This weekend, the Tigers take on the University of Texas Longhorns at home for a Top-20 matchup in Memorial Stadium. These teams have a long history of competition, including a trip 130 years ago that has the dual distinction of being 1) the first college football game played in Mexico and 2) a precursor to the modern bowl game. 

After finishing the official 1896 season in Texas, including a 10-0 win over the Longhorns, Mizzou and UT agreed to a series of games in Monterrey and Mexico City as part of a cross-border journey stretching from December 23 through New Year’s Day. The Tigers reportedly received a personal invite from Mexico’s then-president, but not the permission of university administration back in Columbia, Missouri, leading some to call them the “runaway” team. I would have provided permission and probably would have joined the team.

Mizzou came out on top in the series, counting two wins that secured the team’s legendary status. Among the earliest events of its kind, a 1979 issue of the Sporting News called the series “the first post-season, holiday-week, neutral-site football games.”

We look forward to adding another historic win against Texas this weekend. To learn more about the Mexico series, check a recent article from ESPN.

— Mun