Photo Story: A portrait of the Missouri football student section

Hannah Schuh

Through body paint, pom-poms and homemade signs, many students go all-out when it comes to cheering on the Tigers

Led by the ZOU, many students can be found crammed into the bleachers of the student section every home game day. Some students arrive hours before kickoff in hopes of earning a prime seat at the front.

A shirtless man with his chest painted with gold and black stripes holds up a microphone and sunglasses in front of the student section. Junior Jon Lieber, one of the ZOU game day chairs, raises his microphone on Saturday, Nov. 11, at Faurot Field in Columbia. “It’s just really fun to have the entire 10,000 students behind you,” Lieber said. “They’re basically at your will. They’ll say whatever you say.”

A man wearing gold and black overalls holds up a sign with a picture of the Tennessee coach and a traffic cone with the caption “Spot the difference; they’re the same picture.” Senior Hayden Moore holds up a handmade sign to make fun of the Tennessee coach. “This is kind of my way to vent,” Moore said. “They can’t always hear you on the sideline, but you know that everybody’s gonna see your sign, so it’s just as rewarding.”

Three men wearing Missouri merch smile for the camera. Freshman Ben Knisley and juniors Thatcher Karsch and Caleb Campbell smile for the camera at the front of the student section. “I come to the student section because the atmosphere is just completely electric,” Karsch said. “There’s no place better to be on game day.”

A girl in Missouri merch paints a black and gold “A” onto a man at the front of the student section. Senior Quincy Reynolds, vice president of the ZOU, paints the chest of sophomore Micheal Murphy while waiting for the game to begin. “I’ve been told by a South Carolina photographer that we’re the most naked student section in the SEC, and I just love that,” Reynolds said. “We paint approximately fifty people in two sections, and we just make up sayings regardless of what the game is.”

Four men stand at the front of the student section painted gold, with black C-O-O-K painted on their chests. Freshman Zach Johnson, sophomore Andrew Holman, freshman Nick Roettgen and senior Travis Franks watch the Missouri-Tennessee game together. “I love this team so much. I hate the Vols. I want Mizzou to win all the way,” Roettgen said. “I want them to go to College GameDay — I want College GameDay here.”

A man with black and white stripes painted on his chest holds up a squadron patch. Sophomore Nathan Butler, ZOU game day chair, holds up a 303rd Fighter A-10 Squadron Patch, gifted to him at the start of the game against Tennessee. “I used to do this in high school, like I was a student section leader for my high school,” Butler said. “It kind of feels like I went D1 in it.”

A girl holds up a sign that reads “Mr. Brightside > Rocky Top” as a man holds up a “#1” with his finger. Sophomore Lily Bennett holds up a homemade sign as senior Charles Nichols holds up a “#1” with his finger at the football game against Tennessee. “The other side [of the sign] says, ‘What is a Volunteer?’ because it’s not even a mascot,” Bennett said. “Like what the hell is a Volunteer?”

A man with black and gold stripes painted on his chest claps as Truman the Tiger stands with open arms behind him. Junior Dominic Radecki, a game day chair for the ZOU, claps for the Tigers while leading the student section. The ZOU student leaders often arrive at games early to paint their chests and prepare for the game.

Edited by Michael Baniewicz | mbaniewicz@themaneater.com