Tigers complete draft trifecta
Missouri athletes were taken in first round of the NFL, MLB and NBA drafts.
Published July 7, 2009
A banner year for Missouri athletics was capped by a little bit of history.
When DeMarre Carroll was selected by the Memphis Grizzlies as the 27th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Tigers earned the distinction of having a player selected in the first round of the NBA, NFL and MLB drafts.
Carroll rounds out a diverse group of draftees, including baseball players Aaron Crow and Kyle Gibson and football players Jeremy Maclin and Ziggy Hood.
This marks the first time Missouri has accomplished this feat -- one matched only twice before in Big 12 history.
"Obviously, we're very proud of this distinction," athletics department spokesman Chad Moller said. "(We) feel that it reflects on the great leadership and abilities of our coaches in those sports, and it also directly correlates to the work ethic and determination of our student-athletes who were selected."
Moller said even though these players come from different sports, one thing they do have in common is the hard work they put in to get them to where they are today.
The most highly touted recruit of the bunch was Maclin, and even he had to work his way up from the No. 24-rated receiver in his class.
"I think they represent exactly the 'brand' of Mizzou Athletics," Moller said. "That of a hard-working, blue-collar group of coaches and student athletes who might not be flashy but work their tails off and keep coming at you."
Moller said even though these players are leaving the university, the impact they had will be long lasting.
"Being able to show potential recruits that they can come here and improve themselves and learn the things they need to learn to move onto the next level athletically is very important," Moller said.