Right, 2007 Mizzou football. Man, that takes me back. I was around Columbia then, not exactly a student anymore, kinda figuring things out, working a dead-end job. You couldn’t ignore the football scene that fall, it was electric. Everyone was losing their minds, especially as the wins piled up.
I remember the buzz. Faurot Field was rocking. People painted gold. Chanting M-I-Z everywhere. It felt like the whole town was holding its breath, waiting for that next big win. Chase Daniel, Jeremy Maclin, all those guys became legends overnight it seemed.
My Own Game Plan Back Then
But here’s the thing, while everyone else was wrapped up in the undefeated streak and the number 1 ranking talk, my own life felt like it was stuck in neutral, maybe even reverse. I was working nights at this dingy call center on the edge of town. Terrible hours, worse pay. While my friends were tailgating, I was usually trying to catch some sleep before dealing with angry customers all night.
It was a weird contrast. The whole city was celebrating, full of hope and excitement about the team. Me? I was just trying to make rent, figure out what the heck I was doing with my life. Felt completely disconnected from all that joy sometimes.
- Dealing with headset hair and grumpy callers.
- Eating gas station food for dinner.
- Watching game highlights later, feeling miles away from the actual energy.
I remember the Border War game against Kansas. That was peak insanity. Arrowhead Stadium. Number 2 vs Number 3, or whatever it was. Huge deal. I actually had that night off, surprisingly. A buddy dragged me to a packed watch party. The place went absolutely nuts when Mizzou won. And yeah, it was cool, I felt it for a bit. That collective joy is infectious, you know?
The Aftermath
Then came the Big 12 Championship game against Oklahoma. Watched that one too. And poof, the dream kinda died. The air went out of the balloon for the whole state, felt like. People were just gutted.
For me, though? Life just went on. The football hype faded, the cold weather really set in, and I was still at that same crappy job. It didn’t magically fix my problems that Mizzou had a great season. But looking back, that whole fall, that contrast between the city’s excitement and my own grind… it definitely lit a fire under me. Seeing that kind of collective drive, even for football, made me realize I needed to make some changes. Couldn’t stay stuck.
Took a few more months, but I eventually quit that call center job. Went back to school part-time, started figuring out a real career path. It wasn’t overnight, and it wasn’t easy. But yeah, thinking about the roar of the crowd back in ’07 reminds me of that turning point. Sometimes you need to see everyone else chasing a big goal to realize you need one of your own.
