University of Missouri Athletics

A native of Mexico, Missouri, Tom Botts coached track and field at MU from 1947 to 1972. Under his direction, MU won the 1965 NCAA Indoor Track Championship, one of only two national titles in the school’s history. His teams also won eight conference championships – four indoors (1947-48-64-65) and four outdoors (1947-48-49-51). He coached 48 individual conference indoor champions, 48 individual conference outdoor champions, five individual national champions, two U.S. Olympians and 23 all-Americans. Botts was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1977, the Drake Relays Hall of Fame in 1979, and the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1983.