1978 Missouri Tigers football team

The 1978 Missouri Tigers football team represented the University of Missouri during the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season as a member of the Big Eight Conference (Big 8). The team was led by head coach Warren Powers, in his first year, and they played their home games at Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri. They finished the season with a record of eight wins and four losses (8–4, 4–3 Big 8) and with a victory over LSU in the Liberty Bowl.

1978 Missouri Tigers football
Liberty Bowl champion
Liberty Bowl, W 20–15 vs. LSU
Conference	Big Eight Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 14
AP	No. 15
Record	8–4 (4–3 Big 8)
Head coach	Warren Powers (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Carl Reese (2nd season)
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
Seasons ← 1977 1979 →

1978 Big Eight Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 3 Oklahoma +	6	–	1	–	0			11	–	1	–	0
No. 8 Nebraska +	6	–	1	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
No. 15 Missouri	4	–	3	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
Iowa State	4	–	3	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
Kansas State	3	–	4	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Oklahoma State	3	–	4	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Colorado	2	–	5	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Kansas	0	–	7	–	0			1	–	10	–	0
+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 9	at No. 5 Notre Dame*		Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN		W 3–0	59,075	[1]
September 16	No. 1 Alabama*	No. 11	Faurot Field Columbia, MO		L 20–38	73,655	[2]
September 23	Ole Miss*	No. 17	Faurot Field Columbia, MO		W 45–14	60,287	[3]
September 30	at No. 1 Oklahoma	No. 14	Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK (rivalry)		L 23–45	72,371	[4]
October 7	Illinois*		Faurot Field Columbia, MO		W 45–3	62,062	[5]
October 14	No. 20 Iowa State	No. 19	Faurot Field Columbia, MO (rivalry)		W 26–13	63,106	[6]
October 21	at Kansas State	No. 13	KSU Stadium Manhattan, KS		W 56–14	24,500	[7]
October 28	Colorado	No. 13	Faurot Field Columbia, MO	ABC	L 27–28	71,096	[8]
November 4	at Oklahoma State		Lewis Field Stillwater, OK		L 20–35	47,750	[9]
November 11	Kansas		Faurot Field Columbia, MO (Border War)		W 48–0	64,453	[10]
November 18	at No. 2 Nebraska		Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE (rivalry)		W 35–31	75,850	[11]
December 23	vs. LSU*	No. 18	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN (Liberty Bowl)	ABC	W 20–15	53,064	[12]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

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Roster

1978 Missouri Tigers football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class RB James Wilder TE 83 Kellen Winslow Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K Jeff Brockhaus	Head coach Warren Powers Coordinators/assistant coaches Mike Price – Quarterback/wide receiver Billy Thornton – Running backs Dick Beechner – Tight ends/special teams coordinator John Faiman – Offensive line Carl Reese – Defensive coordinator George Wheeler – Defensive tackles Zaven Yaralian – Defensive backs Curtis Jones Sr – Assistant Mark Heydorff – Assistant Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

1979 NFL Draft

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL club
Kellen Winslow	Tight end	1	13	San Diego Chargers
James Wilder Sr.	Running back	2	34	Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Awards and honors

• Warren Powers, Walter Camp Coach of the Year