20/in.,g,, Warren Powers doesn't believe in playing it braska. The Tigers finished second in the coy. In assessing the 1979 Mi ssouri Tigers. poll conducted by the Big Eight office. the second-year coach lays it right on the "Our ralent is as good as anybody's ... line. says Powers. who was named national ··we can win the Big Eight,'' says Powers. coach of che year by the prestigious Walter " It won't be a fluke. We won't be a dark­ Camp Foundation after direcling the Tigers horse contender. \\le're a bonafide con­ to an 8-4 record and Libertv Bowl win O\'er tender . LSU last year. "We\·e be~ n picked high, ·•1 ··our people think we should be con ­ and this is good. I'd rather be picked lo win tenders, and, after calking to people in the them all instead of to lose them a ll. conference and around the country, !hey ··The kids tasled a little bit of lhe thrill think the University of .Missouri could be of \·ictory last year, and they realized how one of the strong teams in the conference hard it was to attain ir. " and Jn the country based on whom we have That taste of \'ictory - the 20-16 Liberty comi ng back ... added Powers, whose team Bowl triumph - parallels the experience of returns 36 lettermen. 11 of whom were lhe last Missouri team to win the Big Eight s tarters. and play in the Orange Bowl, the 1969 Powers· optimism is shared by Tiger fans Tigers. Ten years ago. Missouri came off an ••• who are buying season's tickets at a rate 8-3 season - capped by a rousing 35-10 surpassing last year's record 45.114. And Gator Bowl victory over Alabama - and unless lhe gasoline shortage dictates other­ preceded to s hare lhe league title with Ne­ wise, walk-ins will assure Mizzou of anoth­ braska and earn the Ora nge Bowl berth op­ er record season in total a ttendance. Last posite Penn State. Not coincidentally, that year's per-game average was 65, 745. Re­ was the last vear Missouri h as beaten Okla- served seats for home games agains t homa. •1• Texas, Oklahoma and Nebraska (where Just a·s Teny McMillan was the key that else this year can th ere possibly be a better turned the tumblers for the ·69 team. junior home schedule than at Missouri?) are sold quarterback Phil Bradlev is the source for out, and only a smattering of tickets re­ mains for the September 8 opener agains t San Diego State a nd October dates with 1111 Oklahoma State and Kansas State. After th e~ seaso n? Most fans are expect­ l•ndllall ing a bowl gam e. Some already h ave booked New Year 's reservations in Miami. Football isn't the only SJX>rt for which big And with the new ticket policy requiring things are expected at Mizzou. The Tiger donations for prime seats now in force, the basketball team probably will be the favorites to win the Big Eight and could be ranked timin g couldn't be better for a banner nationally in the pre-season polls. This season. enthusiasm largely is due to Coach Norm llli Mi ssouri's football program carries a Stewart's recruiting coup in landing superstars heavy financial burden. Anticipated foot­ Steve Stipanovich. a 6-11 center from ball revenu e of S3.2 million c omprises St. Louis. and Jon Sundvold, a 6-2 guard from nea rly h alf of the S6.6 million budget for Blue Springs. Also eligible will be Ricky men's and women's athletics, and no doubt Frazier. who transferred from St. Louis U .. the fan-contributors will expect a reward where he was the Metro Conference freshman for lheir gen erosity. of the year in -1977-78. And Mizzou • returns all but two players from the 1978-79 Such factors have increased the pres­ squad that fin ished second in the league. sure on Mizzou's football team tremen­ Stipanovich underwent knee surgery earlier dously, but Powers thinks his Tigers can this summer. but is reportedly making an deliver. So do the pollsters. excellent recovery. Nearly every preseason forecast lists Missouri in the Top 20, with one poll pick­ ing the Tigers seventh in the n ation. How­ ever, that same poll lists Mizzou third in the Big Eight - behind Oklahoma and N e - nol only Orange Bowl talk in '79 but By Randy Covitz Heisma n Trophy honors by next season. As a sophomore. Bradley led the Big Eight in total offense and passing while directing Mizzou to its second most produc­ tive scoring and total offense output of all-time. H is passing percentage of 60.2 Mizzou Review, a 