥 departure. And there were slow burns 鈥 take the 19 consecutive losses in Southeastern Conference play for the men鈥檚 basketball team or the process of planning and approval for the eventual release of Memorial Stadium north concourse renovation renderings.
These are the Post-Dispatch鈥檚 choices for the 10 stories that defined Mizzou athletics鈥 2023-24 academic year.
1. Football turns in decade鈥檚 best season
You can quite easily quantify and contextualize just how stark of a contrast the 2023 football season was to the campaigns that came before it. Missouri landed at No. 8 in the year-end AP poll, its best performance in that ranking since finishing the 2013 season at No. 5.
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The Tigers鈥 11 wins were the most since 2014. Six MU players went off the board in the NFL draft, the most since 2009. Mizzou sold out Memorial Stadium for the final five home games of the season, a stadium-packing streak not seen since 1980.
What was just as remarkable was how the season unfolded. There was no shortage of drama, with wins that came thanks to a 61-yard field goal, a fake punt touchdown pass and a 4th-and-17 conversion that preserved a game-winning drive.
Missouri鈥檚 best season in a decade could wind up supplanted this fall, with plenty of talent still in place and expectations much higher than they were a year ago. But for now, the 2023 season stands as a special one in Columbia.
2. MU undergoes unexpected AD change
It鈥檚 settled now, but the sudden departure of athletics director Reed-Francois and the eventual hire of Laird Veatch from Memphis raised plenty of questions throughout the back end of the academic year. Some, such as whether she pushed MU to lower or ditch her contract buyout 鈥 as Arizona wanted her to 鈥 remain unanswered. Others, like the power dynamics that may have contributed to her exit, have become largely moot.
Veatch was hired after a lengthy, quiet process that still led to the arrival of one of the more obvious candidates for the job. His priorities and expertise 鈥 namely in fundraising and revenue generation 鈥 fit an athletics department that needs to raise money for a stadium renovation and keep afloat with modern college sports spending.
3. Men鈥檚 hoops can鈥檛 get a win
It was improbable up until the very end, but Missouri men鈥檚 basketball broke the wrong kind of records with a 19-game losing streak that included an 0-18 run through Southeastern Conference play. It was just the second time in the modern composition of the conference that a team went winless and the second time in MU history that鈥檚 happened 鈥 though the sport looked vastly different when the Tigers had their only other such season, in 1907-08.
4. Curators add oversight
There is one notable factor in the Reed-Francois exit that has stuck around: the UM System Board of Curators鈥 special committee created to oversee Mizzou athletics. The board established this four-person group just a couple of weeks before the AD shakeup, and it has met once since Veatch鈥檚 hire. Curators felt a need to keep a closer eye on the athletics department, particularly its finances, to uphold their 鈥渞esponsibility鈥 to the university system.
5. Memorial Stadium renovations unveiled
There was a long wait for some art. After beginning the process of proposing renovations to Mizzou sports facilities in the fall, the Board of Curators and athletics department leadership settled on a renovation of Memorial Stadium鈥檚 north concourse. There was a rigid process for planning and approving that project, but renderings emerged from an April Board of Curators meeting.
The Rock M and hill are staying but will be surrounded by premium seating 鈥 a project that will cost $250 million and be done in time for the 2026 season.
6. Recruiting efforts strengthen
Perhaps Columbia鈥檚 tourism bureau should hire Mizzou鈥檚 coaches as consultants. They seem to be pretty comfortable drawing people to the college town, if recruiting counts for anything. Drinkwitz secured another five-star recruit in edge rusher Williams Nwaneri, the top defensive prospect in his class and an in-state player. Dennis Gates managed to sign a five-player class that ranks as one of the nation鈥檚 best, providing a timely influx of talent.
Success on the recruiting trail looks to be a concrete trend for that duo.
7. Women鈥檚 hoops left murky
Mizzou women鈥檚 basketball missed out on the NCAA Tournament after finishing last in the SEC with only a couple more conference wins than the men鈥檚 team, a performance that looked likely to end coach Robin Pingeton鈥檚 tenure 鈥 based on preseason expectations, anyway. But with no permanent AD to fire her, MU stayed its course, allowing her to coach into the final year of her contract.
8. Softball makes another run to supers
MU softball continued its trend of emerging from the SEC gauntlet to make a postseason run. The Tigers advanced to the conference title game but lost to Florida, though their SEC Tournament performance was enough to secure hosting duties for the regional and super regional rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
Winning four straight elimination games in the regional meant Duke came to town for a three-game super regional series. The Blue Devils won, though, meaning Missouri has now failed to advance from its past six super regionals.
9. New coaches, varied results
Two of Mizzou鈥檚 higher-profile new coaches saw very different results. Volleyball鈥檚 Dawn Sullivan shared SEC Coach of the Year honors after getting the Tigers into the NCAA Tournament. Baseball鈥檚 Kerrick Jackson saw a rockier first year as he sorted through personnel and missed the SEC Tournament.
10. Consistent expectations on mats
National titles evaded Missouri wrestling, which was something of a disappointment for the program 鈥 but a testament to the standard Brian Smith has instilled in Tiger Style throughout his tenure.
Mizzou gymnastics enjoyed a handful of perfect 10s in multiple events as the season went on but came up just short of a chance to compete for an NCAA Championship in the postseason.