Inductees

September 17, 1897—September 18, 1982

Tarkio, Missouri, is a quiet little college town tucked away in the northwest corner of the state and hardly known as a hotbed of football talent.

It was there that Ed Travis starred as a high school player, dreaming of the day when he could play for the University of Missouri. But Ed’s stellar high school credentials failed to impress Mizzou recruiters and the promising young lineman decided to stay at home and play for tiny Tarkio College.

That was in 1916. The next season, Ed Travis was summoned to Missouri and fitted for a Tiger uniform. World War I suspended football competition at Missouri and sent Ed packing for military duty.

The interruption didn’t slow him up, however. He was back in Tiger trim for the 1919 season, anchoring the Tiger line with his bone-shattering performances.

During his final two campaigns at Missouri the Tigers won 12, lost 2 and tied 2. They were 7-1-0 in Ed’s final season, losing only to Oklahoma, 28-7.

From Missouri, Travis entered a three-year professional football career with teams in Rock Island, and St.Louis. He was a stone-hard lineman, an immovable mass of muscle and bone. It was not unusual for “Brick” to clear out an entire side of an opposing line in a single play.

Travis starred for the Tigers as a tackle in 1919-20 earning all-Missouri Valley Conference honors both years. He went on to play professional football with Rock Island (Ill.) in 1921, and the St. Louis All-Stars in 1923. He was inducted into the State of Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1972, and the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame in 1974. He was a member of the University’s first Intercollegiate Athletic Committee.