DR. MICHAEL KNIGH T MARCHING MIZZOU DIRECTOR
In 1957, Charles Emmons, the director of the band, added sparkle to Marching Mizzou by founding the now-famous Golden Girls, a twirling line of six to eight majorettes and two feature twirlers. The group first danced in 1966, when then-di-rector Dr. Alex Pickard had the girls throw down their batons and do the "Charleston." In 1970, the twirling line officially became the gold-sequined, high-kicking dance line that it is today.
The Golden Girls won the national championship in the pom-dance category in 1991, 1992 and 2003. Their 1991 title netted them a trip to Japan, where they performed at the Japan Classic Basketball All-Star series.
Shannon Fry, the head coach of the Golden Girls, was a Golden Girl at Mizzou from 1990-94 and was a four-time collegiate all-American. She competed on both the 1991 and ' 92 national champion squads, and is now in her 10th season leading the Golden Girls.
The University of Missouri Cheerleaders are an important part of the spirit and atmosphere at Mizzou. They made their first appearance in the 1909-1910 school year with an all-male squad called the "Yell Lead-ers." The squad is now comprised of three squads, a Small Co-ed Squad for Foot-ball/Men’s Basketball, a Small Co-ed Squad for Football/Women’s Basketball and an All-Girl Squad for Volleyball.
Suzy Thompson has served as Mizzou's cheerleader
coach since April 1993 and the Mascot Coordinator since 2003. She coached the '96- ' 97 squad to Mizzou's first national cheerleading championship in April 1997. In addition, both the All girls and Coed squads have placed in the Top 10 at the National Cheerleaders Association College Nationals the past 6 years. Not to mention that the Mizzou Mascot, Truman, won the Mascot National Championship in 2003!
The nickname “Tigers,” given to Mizzou’s athletic teams, traces its origin to the Civil War period. At that time, plundering guerilla bands habitually raided small towns, and Columbia people constantly feared an attack. Such organizations as temporary “home guards” and vigilance companies banded together to fight off any possible forays. Quickly organized was an armed guard of Columbia citizens, who built a blockhouse and fortified the old courthouse in the center of town to fight off a particular feared charge by a notorious group of invaders. This company was called “The Missouri Tigers,” and their rep-
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utation spread so quickly that the band of intruders never came to Columbia.
Their spirit is now embodied in the MU mascot -- “Truman the Tiger,” named for the Missouri-bred President of the United States -- Harry S. Truman.
Truman has been acclaimed “Best Mascot in the Nation” in national competition three times in recent years, most recently winning the title in 2004.
Saturday football games in Columbia, Mo. are filled with excitement and pageantry, and Missouri’s famous marching band -- Marching Mizzou -- is a major part of the spirit that is synonymous with big-time college football.
The 2007 season marks the 122nd anniversary of the band, placing it among the oldest collegiate marching bands in the nation. Over the past century, great traditions have been developed and serve as a foundation for the band, yet Marching Mizzou continues to be on the “cutting edge” of college sports entertainment with new and innovative techniques.
Marching Mizzou is under the direction of Dr. Michael Knight, a graduate of Mizzou.
The 2007 drum majors are Bryan Ko-erner, Chris Barchesky and Nate Edwards.
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