Hear the Roar!: The Resurgence of Mizzou Football

In 2007, it had been nearly fifty years since Mizzou's football program was ranked number one in the country and in contention for college football's national championship. But over the next two seasons, fans who bleed black and gold watched first in amazement and then in delight as the Tigers surged back, racking up a number-one ranking, a Heisman Trophy finalist, three all-Americans, and a pair of bowl victories. The 2007 and 2008 Tigers proved nothing short of unforgettable. This large-format book combines stirring recaps of games with exciting gridiron photos to offer a breathtaking look back at the 2007 and 2008 Missouri seasons. Hear the Roar preserves those memories, recapturing the crucial plays that led to two Big 12 North titles and victories in the Cotton and Alamo bowls. Tracing both seasons game by game, Darin Wernig brings back the decisive action and the Tigers who played pivotal roles, and he includes memorable quotes from both players and coaches to make each contest as vivid as if it had just been played yesterday. He also provides a retrospective of Missouri football history that takes readers from the 1890s up to the start of the 2007 season--and to the brink of greatness. In 2007, Mizzou's spread offense was one of the most explosive in the country, averaging nearly forty points per game and enabling the team to climb the polls, peaking at number one before the Big 12 title game and finishing the season in the top five. The 2008 season began with aspirations of playing for a national championship. While the Tigers fell short of that goal, they still managed to give fans a thrilling ride. Here are not only the games that mattered but also the players whose displays of prowess left their marks on the Tiger program, from Jeremy Maclin's eye-popping kick returns to Chase Daniel's precision passing to Chase Coffman's astonishing performances at tight end.These seasons were among the best in Mizzou football's history, and without a doubt the most memorable in recent years. Hear the Roar is a memento for the more than sixty thousand fans per game who witnessed those tremendous seasons. It's the most comprehensive account available on those momentous games and a book to be treasured for years to come.

Darin Wernig is a sports reporter who lives in St. Louis, Missouri.