Published on Show Me Mizzou April 24, 2026
Story by Tony Rehagen, BA, BJ ’01
Tiger football fans watching games in person in 2025 or tuning in on TV no doubt watched with interest as work on the north end zone progressed each week. As the new enclosure gradually came together, many alumni likely noticed the ongoing absence of something old: the Rock M.
Shortly after the 2024 football home finale, crews moved the white-painted rocks to a safe storage space, except for a few that were shipped to Mizzou Softball Stadium to recreate a miniature “M” for that venue. An even smaller “M” was assembled on the berm behind the home bench at Faurot Field on Senior Day 2025 so outgoing footballers could continue the tradition of selecting a keepsake stone.
But school officials want to assure fans that big Rock M, including two truckloads of original boulders, will be in place for incoming freshmen to give them a new coat of white paint before the 2026 football season kicks off.
“From the earliest days of the project’s conception, it was critical that the Rock M returns as part of the renovated north end zone,” says Dave Matter, BJ ’00, Mizzou’s associate athletics director for strategic communications. “It will retain the same shape and iconic presence that generations of fans recognize. We know fans will be excited to see the new version back in place this season.”
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