New Mizzou AD hopes to rekindle rivalry with Kansas
With new athletic director Mack Rhoades in the fold, could we see a renewal of the Missouri-Kansas rivalry? Rhoades, who was officially named the Tigers’ new AD on March 9, is hopeful that it could happen.
“Hopefully, in the future, we can find a way to come together and play, because I think it’s good for certainly (Kansas) fans, our fans, and most importantly, our coaches and our student-athletes,” Rhoades said, per Fox Sports. “So, you know, there (are) certainly no promises, but the hope was we can have some positive discussion in the future.”
The Tigers and Jayhawks haven’t met on the football field since 2011 – Missouri’s final year in the Big 12 before its jump to the SEC. Like many rivalries derailed by conference realignment, the Kansas-Missouri “Border War” dated back more than 100 years.
Now that the dust from conference realignment has settled, Rhoades is hopeful the rivalry can be rekindled in all sports.
"I just think the biggest losers in all of it are the fans and the student-athletes and the coaches," Rhoades said. "And maybe, sometimes, we all – including myself – lose sight of that. And I think we need to remember that. And again, hopefully, we would find a way where we could resume playing each other here in the future.”
In football, Missouri leads the all-time series 57-54-9 and has won five of the last six games in the series – including a 24-10 win in Kansas City on Nov. 26, 2011.
As a member of the SEC, Missouri is required to schedule a non-conference game with a power five opponent. Kansas would fit that requirement and could provide further incentive to resume the rivalry.
At the very least, it’s encouraging to see that Rhoades is open to dialogue.
For more Missouri news, visit PowerMizzou.com.
For more Kansas news, visit JayhawkSlant.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
