Iowa-Missouri football resumes after 100 years.

QUOTE from Napolean Bonaparte:

NOTHING IS MORE DIFFICULT, AND THEREFORE MORE PRECIOUS, THAN TO BE ABLE TO DECIDE.

TODAY IN HISTORY:
1944: During the World War II battle of the Bulge, U.S. Brigadier General Anthony C. McAuliffe rejected a German demand for surrender, writing "NUTS!" in his official reply.

LEARNING for today: My curiosity led me to learning something new today. Iowa was selected to play the Missouri in the INSIGHT BOWL in Tempe on December 28. When announced it was brought up that Iowa and Missouri had not played each other since 1910, exactly 100 years ago.
The first question for me was WHY? Over the last 100 years we have played all the other border states, so why not Missouri. I found my answer in the news letter I subscribe to called VOICE OF THE HAWKEYES. According to the article the answer appears to be RACISM.

Iowa and Missouri met 12 times between 1892 and 1910. When Iowa visited Columbia, Missouri, in 1896, its roster contained Frank Holbrook, an African-American. According to the book "75 Years with the Fighting Hawkeyes" by Bert McCrane, Missouri alumni asked Iowa coach A.E. Bull to leave Holbrook behind in Iowa City. Bull told Missouri there would be no game without Holbrook.

The IOWA CITY VIDETTE-REPORTER chronicled the game this way:

"When Missouri's team came on the field, they were heartily cheered with the Tigers' yell, followed by appeals from the rooters to individual players to 'kill the nigger'. There was hardly a man on Iowa's team who did not receive a cowardly blow from the Tigers. Several were hit while on the ground. One man received at least three blows from the fists of the Tigers. Not for ten seconds did one of Iowa's men forget himself or lose his temper. At all times they placed themselves near and about Holbrook."

Iowa won 12-0 and largely due to the incident did not play Missouri again until 1902. In 1910 Missouri officials requested Iowa not bring African-American player Archie Alexander to Columbia. Following the game, a
5-0 loss, Iowa coach Jesse Hawley suspended the series indefinitely.

It is amazing how much progress we have made in this country in the last 100 years in terms of race relations. Thank God for that.

(In the 1990s there was an effort to get a series going again with a four game home and home series but it fell apart when Missouri coach Gary Pinkel cancelled the contract saying he was rebuilding and he didn't want to play Iowa because they were too good.)"

HUMOR for today: "He couldn't ad-lib a fart after a baked-bean dinner." - Johnny Carson on Chevy Chase.