KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Racial tensions at the University of Missouri came to a head over the weekend when members of the football team joined a student-led protest demanding Tim Wolfe step down as system president.
Nov. 9, 2015; Columbia, MO; Members of black student protest group Concerned Student 1950 hold hands following the announcement that University of Missouri system president Tim Wolfe would resign. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
The events in Columbia, Mo., quickly gained national attention, leading to Wolfe resigning Monday morning over his handling of student concerns surrounding allegations of racism.
But the situation also had the interest of Chiefs coach Andy Reid, who spent three years as an offensive line coach at Missouri (1989-91).
“I’m a big Missouri fan,” Reid said Monday afternoon. “I loved my time there; it’s a great university, phenomenal university. They’re taking care of their situation.
“We’ve all got situations we have to handle, that’s how life is in every business, probably in every phase of life. So they’re doing what they have to do to fix whatever problem is there.”
Reid isn’t the only one in the Chiefs organization with ties to Missouri.
Special teams coordinator Dave Toub served as a defensive line and strength & conditioning coach with the Tigers (1989-00), and current Chiefs quarterback Chase Daniel, wide receiver Jeremy Maclin and center Mitch Morse played at Missouri.
Daniel and Maclin, in particular, are prominent Missouri alumni and both were inducted in the MU Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame earlier in the year.
Daniel and Maclin declined to comment at an autograph convention Sunday night when approached by sports reporter Nathan Vickers of KCTV5 News, a CBS affiliate.
Meanwhile, Wolfe’s resignation effectively ended the Missouri football players’ boycott, and both areas carried significance for the football team.
With the Chiefs on the road to play the Denver Broncos in Week 10, Missouri is scheduled to play Brigham Young at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday.
———-
Herbie Teope is the lead Chiefs beat writer for ChiefsDigest.com and The Topeka Capital-Journal. Use the contact page to reach him or find him on Twitter: @HerbieTeope.
———-
