They called him by the lovable and respected nickname “Cowboy” in the National Football League, and one West Coast newspaper described him as “the iron-clad backbone” of the San Francisco 49ers’ standout defense. High praise for a highly respected professional. Then again, perhaps that was to be expected of Justin Smith. He was once just… Read more »
News
Team: University of Missouri
Brian Smith
Years ago, back as a pre-teen, you could say Brian Smith had sort of an allergy. To the sport of wrestling, that is. He had wrestled at an early age, but it didn’t interest him much. Not until relocating to Florida to improve his lung health – on doctor’s orders – and not until his… Read more »
Lionel Smith
Lionel Smith was the only son of Lloyd and Freda Smith. Lloyd Smith was the superintendent of Cairo (MO) Public Schools, where he supported the development of girls’ high school basketball. Lionel Smith, his only child, made his mark in sports as a high-scoring basketball player at Madison High School, and later at the University… Read more »
Willie Smith
Smith starred at the University of Missouri as a 6’2″ shooting guard where he earned All-America honors. Smith, nicknamed “Mister Magic”, averaged 25.3 points per game during the 1976 season as he led Mizzou to a Big Eight Conference basketball championship. Smith played in the NBA from 1976 to 1980 after being selected with the… Read more »
Phillip Snowden
Talk about a student-athlete who didn’t just enjoy sports but was proud to call himself a University of Missouri Tiger. Kansas City native Phil Snowden not only declined offers to play for mighty Notre Dame and Army – despite West Point even dispatching Heisman Trophy winner Doc Blanchard for a recruiting pitch – but he… Read more »
Abby Spieler
At California High School, Spieler was a four-time All-State golfer, including winning the state championship twice (2003 & 2005). She won numerous meets and earned All-District honors each year. She capped off her senior season with a 2-under par district championship win, a state championship victory, and led the Lady Pintos to a fifth-place team… Read more »
Wilbur “Sparky” Stalcup
Sparky Stalcup coached basketball at the University of Missouri from 1946 to 1962, compiling a 195-179 record in 16 seasons. His 195 victories stood as the Mizzou record until broken by one of his protégés, Norm Stewart. Before his term at Mizzou, Stalcup coached at Maryville State Teachers College (now Northwest Missouri State University), where he… Read more »
Bill Stauffer
Missouri’s first accomplished big man, Stauffer established the MU career rebounding record from 1950-52, that stood for 31 years (until Steve Stipanovich came along). On the way to grabbing 964 rebounds, he set three records that still stand – 379 rebounds in 1952, with a per-game average that year of 16.5, and a career rebound… Read more »
Bob Steuber
Steuber grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and attended the city’s Christian Brothers College High School, where he starred as a halfback on the school’s football team. He attended the University of Missouri and played as an end on the Missouri Tigers football team under head coach Don Faurot starting in 1940. In 1941, he… Read more »
Norris Stevenson
Norris became the first African-American to receive a football scholarship at the University of Missouri. He lettered from 1958-1960 and played on teams that went a combined 22-9-1 and won the Big Eight Conference Championship in 1960. An outstanding athlete, Stevenson played on both sides of the ball. After his collegiate career, he was drafted… Read more »
Norm Stewart
Stewart grew up the son of a station owner around the small farming community of Shelbyville and graduated from high school there in 1952. After high school Stewart enrolled at the University of Missouri, becoming a standout in both basketball and baseball for the Tigers. Stewart was a two-time team captain, and all-Big Seven selection… Read more »
Steve Stipanovich
Steve Stipanovich was a consensus high school All-American at DeSmet High School in St. Louis. He led DeSmet to two state championships during his junior and senior years, along with helping them compile a 60 game winning streak. When Stipanovich arrived at the University of Missouri in 1979, he did not realize he was about… Read more »
Steve Stonecipher-Fisher
He had put himself on the so-called running map in Sedalia at Smith-Cotton High School and, because other talented competitors challenged themselves by going to NCAA Division I at the University of Missouri, he decided to head to Columbia, too. Steve Stonecipher-Fisher, however, realized quickly that he better up his game, so to speak. There… Read more »
Emmett “Abe” Stuber
During his tenure as Southeast Missouri State University’s football coach from 1932-1946, Abe Stuber’s teams won 17 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association titles in football, track, and basketball. He captured more championships than anyone in the school’s history. In the fall of 1986, the Board of Regents named the university’s track complex in his honor. In… Read more »
Jon Sundvold
Statesman. Ambassador of the game. Hard worker. A great basketball IQ and once dubbed an “Einstein in Sneakers” by an opposing coach. Any of those descriptions certainly fit Jon Sundvold, one of the Show-Me State’s most respected figures ever to walk across the sports page, let alone the basketball court. Certainly, the Missouri Sports Hall… Read more »
Suzy Thompson
Some folks spend their days with the serious, gung-ho look of a drill sergeant. Others simply stay on an even keel. And then there is Suzy Thompson — all smiles and full of energy. But can you blame her? Thompson has lived a dream as a longtime cheerleading coach at Macon High School and the… Read more »