February 14, 2012

This year, five student-athletes, including basketball forward Laurence Bowers and football wide receiver T.J. Moe, joined the ranks of the Mizzou ’39, MU’s annual award representing the university’s founding year of 1839.

According to Mizzou ’39 selection committee chairman Wally Pfeffer, this is the highest total of athletes selected for the recognition he’s seen while judging six of the eight Mizzou ’39 classes, also including swimmer Michael Lopresti, baseball catcher Andreas Plackis and track sprinter Leslie Farmer.

For an athletics department that led the Big 12 Conference last academic year in six different sports in the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate review, this is further proof MU’s student athletes are encouraged to succeed off the field just as seriously as they are encouraged to succeed on the field. The selected athletes are not limited to football and basketball but come from five different sports, showing this isn’t purely about making our most-viewed players look good and ignoring the rest.

MU should be very glad to see our student athletes are concerned about awards that are not purely athletics-based. Whether you’re a sports fan or not, it is inarguable that MU athletes are often the most visible representatives of our university, and it is good our representatives also serve as positive role models. In athletics at both the collegiate and professional level, good role models can often be few and far between. A wealth of collegiate athletic programs focus solely on their measurable competitive success while failing to push their players to achieve in other areas.

Really, student-athletes on full-ride athletic scholarships could just skate by on their athletic abilities without worrying about anything but future prospects to play professionally. The fact our athletes work hard and give back to the community is indicative of what our university values.

The very same day Laurence Bowers tore his ACL and found out he couldn’t play basketball for the season, he went to read to local children at the Columbia Public Library. It’s no coincidence Bowers and Moe are also two of MU’s most popular athletes — for reasons beyond just what they offer on the field.

As indicated by their selection for the ’39 class of 2012, the athletes led their teams with positive sportsmanship, academic success and community leadership. Their examples will have positive effects on the teammates they captain and will encourage them to continue the tradition in the future.

More importantly, the selection of such student athletes who have made strides in competition, academics and community service should inspire the entire student body to be well-rounded individuals who work toward success in all aspects of student life.

When different components of the university promote success within each other’s fields, everyone benefits. The selection of so many athletes in a highly competitive applicant pool that has only increased in size the past few years is indicative of how MU is committed to matching its athletic success with its academic success, and hopefully our athletics department will continue to do so.