Monday is the 35th anniversary of the 1990 fifth down game between Missouri and #12 Colorado at Faurot field.
Many Mizzou fans feel that the Tigers beat the Buffaloes that afternoon, but the officials had Colorado winning 33-31. The late Bill Wilkerson and former Tiger basketball player Tom Dore called the game on the Tiger Network that day. Wilkerson noted on-air that the final play of the game was Colorado fourth and goal:
“The snap. (Charles) Johnson with the ball, no, no, no, they call a touchdown. They call a touchdown, they call a touchdown. Oh I can’t believe this,” Wilkerson told listeners on-air.
Audio is courtesy of Learfield. Former Tiger Dore called that game with Wilkerson and was on the sidelines at Faurot field for the final few minutes, preparing to interview then-Mizzou coach Bob Stull on the “Lennox Locker Room” show. Dore tells 939 the Eagle the Colorado quarterback Charles Johnson never scored:
“And on that last play I still say that Harry Colon hit the quarterback (Charles Johnson) before he reached over his head. He is completely laying down, right. And Harry gets him,” Dore says.
Colorado would go on to become co-national champions that year with Georgia Tech.
The chaotic 1990 game ended with some fans chasing game officials into an equipment room at Faurot. The Tiger Network did not have a sideline reporter in that era, so Mr. Dore, the color commentator, would leave the booth late in the game and handle the final few minutes from the sideline. Dore tells 939 the Eagle he can still feel his heart racing and pounding that day:
“If you look at the (television) videos, I’ve got a white shirt and a tie on. I’m standing right behind the two officials on that side, the guy that’s holding the chain and the actual official. And I’m telling them they missed the down. And I can still feel all of that,” says Dore.
He also says the University of Missouri didn’t have enough money to have someone on the microphone to call down to the officials at that point in the game. He notes former Mizzou Athletics employee Jack Watkins had to leave the microphone to get quotes in the postgame. #12 Colorado won the game 33-31. Dore notes Mizzou had just beaten #15 Arizona State the week before. He says a win over Colorado would have been big:
“Now if you’re going to beat number one, not only does it help you by winning a game in the conference (Big 8), helps you maybe go to a bowl game, but it helps your exposure around the state and around the area with recruits and high school coaches,” Mr. Dore says.
Mr. Dore recalls that he also, live on-air, had to tell then-Coach Stull that he and his players had to return to the field for the conversion at the end of regulation.
Click here to listen to the full interview between 939 the Eagle’s Brian Hauswirth and former Tiger Network analyst Tom Dore, which was recorded on October 3, 2025: