Old friends enjoy annual road trip

LUBBOCK, Texas — A group of friends gathers every year to travel to one Missouri away game. An old group of friends.

The men graduated from William Chrisman High School in Independence, Mo., and graduated from MU in 1952. Originally, there were 12, but three were unable to make this trip.

“We picked this game off the schedule last year because we thought it was going to be a good game,” Vern Hazelrigg of Blue Springs said. “Looks like we were right.”

Clad in black and gold of all shades, the guys rent a bus every year and take a road trip to a preselected game. Along the way, they like to make what they refer to as an “educational or informational stop.”

They’ve been to places such as the Omaha Zoo, the Truman Presidential Library in Independence and the Anheuser-Busch Plant in St. Louis.

“We stopped at the wind ower museum in east Lubbock this year,” Ron Eiman, of Indepence, said. “It was an excellent exhibit.”

When the guys go out, their wives sometimes organize and go on a trip of their own. Recently, they ventured to the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minn.

Outside of class reunions, which they all still attend every 5 years, these trips are the only chance they have to still see each other.

“Hearing the stories about what really happened in high school is my favorite thing,” Jack Wean said. “Sometimes the stories change a little. We were better athletes, smarter students.”

Then Wean slaps Howard Tignor and Shelby Brightwell on the back.

“Better lovers,” he chimes as they all laugh.

BIG BOWLING?: Representatives for both the Fiesta Bowl and Sun Bowl were on hand to see Missouri play Texas Tech.

The Fiesta Bowl representatives, wearing pale yellow blazers, were on hand observing for the National Championship and Insight Bowl as well.

The decision was made on Monday to come to the game. Those decisions are usually made a week in advance, based on teams’ performances the previous week.

“These are two great schools and two excellent teams,” Steve Whiteman said. “We wanted to be a part of what looks like an excellent game and the festivities.”

Missouri has played once in the Fiesta Bowl before, losing the 1972 game 49-35 to Arizona State. Played in Tempe, Ariz., it was the second game in the bowl’s history.

A BRIGHT SPOT: Before the game, Trish Field, a Missouri fan, was waiting.

“I thought people were going to be really nasty to me wearing the gold, but no one has said anything,” Field, 34, said.

It was easy to spot Field in a crowd of red- and black-clad Texas Tech tailgaters before the game.

With a gold long-sleeved Missouri T-shirt and black pants, Field said she was one of a handful of people in gold outside Jones AT&T Stadium. Field, however, was one of the only Missouri fans. Event parking and staff workers at the stadium were also wearing gold shirts.

“I love seeing the other Mizzou fans here,” said Field, who lived in Columbia from 2003 until May. “It makes me feel like I’m back at home.”

Field worked as a nurse at University and Boone Hospitals while she lived in Columbia. She now works as a nurse at a hospital near Fort Worth, Texas.

Field said tailgating is good in Lubbock, but not nearly as a good as outside Memorial Stadium. She made the 5-hour drive from Fort Worth area to the game on date with a Texas Tech alum.

Field said she tried to convince some friends from Columbia to come down for the game, but most of them are going to Las Vegas next week to compete in a triathlon, so they couldn’t make the trip.

Despite living in Texas, Field said she hoped to move back to Columbia some day.

“Columbia is a best-kept secret,” she said. “It is like one of the most incredible places I’ve ever been.”

NATIONAL ATTENTION: Chase Daniel and Martin Rucker both got national attention prior to Saturday’s game.

Daniel was USA Today’s “Player to Watch” in the paper’s preview for this weekend’s college football games. The article mentioned the game against Texas Tech as Daniel’s first in his native Texas and how he chose Missouri over Texas and Texas A&M.

Rucker, a redshirt junior, was named the John Mackey Tight End of the Week by the Nassau County Sports Commission on Friday. He earned the national honor for his six-catch, 66-yard performance against Colorado last week. During the game, Rucker became one of only four Missouri tight ends to have more than 1,000 receiving yards in his career.

The John Mackey Award is an annual award given to the nation’s best tight end. Missouri tight ends Rucker and Chase Coffman were both on the preseason watch list for the award.

ENTERTAINING CLIENTS: If a trailer has a television, most of the time it’s a small screen located inside, barely accessible to more than a few people.

That’s why Rich Oller, the president of a civil engineering company in Lubbock, decided to make an adjustment. The company used a local audio company to install a 17-inch television and a speaker. Gathered around the television were many of the company employees and a few potential clients. All were busy watching the Oklahoma-Texas game.

“We just like to get here, unload all of this stuff and when the game ends we’ll pull the trailer back up, roll the television up and come back two weeks later,” Roger Fields, a company employee and civil engineer, said.

The television can pick up local, cable and satellite television. But with Texas Tech expected to compete with Texas and Oklahoma, the dozen or so employees and potential clients, all wearing Texas Tech gear, were all keeping at least one eye on the Red River rivalry game .