Some Missouri Tigers might play the game of their lives in the Texas Bowl next Wednesday night. More are likely to play the last game of their lives. Life after football is ahead for most of those who wear the pads and helmets for the last time in that game.
Coach Barry Odom has tried to provide those young men with examples of former players who have found success off the field and away from football. Back in July he called several Tiger alumni back to Columbia to talk about the real world ahead and how to turn the lessons of the game of football into a useful game of life.
One of those invited back was Jay Frye, who has spent a quarter-century in another team sport. He created a NASCAR team when he was 29 and managed other teams until joining the IndyCar open-wheel series. He’s now the President of Competition and Operations for IndyCar. He talked with Contributing Editor Bob Priddy about his meeting with this year’s players to talk about life beyond the stadium.
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Frye played under coaches Warren Powers and Woody Widenhofer. He knows about playing in the post-season. He was a freshman on the 1983 Holiday Bowl team that lost to BYU and Steve Young. He sometimes tells people his number is one of those that has been retired—-because it also was worn by NFL Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow.
(photo credit: Rick Gevers)
