April 26, 2012
The Statewide Outreach circuit continued on Tuesday (April 24) as University of Missouri Athletic Director Mike Alden was joined by Director of Equipment Operations Don Barnes, Assistant Director of the Mizzou Network Ben Arnet, Assistant Director of the Tiger Scholarship Fund Nico Yantko and Assistant Director of Game Operations Derek Doolittle for a trip that spanned 500 miles in just less than 17 hours.
The day began as the group departed Columbia at 7:00 a.m. for its first stop in Eldon, Mo. The team paid a visit to Lloyd Belt of Lloyd Belt Automotive. Lloyd is a long time member of the Big Wheels program, supplying courtesy cars to athletics department staff.
From Eldon, the group made the short trip down US-54 for a stop in Osage Beach, Mo at Edward Jones for a visit with Tiger supporters Rick Duncan and Mark Maasen. Staying on US-54, the next destination was Camdenton, Mo. The Camden County MU Extension Office was the first stop in the city with a population just north of 3,600. The Extension staff was excited to see the new Nike uniforms, some posing for pictures wearing our new helmets. Staying in Camdenton, the group stopped by Ron Hulett Automotive, another member of the Big Wheels program. The excitement over the new uniforms was evident as Alden and co. chatted with Ryan and Jason Hulett about the new Nike contract and the upcoming transition into the Southeastern Conference.
Springfield, Mo., was the next destination as a luncheon was scheduled at the Bass Pro Shop, organized by the Tiger Club of Springfield. Greeted by an outstanding crowd of well over 100 Tiger faithful, Barnes and Alden addressed the crowd in regards to the new uniforms and the transition into the Southeastern Conference.
The day continued with a 35-minute drive to Aurora, Mo. The First Independent Bank was the site of the first stop in the city of roughly 7,400. Charles Spangler and Jack Minch were joined by a handful of Tiger supporters for a brief chat with the crew from Mizzou. From the First Independent Bank it was on to KRMO AM 990, where Sammy Clapper sat down for a one-on-one interview with Alden.
Continuing westward on US-60 on a gorgeous Missouri afternoon, the next stop of the day was scheduled for Neosho, Mo. Around 50 Tiger fans packed Quiznos Subs for this event, coordinated by Tiger supporters Ed and Gidge Beam.
The final stop on the tour of Southwest, Mo. was Joplin, Mo for the Coaches' Caravan. In Joplin, the group was joined by Head Football Coach Gary Pinkel, Head Women's Basketball Coach Robin Pingeton, Men's Basketball Associate Head Coach Tim Fuller, in addition to student-athletes TJ Moe and Bree Fowler.
In all, the group traveled to, and through, nine counties on the day (Miller, Camden, Laclede, Webster, Greene, Lawrence, Barry, Newton and Jasper). Stay tuned as the Statewide Outreach program continues in the coming months.