Sept. 20, 2003

Editor's Note: This feature ran in the Sept. 20 edition of the Mizzou football gameday program.

by Lauren Kennedy

Imagine being the tallest student in your class - possibly even the biggest. Imagine being so big that you were not allowed to play football. As unlikely as that sounds, that is exactly what happened to Rusty Groth when he was in middle school.

Football has been a part of Groth's life since he was a little boy. His dad brought him to Tiger football games for as long as he can remember. So when Groth was not allowed to play football until high school because he exceeded the weight limit, he did what any player would do, and waited it out.

"I've always been bigger," Groth says with a grin, "they didn't want anyone to get hurt." Groth, now a 6-foot-4, 270-pound defensive lineman, is entering his fifth and final year of college eligibility. His dedication to the game remains, even while some of his teammates have not.

"There were eight of us who started playing together our freshman year," Groth laughs, "now I'm the only one left." Groth will be the first to tell you that he has no regrets. In fact, he has many memories that he will take with him after he graduates in December, like the win at College Station last year or the first time that he ever played a home game.

"Everyone remembers the first time they run on Faurot Field," Groth explains, "there's nothing to describe it."

Groth played offensive lineman in high school and also for the first three years at Mizzou. He switched to defensive lineman last year and says he can run faster and has more fun playing on defense.

"Defensive line is a much more fun position in general, I love making the play," he says, "I'll get the song 'Action Man' by Widespread Panic in my head and just go nuts." He says that on defense you create the action, and the goal is to get to the quarterback.

Groth's time here has not been based solely on football, however. He is a motivated business major and a member of the Alpha Kappa Lambda fraternity. He says that it is the friendships that he has made in the fraternity that give him a sense of what Mizzou is about, besides the athletics. Groth says that it is his friends and his family that give him the greatest amount of support. The support that he receives from his family has been a constant in his life, and something that he truly values. His parents and his nine-year-old sister Maddie Moll make it to every game to cheer him on.

Groth is not quite ready to leave school yet, but he feels that in December it will be his time to leave football.

"I've been playing for so long that sometimes I feel like I'm 50 years old," Groth admits. He laughs as he explains the 10-minute process it takes to get out of bed in the morning, or how he can hardly throw a baseball anymore.

"I'll try to throw a baseball, and my shoulder will pop like a bowl of rice crispies," he laughs, "and the ball will only go 10 yards!" Though he feels like it is his time to go, he has no doubt that the football program has a promising future ahead.

"The program is going to be great down the road," Groth says, "it is definitely moving in the right direction."

Groth's life seems to be moving in the right direction as well. He plans to get his MBA after graduation, and eventually become a financial manager. His long-term goal is to open his own private business in St. Louis.

Groth's motivation throughout the past five years and his devotion to the Mizzou football program will continue. As he graduates in three months and begins to pursue all of his future endeavors, he does mention one other thing that he anticipates.

"I'm looking forward to next year," Groth says with a smile, "when I can come to the games and tailgate with my dad."

And so the Groth tradition will continue. It has changed throughout the years, from the time when Rusty and his dad would watch the team play on the field together, to the time when his dad now watches Rusty play on the field alone. It will change again next season, when father and son will once again enjoy the game together for the first time in five years.