Sept. 23, 2025
Contact: Brian Consiglio, consigliob@missouri.edu
Photos courtesy of Owen Reynolds, Ryan Davis and Mia Muckerman
Before attending the University of Missouri, Mia Muckerman, Owen Reynolds and Ryan Davis grew up soaking in the spirit of Mizzou Homecoming — the first and finest — as spectators on the sidelines.
Now, as students and members of the Homecoming Steering Committee — affectionately called SteerCo — they get a front-row seat to everything it takes to make the experience unforgettable for thousands of Tigers each year. From coordinating service projects to rallying campus spirit, they’ve spent the past six months immersed in behind-the-scenes work to turn the tradition into an event worthy of the title “largest student-run Homecoming in the country.”
Read on to hear from the students about the efforts they have put into planning the Homecoming traditions that Tigers hold near and dear to their hearts and the special ties they have to the event.
Mia Muckerman
With four older sisters having attended Mizzou, Mia Muckerman, who grew up in St. Louis, visited Columbia while in high school during a Mizzou Homecoming weekend.
“It was the first time in years that all my sisters and I had been together, and I think that just added to the magic of Mizzou Homecoming,” Muckerman said. “And seeing all the organizations walk through the parade really drew me in because I knew I wanted to get involved in college.”
Now a junior at Mizzou studying accountancy in the Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College of Business, Muckerman called her sisters this past spring when she got a spot on Homecoming SteerCo. All four of them started crying tears of joy.
“Having so much joy and pride in where I go to school is what makes being a part of SteerCo so special,” Muckerman said. “I feel like my parents really haven’t gotten the credit that they deserve for sending all five of their daughters to Mizzou. I am so thankful for everything they have done for my sisters and me.”
Muckerman is on the Traditions Committee, overseeing the Homecoming royalty selection process.
“For months, SteerCo has been planning everything,” Muckerman said. “With Homecoming in September this fall instead of October, we have recently been putting in 20 hours of work per week, and it’s very rewarding.”
One of the main duties for Muckerman and her team is finding royalty judges. Made up of Mizzou deans, faculty, staff and members of the Columbia community, judges conduct around 80 interviews with Mizzou students who apply for royalty and pass the initial application process before narrowing the field down to 30 and then the top 10. Finally, a king and queen are announced at the Homecoming football game.
“We come up with the interview questions, such as what Mizzou core value they think they represent best or how a student organization they are involved in has shaped them as a person,” Muckerman said. “It’s so rewarding to see the school pride Mizzou students have and all the different ways they get involved to help the community.”
Owen Reynolds
A native of Boonville, Missouri, Owen Reynolds is a fourth-generation Tiger studying agribusiness management in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. Reynolds is also a second-generation Homecoming SteerCo member. His dad was on the Blood Committee organizing the largest student-run blood drive in the nation.
“My dad told me being on SteerCo was the highlight of his college experience, and he encouraged me to apply because of what a great leadership opportunity it is,” Reynolds said. “He still talks to the people that he served on the committee with. To think he was literally helping save lives through the blood drive is so cool.”
Now a sophomore serving on the Service Committee, Reynolds spent months planning the Homecoming Week of Service, which allows Mizzou students to complete service hours at nonprofit organizations throughout Columbia. He also organized the Tiger Food Fight, a friendly competition with student organizations donating canned goods to the Tiger Pantry, Mizzou’s on-campus food pantry, and The Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri.
“Everyone coming together for a common purpose of giving back is what makes Mizzou Homecoming so special,” Reynolds said. “Calling nonprofits and hearing their excitement when I tell them we have large amounts of Mizzou students wanting to serve is very rewarding. To see the impact we’re making on the community and the amount of food we’re able to donate is crazy.”
Ryan Davis
Growing up on a farm in Lamar, Missouri, Ryan Davis’s grandparents, parents, sister, aunts, uncles and cousins all went to Mizzou. His favorite childhood memory is playing football on Stankowski Field with his cousins every Homecoming weekend.
In fact, he’s only ever missed a Mizzou Homecoming once in his entire life — the year he played for his high school football team in a state playoff game.
“Mizzou Homecoming was always one of the few times of the year when our whole family got together, and I’m so grateful that has always been a consistent part of my life,” Davis said.
Now a junior at Mizzou studying agribusiness management, Davis is serving on the Traditions Committee, just like his sister and mom before him. Davis also has an aunt who served on SteerCo as well.
“SteerCo puts in an unbelievable amount of work behind the scenes, especially over the summer and even in the spring,” Davis said. “I don’t think people fully realize how much effort goes into putting on this tradition that Mizzou has hosted for 114 years.”
Davis’s favorite part of being on the Homecoming SteerCo? Paying it forward.
“Seeing little kids running around and enjoying themselves reminds me of when I was a kid running around enjoying myself at Mizzou Homecoming,” Davis said. “Watching alumni come back to Mizzou and seeing the smiles on their faces is so rewarding. They can see all the work we put in to make people happy.”
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