Mizzou entered 1941 with maybe its fastest team of all time. The Tigers boasted a backfield of young stars like Bob Steuber, Harry Ice, and Maurice “Red” Wade and a blocker corps of fullback Bull Reece and one of the school’s best ever lines —future All-American and number retiree Darold Jenkins, all-conference guard Mike Fitzgerald and tackle Bob Jeffries were all stars. The Tigers’ freshman team had dominated in 1940 as well, and big things were expected of the sophomore class.
Don Faurot’s Tigers had everything they could possibly need to put together a big year, except for one thing: a passer.