96-page. leather-bound was the nation's third-best mark. However, book covering the 1978-79 seasons for all 16 Bra dley bypassed spring football in favor of Tiger SJX>rts. men's and women's, is being offered by the athletic department baseball, where h e hit .314 as Missouri"s The book, available for $10 plus S.50 rightfielder, and there is some concern JX>Stage, includes full-color action shots. about wha t effect lhis will have, particu­ statistics. and team records. To order. larly since his three top receivers of a year send check or money order for full payment ago are gone. to Mizzou Review. P.O . Box 675, Columbia, "Bradlev·s missing spring football hurt f..1o .• 65211 . a t times. -but h e can compensate in the Missouri Network Jnc. will handle both the fall, .. said Powers. " He is a hard-working, taped TV delay and the live radio broadcasts dedicated young man who works a t his of all Missouri football games this fall. KSD skills. He's a proven quarterback who has St. Louis will be the flagship station for the been in hea ted battles. He has won: he has telecasts with Ron Jacober handling the lost. He has faced it all, and he's just a play-by-play and Jim Bakken. the color. KMOX St. Louis wi ll originate the broadcasts jun ior... with the team of Dan Kelley and Bill Wilkerson With Bradley unavailable a nd last year·s again behind the mikes. understud y. J ay Jeffrey. transferring to A good possibility exists that the Tigers· Baylor. Powers hoped to use the spring to game with Mississippi on Sept. 22 at Jackson develop an adequate backup quarterback. will be telecast by ABC as an NCAA regional Ilut senior Paul Miller suffered a knee in­ Gerry Ellis dives contest. If so. the game at Jackson will be jury that required surgery. Sophomore for gain against Oklahoma. moved from nighttime to afternoon. Mike H yde received most of the spring Photo by Rich Clarkson. work, and he. a long with Miller and a pair mz,g,,/21 of transfers, Keith Pappas and Dan Mc­ in the Big Eight." The important noseguard whenever Missouri goes to Colorado. Daniel, will battle it out for the role of un­ post is also being bolstered by switching " I don't look at the schedule as a whole," derstudy to Bradley. Jeff Gaylord from linebacker and Jerome says Powers. "You only play one game on The situation is a little reminiscent of the Sally from defensive e nd. Saturday, and you better work on that one. 1977 pre-season when much of the key to a Although linebackers Chris Garlich and My job is to make sure we're ready to play banner season hinged on whether or not Billy Bess h ave graduated, Eric Berg- the every week." Pete Woods stayed healthy. He didn't, going outstanding defensive player in the Liberry This mid-August, the second-year Tiger down in the opening game. Inexperienced Bowl - returns. Lester Dickey is the lead­ coach began getting his charges ready for freshman Bradley was called upon to fill ing contender for the other spol. their first Saturday. Awaiting the 90-plus the breach. but the Tigers could never real­ In the secondary, Powers calls leftcorner­ scholarship players and hopeful walk-ans ly get it together again. The hope in 1979. back Jonnie Poe and free safety Eric Wright was a new $1.2 million renovation of and of course, is that Bradley will stay as dura­ '·as good as I've coached," and they're only a ddition to the old dressing room. The im­ ble as he has been his first two seasons. juniors. Another junior, Bill \Vhitaker, wlll provement is being financed through a If Bradley indeed becomes a legitimate play right cornerback if he is sufficiently priva te fund-raising campaign. Heisma n candidate this year or next, some recovered from back surgery. Kevin Potter, " It's as nice as any football facility on the of his chief competition could come from a red-shirted freshman , will start at strong college or pro level," says John Daggett, within his own backfield in the form of6-2, safety. s upervisor of athletic equipment and field s. 215-pound junior James Wilder, who Aga in, Jeff Brockhaus will h andle the Loca ted next to the practice fields, the rushed for 873 yards and 12 touchdowns Tigers' kicking and punting duties building is divided into two sections. In the last year and earned the MVP award in the although Powers would prefer to find an­ north part ( the renovated portion) a re Liberty Bowl.