Thanks to Congress, Mizzou football claims its first national title — 66 years later

College football’s long, strange history of claiming national championships now includes Missouri, which will recognize its 1960 team as a national champion following a recent U.S. Senate resolution. It marks the first national title claim in Missouri football history.

“The 1960 team has an important place in Mizzou history, and after reviewing the historical record, we believe it is appropriate to honor that team as national champions,” athletic director Laird Veatch said in a release.

This claim is particularly unusual. Earlier this month, Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) introduced S. Res. 833, recognizing Missouri’s claim to the title 66 years after the fact. It was quickly adopted without objection, as such recognitions are just honorary, and senators have more important things going on, including trying and failing thus far to pass a real college sports bill.

Schmitt’s involvement was partly a rivalry jab. Missouri went 10-1 that season, featuring a loss to Kansas in the regular-season finale. But KU was later determined to have used an ineligible player. The Big 8 stripped Kansas of the league title and ruled its final two games as forfeits, technically putting Missouri at 11-0 after a bowl win, though the NCAA did not recognize it as a Missouri win.

The Poling System, a mathematical formula used from 1924-84 and recognized by the NCAA as a historical championship selector, rated Missouri at No. 1. While the school claims the win over Kansas, it hadn’t claimed the national title. Minnesota and Ole Miss are considered the co-national champions that year based on pre-bowl polls, but Washington and Iowa also claim shares. Washington beat Minnesota in the Rose Bowl and finished No. 1 in the Helms rankings, while Iowa finished No. 1 in another official formula, but had lost to Minnesota. Now, five teams claim the 1960 title.

The Senate went into recess in early August and does not return until Sept. 14, three days after Missouri and Kansas face off in Lawrence this season, hence the timing of Schmitt’s resolution.

“A championship obtained by cheating is not a championship at all,” Schmitt said on the Senate floor. “The people of Kansas have spent more than six decades trying to turn a blatant penalty into a moral victory. But the truth is harder to bear, and facts are stubborn things. Missouri finished 11-0, reminding the conference and the American populace that cheaters never truly win.”

Missouri will honor the 1960 team during halftime of the Sept. 19 home game against Troy, which will also celebrate 100 years of Memorial Stadium.