Evolution of Missouri Safety William Moore Mirrors Tigers' Rise

Today is Mizzou Day over at Tim Griffin's blog so be sure to check that out.  Honestly, it's nothing more than a compilation of tidbits you could get from reading Dave Matter's blog and stories.

But there was something I found interesting in his five-minute conversation with William Moore.

Griffin asked Moore how he has evolved during his career at Missouri, and here's Willy Mo's response.

"I've matured.  I'm more proud of that than any accolades I've received in football.  When I came in, I had a problem with my attitude.  I didn't understand an aspect of coaching that yelling at you is not to hurt you but to eventually help you.  I understand that now, and it's made me a better player."

I think more than any other player (Chase Daniel included), Willy Mo personifies how the program has evolved over the past few years.  You can pretty much track the team's success with the progress Moore has made in his career.

My first memory of Willy Mo is when he was thrown into the fire and forced to start in the Independence Bowl as a freshman after Jason Simpson was suspended.  Moore broke a bone in his foot on the first series of the game but ended up with a season-high six tackles.  He struggled as you would expect him to, but he showed a lot of guts by playing through the pain.

That's kind of how the team was that year.  They had a lot of distractions coming off such a disappointing season the year before.  Their coach was on the hot seat and they were all dealing with the tragic death of their teammate Aaron O'Neil.

It wasn't a great season by any means, but the Tigers found a way to grind out several victories in wins over Iowa State, Baylor, and South Carolina in the Independence Bowl.  A loss in any of those games and the Gary Pinkel era probably doesn't end up like it has.

In Moore's sophomore year, he began really showing flashes of brilliance.  He started a few more games and had a spectacular game in a big win against Texas Tech on the road.  But there was a lot of talk about how undisciplined he was as a player.  He got into trouble in preseason practices for laying a few late hits on teammates.

The team also appeared to be painfully close to turning the corner but suffered setbacks late in the season.  The Tigers, like Moore, were still very raw.

And then, of course, there was last season.  Willy Mo puts it all together, mentally and physically, and blossoms as a player as the team reaches unprecedented heights.

Chase might be the Franchise, the Leader, and the Man—but Willy Mo is the Heart and Soul of this program.