As a sportswriter and avid college football fan, one of my greatest experiences in the field was watching coach Gary Pinkel's Missouri football team win back-to-back SEC East championships in 2013 and 2014.
Although Missouri lost both years, the memories are etched in my head and heart as big winners. So much fun. Mizzou said hello to the SEC, and it was so much fun. Missouri went 23-5 over both campaigns, and the 2013 team finished No. 5 nationally in the end-of-season rankings.
That wasn't the only inspiration for Mizzou's program under Pinkel. The Hall of Fame coach brought a dormant Mizzou program back to life. And how.
We will never forget the 2007 and 2008 teams, led by quarterback Chase Daniel, with an offense that averaged 41 points per game in both seasons.
The Tigers went 22-6 over those two years. The up-and-coming and entertaining 2007 team—the Tigers on the Loose!—was ranked No. 1 nationally after beating Kansas in a scintillating game in Kansas City late in the season. They then beat Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl and finished No. 4 nationally in the final rankings.
In 2007 and 2008… and again in 2013 and 2014… I had similar feelings, thoughts and wishes.
This is what Missouri football can be.
See, there is hope.
This Mizzou program still needs work but can be something special.
MU fans, young and old, deserve it.
Of course, the good mood didn't last for Truman the Tiger and the Missouri faithful. The good times didn't last. Title aspirations were dashed. Back to mediocrity, or settle for winning seasons and a trip to a third-division game.
Getting that close under Pinkel — not once, but twice — made the disappointment colder and harsher when MU returned to reality … returned to its rightful place in the college football hierarchy.
Well, remember the good times.
Sustained success remained a challenge, a burden and a source of frustration, even an inability to achieve it… if not an impossibility.
And here came the traveling salesman and evangelist with the fast-talking, catchy speech. This boisterous football preacher had an unusual name: Elijah Drinkwitz. He was a character in a tent revival show in the South.
Coach Drink had a program to present and dreams to sell, and he never stopped pushing or shouting in his relentless mission to get everyone to believe in his program’s potential. We didn’t know if he was selling snake oil or a fake miracle elixir. Was this curious soul a proselytizer or a propagandist?
Many of us—myself included—were unsure whether this crusader would survive a program that had ended or ruined too many promising careers. Coach Drink was 17-19 after his first three seasons at CoMo, but one thing was for sure: This crusader wasn't going away quietly.
Either way, the decisive 2023 season will be a fascinating adventure.
It reminds me of a quote from Abraham Lincoln that I read in a book of his poems: “When I hear a man preach, I like to see him act as if he were fighting bees.”
Fight the bees. Take the stings. Walk and talk where he wants to go. Remove obstacles. He will recruit your players. He will not back down. Nothing will stop him. Fight the bees, earn respect for your determination, wear down the doubters, make them see the light. And let him have an audience with the recruits he covets. That is the Mizzou coach.
The 2023 season showcased all the skills that make Coach Drink the ideal leader in this chaotic, flashy, cutthroat, circus-like era of college football. An ambitious program needs an ambitious messenger who knows how to sell, sell, sell.
Present it to the politicians in Jefferson City and they will pass a law that will give Mizzou a competitive edge in the NIL race for the best players available. If the Missouri institution needs more money, Coach will make a few calls to Jeff City and get the financial support the university needs.
Take this coach to the revolving doors of the transfer portal and watch as he works his magic and convinces skeptical and forfeit recruits that their dreams and his dreams can be a shared dream.
How's this money sucking? What do I have to do to get this recruit to St. Louis? Come on, come on, come on. I'm not sure, but I think it's actually possible that Drinkwitz is in two places at once. And if he doesn't sleep. Ever.
Since I'm using quotes here – and I'm also a Navy football fan – I'll pass along these words from legendary naval officer John Paul Jones:
“I do not wish to have any connection with a ship that does not sail fast, because I intend to expose myself to danger.”
Drinkwitz has that mindset. Just tell him he can't do anything. Tell him he's outmatched in the SEC. Tell him he can't run with the big dogs. Tell him he can't convince MU's administration to be his offensive line, opening holes in the defensive front that have brought down too many Mizzou coaches.
Tell him he can’t recruit the best players in the state, or beat the established coaching elites to lure talent from the transfer portal. Tell him he can’t create a strong football-family culture, and he’ll do it faster than anyone thought. And he can. Heck, the evangelical coach has even managed to unite the MU board of directors. Hey, team! Let’s win! I’m your coach! We’re all one family!
Drinkwitz, you see, is intent on going, at the risk of his life, to places no Mizzou football coach could ever reach. When the administration says no, he makes them say yes. He insists. If he wins, he won't be fired. If he loses, then maybe his burning ambition will wear him out…and put him out of work.
But this coach is betting on himself. So it's about winning and combining an improved squad with an improved culture to do that.
And for the love of Dan Devine, Drink went out there, into SEC territory, and made his move in 2023.
Eleven fucking victories.
Eliminate the Ohio State pump.
Mizzou had been ranked No. 8 nationally as the season went into history.
Recruits? On the way.
ZERO treasure? It's verified.
Transfer portal? It has VIP status.
Jefferson City? In his group.
Mizzou administration? Purrs.
And now…
Reading from the book of Eli.
The movie.
Solara: You know, you say you've been walking for thirty years, right?
Eli: Isn't it?
Solara: Have you ever thought that maybe you were lost?
Eli: No.
Solara: Well, how do you know you're walking in the right direction?
Eli: I walk by faith, not by sight.
Solara: What does that mean?
Eli: It means you know something even if you don't know something.
The other Eli—Drinkwitz—knew something.
And he found that little something special in 2023.
Mizzou kicks off its 2024 season in a few hours with a home game against Murray State — no “Mitch and Murray” connection — and college football is back.
Missouri is gunning for a spot in the 12-team national playoffs. It could get there with nine wins, but 10 is a much safer bet. This team has questions, but that applies to almost every team in the country. But Coach Drink appears to have his young men on track to post their first consecutive 10-win season since 1968-69. The Tigers are back in the hunt, trying to regenerate their sustained success.
It’s an exciting time for the Mizzou program and its fans. But let’s face it: It’s also an anxious time. The pressure is on the Tigers. The coach and his team can’t have another flop after an 11-win season. Missouri can’t go back to the days when high expectations led to a painful fall. Missouri caught some opponents off guard in 2023, but that won’t happen in 2024.
That gold “M” is circled on the calendar. Every Mizzou coach is eager to get Missouri back to the more familiar 7-5 or 6-6 space. They want to silence Mizzou’s yapping coach and slow MU’s momentum. They want to slow the pace of this arrogant but historically underachieving program that thinks a big season puts them on par with Bama, LSU and Georgia. What nerve these people have!
Sure, that pressure to take on these tougher challenges could bring out the best in Mizzou. It certainly could. On the other hand, failure under pressure could lead to a loss of confidence, and close wins could slip away and become close losses. And that's when words like “fraud” will be thrown at MU. This is high-stakes football.
I happen to believe in Mizzou. The Bees are here, but Drinkwitz is willing to put himself in harm's way. It's an exciting but dangerous time for the coach, his players and the fantasies of the Mizzou family.
Thanks for reading…
– Bernie
Inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2023, Bernie has provided insightful opinions and perspectives on St. Louis sports through his columns, radio shows and podcasts since 1985.
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Statistics used in my baseball columns come from FanGraphs, Baseball Reference, Statcast, StatHead, Baseball Savant, Baseball Prospectus, Brooks Baseball Net, and Sports Info Solutions unless otherwise noted.
Bernie Miklasz
For the past 36 years, Bernie Miklasz has entertained, enlightened and connected with generations of St. Louis sports fans.
Although best known for his voice as the Post-Dispatch's lead sports columnist for 26 years, Bernie has also written for The Athletic, Dallas Morning News and Baltimore News American. Inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2023, Bernie has hosted radio shows in St. Louis, Dallas, Baltimore and Washington D.C.
Bernie, his wife Kirsten, and their cats reside in the Skinker-DeBaliviere neighborhood of St. Louis.
