On a cold November day back in 1996 in Columbia, Missouri, Drew Lock was born. The son and grandson of former Mizzou players, Lock chose our Tigers over the pursuits of Ohio State, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Texas, Michigan State, and myriad others. Drew Lock is a true son. He was never going anywhere else. To say that Mizzou fans were excited, makes the word “understatement” and understatement. He was a pure quarterback and led us to believe that the momentum from two straight SEC East division championships would continue into the foreseeable future.
Of course, Mizzou has traditionally been a place that all great hope must be met with crushing disappointment. Lock nor anyone else could foresee the events of November 2015 on Mizzou’s campus, and only a select few hard-partiers could foresee the early demise of the erratic yet passionate Maty Mauk. The program was dealt a serious one-two punch, and the task of getting the team back on its feet fell to the doe-eyed freshman, Lock. Just six months removed from his senior prom, Lock connected on 21-28 passes to lead to a big conference win over South Carolina, and began a long and windy journey that leads us to where we are today. It’s been a journey of a true son.
Lock has always been more mature and professional than many of the much older fans (and podcasters) who follow his career. He always said the right things. He always did the right things. He always kept learning and improving.
Of course, Mizzou has traditionally been a place that all great hope must be met with crushing disappointment. Lock nor anyone else could foresee the events of November 2015 on Mizzou’s campus, and only a select few hard-partiers could foresee the early demise of the erratic yet passionate Maty Mauk. The program was dealt a serious one-two punch, and the task of getting the team back on its feet fell to the doe-eyed freshman, Lock. Just six months removed from his senior prom, Lock connected on 21-28 passes to lead to a big conference win over South Carolina, and began a long and windy journey that leads us to where we are today. It’s been a journey of a true son.
Lock has always been more mature and professional than many of the much older fans (and podcasters) who follow his career. He always said the right things. He always did the right things. He always kept learning and improving.
It wasn’t fair to put Lock in the position of starting quarterback in the SEC just four games into his college career, but he handled it with grace. The program has been on a whirlwind journey over Lock’s four years, but he was always steady at the helm.
While we’ve been pulling our hair out over ups and downs, Lock has slowly helped make this team better and better. Then, on top of everything else, he chose to stick around our campus, after all our griping and grousing, to see out his senior year and lead Mizzou to another bowl game and a possible nine-win season. He is a true son.
Drew Lock saw the adversity of being thrust into the spotlight after a quarterback controversy. He saw an unexpected change in coaches, from a sage experienced mentor, to a young coach as inexperienced as his talented quarterback. He saw campus unrest and constant attacks from the national media. He saw a championship team collapse and pick itself back up again. But he didn’t just see it. He helped right the ship. Mizzou needed a true son, and they got it in the form of Drew Lock.
Lock is heading to the NFL in a couple of months, and even with the arrival of Kelly Bryant, we’ll miss him. Because we aren’t just going to miss his arm, we are going to miss the kind of man he has been. He’s the kind of guy you build statues of. If it were up to me, they’d clear some space around Memorial stadium right now. There’s always room for a statue of a true son.
While we’ve been pulling our hair out over ups and downs, Lock has slowly helped make this team better and better. Then, on top of everything else, he chose to stick around our campus, after all our griping and grousing, to see out his senior year and lead Mizzou to another bowl game and a possible nine-win season. He is a true son.
Drew Lock saw the adversity of being thrust into the spotlight after a quarterback controversy. He saw an unexpected change in coaches, from a sage experienced mentor, to a young coach as inexperienced as his talented quarterback. He saw campus unrest and constant attacks from the national media. He saw a championship team collapse and pick itself back up again. But he didn’t just see it. He helped right the ship. Mizzou needed a true son, and they got it in the form of Drew Lock.
Lock is heading to the NFL in a couple of months, and even with the arrival of Kelly Bryant, we’ll miss him. Because we aren’t just going to miss his arm, we are going to miss the kind of man he has been. He’s the kind of guy you build statues of. If it were up to me, they’d clear some space around Memorial stadium right now. There’s always room for a statue of a true son.
