I guess like many things in life, people (by people I mean Mizzou fans) seem to only remember and recall the really bad things that have happend to them (me included).  In this case I am talking about the stunning defeats…5th down, flea kicker, Tyus Edney…

This post is intended to bring back what should be some of the fondest memories of any Tiger fan.  Yesterday was the 15th anniversary of the one of Norm Stewart’s most amazing wins.  In three overtimes the Tigers upset the No. 19 ranked Illini.  It wasn’t just that the Tigers were big underdogs and came out on top, it was the way they won, who helped them win and what this victory meant for the rest of the season. 

To truly appreciate this victory it is necessary to put it in the right perspective.  The Tigers started out the 1993-94 campaign with a frighteningly narrow 3 point victory over DII CMSU, followed by the infamous 120-68 loss at No. 2 Arkansas.  This was the loss that ultimately brought us Irishman Paul O’Liney:  

“I saw them on TV against Arkansas and I figured I could help. Then I decided around Christmas to come, a real last-minute decision.”

Most Tiger fans couldn’t have been more disappointed with the Tigers start.  Following the Fayetteville massacre, the Tigers rattled off four straight victories including narrowly escaping the likes of Coppin State and Jackson State at home.  Entering the Braggin Rights game the Tigers were 5-1 but no one expected the to fare well against the Illini. 

Regulation 

Midway through the second half the Tigers appeared to be in control of the game with a 13 point advantage.  But thanks to a 26-4 Illini run, the Tigers faced a 9 point deficit with less than two minutes left in regulation.  Thanks to a pair of three pointers by Mark Atkins (God knows he wasn’t afraid to throw them up) and Lamont Frazier (prior to the Rucker/Coffman era, my favorite Mizzou tight end of all time), the Tigers had closed the gap to 2 points.  With 17 seconds left Kiwane Garris hit one of two free throws to stretch the lead to three.  Frazier then hit a game tying three with 10 seconds left to tie it up and send the game to overtime. 

First Overtime 

Missouri trailed 86-81 with 43 seconds left in the first overtime, but was able to fight back to tie it at 88-88 with a Kelly Thames slam dunk with 9 seconds left.

Second Overtime

In what should be mentioned in the same breath as Fifthkickedney, came the most improbable thing I have ever seen happen in favor of a Missouri Tiger team.  Entering the game freshman guard Kiwane Garris had hit 24 consecutive free throws.  So with no time left and Garris looking at two free throws the game was over, right?  I can remember those two shots like it was yesterday.  I literally think it might be the only moment in my life as a Tiger fan where the truly unexpected occurred (you can’t say you didn’t expect the fifthkickedney). 

Third Overtime

By this time five Tigers had fouled out and we were getting to see our first real taste of the Tigers future.  Derek Grimm and Jason Sutherland saw the first significant action of their careers and it came deep in overtime in front of 18,000+ screaming fans.  They were up to the challenge.  Norm remarked:

“We were playing the sick and wounded.  The women and children would have come in next for us.”

Despite two Garris three pointers in the last 5 seconds, the Tigers were able to pull off an improbable 108-107 victory.

What Came Next

Following the game, Illini coach Lou Henson made this prescient comment about the Tigers:

“That’s exactly the way to describe that.  It is just like a Big Ten game because Missouri is always well-coached, they’re physical. The people in the Big Eight better not write ‘em off because they’re going to be right up there battling, in my opinion, the good ones for the championship.

Who will forget the remainder of the 1993-94 season…

Moral of the story?  Let’s not lose sight of the fact that sometimes good shit does happen to us.

Here is a link to a couple of articles on the game (couldn’t find good Star or Post Dispatch archives).