Sunday is the 34th anniversary of the infamous 5th down game at Faurot field in Columbia, a game that unranked Missouri won everywhere but on the final scoreboard.
That Buffaloes team would go on to become co-national champions that year with Georgia Tech.
The game was hard-hitting and intense from the start. Mizzou took a 31-27 lead with two-and-a-half minutes to play, when quarterback Kent Kiefer threw a touchdown throw to wideout Damon Mays. As Colorado marched down the field, they got the ball to Mizzou’s one-yard line on third down, then called a timeout. The late Bill Wilkerson, who is in the Mizzou Media Hall of Fame, provided listeners with a snapshot of Mizzou football history and how big an upset would be:
“There have been times in the annals of Missouri Tiger football lore that someone has stepped forward and made a play. At Notre Dame (1978), it was Chris Garlich. At Ohio State (1976), it was Pete Woods. At USC (1976), it was Curtis Brown. At Alabama (1975), it was Keith Morrissey. Who among the 11 black-shirted Tigers today will make the play of the afternoon?” Wilkerson asked on-air.
Audio is courtesy of the Central Bank Tiger Network and Learfield. The answer turned out to be Harry Colon, although he never received the credit he should have, due to the fifth down. Mr. Wilkerson, who has also been inducted into the Missouri Broadcasters Association (MBA) Hall of Fame, had the call that afternoon with color analyst Tom Dore. Mr. Wilkerson was upset on-air because the officials had given Colorado an extra down, and they stopped the clock when Eric Bieniemy was stopped by Mizzou. Wilkerson clearly felt that Mizzou kept Colorado out of the end zone on the last play:
“This is the final play of the game, come on Tigers. Fourth and goal. The snap, Johnson with the ball, no, no, no, no, they call a touchdown. They call a touchdown, they call a touchdown. Oh I can’t believe this,” Wilkerson said on-air.
On the radio broadcast, you can hear fans across Memorial Stadium booing the officials, voicing their displeasure. While Colorado officially won the game 33-31, many Mizzou fans who were at Faurot field that day said Colorado quarterback Charles Johnson didn’t score. Dore, who was on the field for the final drive, says Tiger defender Harry Colon made the stop, adding that Charles Johnson still hasn’t scored.
Mr. Dore was on the field because the Tiger Radio Network didn’t have a sideline reporter in 1990, so Dore headed to the sideline to handle the postgame interview with Mizzou’s head coach, Bob Stull. Dore has told this reporter on-air that the officials didn’t flip the down marker and says he was screaming at the officials, who told him to leave the area or that he would be removed (arrested).
Dore says Bill Wilkerson told him off-air “Tell them to arrest you, that will be the greatest Missouri story ever!” Dore has described the broadcast as classic radio, although he was heartbroken by the loss.
Mizzou ended up 4-7 in 1990, although they would have been 3-2 had they won the Colorado game. Instead of the huge upset, Mizzou’s season spiraled downward after the game.
