LISTEN LIVE
Trending Now
MO State HS Sports

Mizzou Morning Matters

KTGR

092223_Mizzou Morning Matters

COLUMBIA, Mo. — We’re tipping off this week’s newsletter with a few words on one of our favorite people in the world of Mizzou Athletics. Men’s basketball assistant coach David “Dickey” Nutt announced Thursday that he’s been diagnosed with cancer and will step away from the team while he undergoes treatment. Coach Nutt traveled to Nashville with the team for Saturday’s game at Vanderbilt and will begin treatment in Columbia next week.

The veteran coach is treasured around the program — and all of Mizzou Athletics — and his diagnosis hit hard this week. If you noticed, a number of his players, former players and colleagues posted the same emoji in response to Coach Nutt’s news Thursday. And in that emoji  — a hand with the pinky, index finger and thumb raised  — you can learn a lot about Coach Nutt’s story and his impact on those around him.

It’s American Sign Language sign for “I love you.”

There’s more to the story. Coach Nutt’s father, Houston Nutt Sr., was raised in a house of nine and was the only one with the ability to hear. His parents and six siblings were hearing impaired. After college, Houston Sr. taught at Arkansas School for the Deaf and worked there for more than 30 years. Houston Sr. had four sons and taught each one of them sign language, including David. We know him as Dickey.

Since they’ve worked together at three different stops, Nutt and Tigers coach Dennis Gates have used sign language with their players — on and off the court.

“And we teach them the sign for ‘I love you,'” Nutt told me last year. “So every time we’re on a Zoom or we’re 20 yards away from each other, our players we’ll shoot (Gates) and all or coaches that sign. Our guys, they love it.”

And they love their coach. Get well soon, Coach Nutt. Tiger Nation has got your back.

TIGERS SHINE AT SENIOR BOWL

We promise this has not become a weekly Darius Robinson appreciation newsletter, but the former Mizzou defensive lineman has put on a show at the Senior Bowl practices this week in Mobile, Alabama. By all accounts, the two-time team captain and All-SEC defensive end has wowed observers in drills all week leading up to Saturday’s game.

Jim Nagy, Senior Bowl executive director, had this to say on X: “Buy stock in Mizzou’s Darius Robinson immediately. If I shared the player comp one of his American squad coaches gave me last night, it would change a lot of these first round mocks you’re seeing right now.  And that’s just after Practice Day 1.”

Former Mizzou teammate Ennis Rakestraw Jr. has also been projected as a first-round prospect. The last time Mizzou had multiple first-rounders in the same draft? Try 2011. (Sounds like a trivia question, right?)

Here’s a look at Darius’ 1-on-1 pass rush drills from Mobile.

Mizzou running back Cody Schrader, offensive tackle Javon Foster and cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine are also competing at the Senior Bowl. Rakestraw and linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper, both of whom missed games late in the year with injuries, are not playing in Saturday’s game. The game kicks off at noon CT on NFL Network.

MIZZOU STORYTELLERS

In this week’s episode of “Mizzou Storytellers,” Nikki Barry and I visit with Mizzou softball coach Larissa Anderson. We discuss her childhood in Lake George, New York, and how her parents’ restaurant business shaped her work ethic. Larissa shares stories of her early passion as a competitive skier, how she later fell in love with the sport of softball, explored becoming a physical therapist and how it led to her coaching career. Larissa talks about her 17-year run on the coaching staff at Hofstra University and how that experience guided her to a fresh start at Mizzou in 2018. Larissa recalls the challenges during those early transition years and that memorable day in 2021 when her program’s postseason series welcomed fans out of the pandemic and back to live sporting events. Larissa also discusses her husband, Patrick, and how they’ve navigated their marriage around their coaching careers in softball and baseball.We wrap up the episode with some storytelling about my childhood that sends Nikki into spasms of laughter at my expense. 

You can listen on your podcast home of choice or watch the video edition below:

Apple http://apple.co/49CNi1B

Spotify http://spoti.fi/42oSYcS

Amazon http://amzn.to/3upZm75 

TIGER TRIVIA

Q: Multiple Mizzou players have been selected in the first round of the same NFL draft three times. Name the years and players.

MORE RECORDS FALLING

Hopefully you were among the 7,000 plus at last Friday’s gymnastics showdown against LSU and were part of the historic crowd for the Tigers’ victory. The 7,336 fans on hand set the program’s dual-meet attendance record. MU, holding strong at No. 9 in the national rankings, has won five of its last six SEC dual meets. Some more history is on the line Saturday: Graduate student Sienna Schreiber has totaled 1,963.275 points in meets during her college career, third-most in team history. One more routine and she’ll pass former Mizzou great Adrianne Perry (3.975 behind) and by the end of Saturday’s Texas Women’s Meet in Denton, Texas, she’ll likely pass all-time leader Mary Burke (25.3).

Gymnastics vs. LSU

LOOKING AHEAD

Friday, Feb. 2

Track & Field at DeLoss Dodds Invitational (Manhattan, Kansas)

Swimming & Diving, Tiger Qualifier, 10 a.m.

Tennis at Liberty, Noon (Lynchburg, Virginia)

Saturday, Feb. 3

Track & Field at DeLoss Dodds Invitational (Manhattan, Kansas)

Tennis at James Madison, 9 a.m. (Harrisonburg, Virginia)

Men’s Basketball at Vanderbilt, 2:30 p.m. SEC Network (Nashville, Tennessee)

Tennis at Radford, 5 p.m. (Radford, Virginia)

Gymnastics at Texas Woman’s, 6 p.m. (Denton, Texas)

Sunday, Feb. 4

Wrestling vs Oklahoma State, 1 p.m., Flo Wrestling

Women’s Basketball at Tennessee, 1 p.m., SEC Network+ (Knoxville, Tennessee)

Wednesday, Feb. 7

Men’s Basketball vs Texas A&M, 8 p.m. ESPN2

Thursday, Feb. 8

Women’s Basketball at South Carolina, 6 p.m., SEC Network (Columbia, South Carolina)

TIGER TRIVIA

A: 2011: Aldon Smith (No. 7, San Francisco) and Blaine Gabbert (No. 10, Jacksonville)

2009: Jeremy Maclin (No. 19, Philadelphia) and Ziggy Hood (No. 32, Pittsburgh)

1977: Morris Towns (No. 11, Houston) and Steve Pisarkiewicz (No. 19, St. Louis)

LINKS TO CLICK

Those interested in learning how to support Mizzou Athletics can contact the Tiger Scholarship Fund Office at 573-882-0704 and visit www.tsfmizzou.com.

For all the latest information on Mizzou Athletics, please visit MUTigers.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Tigers on X, Instagram and Facebook. 

This article is provided by University of Missouri Athletics
© Copyright 2024, KTGR, All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy | Public File | Contest Rules | FCC Applications | Site by Zimmer Communications
Zimmer Communications is an equal opportunity employer.