Justin Smith left the West Coast and is back in Mid-Missouri (photo/NFL)
Here you go. Stories you might find interesting.
Former Pro-Bowler with the 49ers, Bengals and Jefferson City Jays star, Justin Smith is back in mid-Missouri and he’s been helping out in the weight room at Mizzou’s training facility. Looks like he may be helping out the Tigers this fall. What he’ll be doing and for how long is still TBD.
Four-star running back recruit Chase Abbington finished his last JUCO class and is enrolled at Mizzou and will be able to join the team for fall camp. The highest ranked recruit for the Tigers in 2013, will have three years of eligibility and will join 1,000-yard rusher Russell Hansbrough.
Volleyball news. Former Mizzou standout Molly Kreklow led Team USA to a World Grand Prix Championship and a perfect 5-0 record over the week-long event in Omaha, including the title with a 3-0 win over China. Kreklow was named the Grand Prix’s Most Outstanding Setter.
At the National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita, Kansas, a team from Cape Girardeau avoided elimination winning their first game of the tournament, 13-5 over a team from Wichita. This came after the Capahas opened the tournament on Sunday with a 21-run loss to Liberal, Kansas. Cape plays today at 1 p.m. against Newton Kansas in another elimination game.
The Missouri Valley Conference’s football coaches made their preseason picks and North Dakota State, the four-time defending FCS National Champion, was the overwhelming favorite to win the league. Missouri State, with new head coach Dave Steckel, was picked ninth. That’s where the Bears finished last season with record of 4-8 overall and 1-7 in the league. Only South Dakota, winless in the league in 2014, was picked to finish below Missouri State. Stec has seen the whole lack of respect thing play out before as the defensive coordinator at Mizzou.
“I remember the leagues I came from, the media got it right once in 32 years,” Steckel said. “I’m not worried about where we start. It’s where we finish.”
The only difference with this poll in the MVC…coaches voted.
Arizona Cardinals head coach, Bruce Arians will hire the first female coach in the NFL to work during training camp, part of the Bill Bidwill Coaching Fellowship, that was developed and named after the former St. Louis owner. Jen Welter will work with the team’s inside linebackers throughout training camp and the preseason. She previously worked for Devin Wyman, the head coach of the Indoor Football League’s Texas Revolution, who recommended Welter to Arians.
