Here are the Mizzou sports stories that shaped 2023

ARLINGTON, Texas — As the Mizzou athletics 2023 calendar ended with a bang at AT&T Stadium, let’s cast an eye back.

There have been field-stormings and tournament returns and national titles and bouncebacks.

In short: What a year it has been in CoMo.

Here are the Columbia Daily Tribune’s best Mizzou sports stories of the year:

Mevis magic

Let’s not forget the magical moments that got the 11-2 Tigers to a New Year’s Six Bowl in Dallas.

There are several moments that could take this crown: Cody Schrader’s tantalizing night against Tennessee; the annihilation in Arkansas; punter Luke Bauer’s jaw-dropping touchdown pass to Marquis Johnson on fourth down at Kentucky; or, yes, fourth and 17 in the dying moments versus Florida.

All incredible, but none quite as guffaw-inducing, rears-off-seats inspiring (literally) than Harrison Mevis’ 61-yard game-winner against Kansas State.

Missouri fans flooded Faurot Field as the Tigers downed the ranked Wildcats. Mevis was chased and jumped into the opposite end zone.

Frenzy. Fireworks.

Without it, where might Missouri be today?

Down go the Vols

DeAndre Gholston did it again.

The Missouri men’s basketball guard had already hit a buzzer-beating, walk-off 3 for the Tigers in December 2022.

The second time was even better.

The Tigers walked into Knoxville against then-No. 5-ranked Tennessee down two points with four seconds remaining. UT’s Santiago Vescovi missed a free throw, Missouri got the ball into Gholston’s hands, he hurled it up, the buzzer sounded … and down it went, and down went the Vols, 86-85.

There were a million magnificent moments in Dennis Gates’ debut campaign, including the Tigers’ first NCAA Tournament win since 2010 and their first SEC Tournament semifinals appearance. Kobe Brown played his way into a first-round NBA Draft selection.

But the Gholston hail mary encapsulated everything we loved about the turnaround. It was unexpected as much a sign that Missouri’s misfortunes weren’t endemic or everlasting.

The 2023-24 season has been a disappointing sequel to Gates’ tenure. But what made 2022-23 great is still hanging in the air. The Tigers are recruiting at unheard-of heights. And there’s still — despite the product and because of the potential for more Gates-inspired magic — the lingering feeling that this year isn’t over just yet.

O’Toole’s title

Mizzou wrestling coach Brian Smith, like just about every year, added another conference title to the trophy cabinet.

But the highlight of the team’s calendar came from Keegan O’Toole, who went back-to-back as a national champion.

The Hartland, Wisconsin, native took down Iowa State’s David Carr in the 165-pound title bout on March 18 to become the third Tiger behind Ben Askren and J’Den Cox to win multiple national titles.

Oh, and the junior claimed the U23 World Championship in Albania in October.

He’s back for more this season, and is undefeated through nine duals to carry the No. 1 ranking in the nation.

Perfect 10

Suni Lee was in town for Auburn Gymnastics. Surely that was what made the headlines?

Wrong.

Mizzou gymnastics’ Jocelyn Moore recorded just the third perfect score in program history, putting together a 10 out of 10 vault performance, and then No. 16-ranked MU defeated No. 5 Auburn on Feb. 19 in the Hearnes Center.

Missouri’s 197.450 score for the meet was the fourth-best in team history.

Moore joined rarified air, as only Lauren Schwartzman (2004) had ever recorded a 10 for MU.

Kobe Brown goes to The Show

For the first time since 2018, Missouri basketball had a player selected in the first round of an NBA Draft. There wasn't a more deserving player.

After an All-SEC season that led MU basketball back to relevance, Kobe Brown was selected with the 30th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers.

That marked the first Tiger drafted since Michael Porter Jr. went 14th overall to the Denver Nuggets in 2018.

This capped one of the best seasons for a MU player.

Brown was the only player in the country to make 55 percent of his field goals and 40 percent of his 3-pointers. He averaged 15.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game in his final season at Missouri after deciding to come back and play for Dennis Gates in Gates' inaugural season in Columbia.

Five stars out of five

Not all of Missouri’s best sports moments came on the field, court or mat.

In July, the state passed a novel name, image and likeness law — House Bill 417 — that allows in-state high school athletes to profit from endorsements essentially as soon as they verbally commit to their chosen school.

The caveat: Only if the athlete commits to a Missouri institution.

The bill was spearheaded by Missouri athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois, football coach Eli Drinkwitz and men’s and women’s basketball coaches Dennis Gates and Robin Pingeton, respectively.

And the benefits were felt almost immediately.

Williams Nwaneri, a five-star edge rusher out of Lee’s Summit and a consensus top-five recruit in the Class of 2024, chose Mizzou football over former frontrunner Oklahoma in August.

The law is likely to give Missouri teams the upper hand in recruiting inside Missouri’s border. The law also allows coaches to facilitate deals for prospective athletes.

Cotton Bowl Champions

Of course, save the most impactful for last.

Before the game, a reporter called them "The Big Three" in the lead-up to the game. And boy, did the St. Louis trio prove that nickname right.

When Missouri seemed down and out in Dallas, it turned to running back Cody Schrader, quarterback Brady Cook and wide receiver Luther Burden III. They delivered for Missouri.

No. 9 Mizzou, at the end of its spellbinding season, is the Cotton Bowl champion.

The Tigers claimed the New Year’s Six Bowl win with a 14-3 victory over No. 7 Ohio State on Dec. 29 in AT&T Stadium to finish a magical 2023 season 11-2 and an assured top-10 ranking in the final polls.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Here are the Mizzou sports stories that shaped 2023