I love to compete and so that competitive nature took me from the football field to the basketball court to the classroom. Those four years at Mizzou really taught me how to be a man, how to be responsible for my actions and how to approach things in a professional manner.
Justin Gage
There is little debate that the demands for a Division I student-athlete are unparalleled across college campuses. Classes, tests, study halls and papers are all combined with team travel, practices, games, film study and meetings, in addition to all of the other things that the average college student has on their plate. With those demands, it is easy to agree that it takes a special type of person – along with a unique and elite skillset – to play at the University of Missouri. Some athletes handle these demands better than others and some handle it enough to play two sports. That was the case for Mizzou Football star WR Justin Gage, who also played basketball during his career at Mizzou.
“I love to compete and so that competitive nature took me from the football field to the basketball court to the classroom,” Gage said. “Those four years at Mizzou really taught me how to be a man, how to be responsible for my actions and how to approach things in a professional manner.”
Gage grew up in Jefferson City, the Missouri state capital about 30 miles south of Mizzou’s campus. Gage’s versatility and athleticism was constantly on display as he also earned second team All-State honors as a defensive back while passing for 21 touchdowns and rushing for 12 more as the team’s starting QB. He also lettered in basketball at Jefferson City.
“Growing up in the state of Missouri, I always wanted to go to Mizzou to represent my state,” Gage said. “I was growing up watching Anthony Peeler and Jevon Crudup play basketball, watching Corby Jones and Devin West playing football. So I knew for a while that Missouri was the place I was going to end up.”
Gage was originally brought to Mizzou as a quarterback by former Mizzou head coach Larry Smith. As Gage continued to mature, he grew into a 6-4, 210 pound frame that translated well to the wide receiver position. Smith pulled the trigger and moved him there for his sophomore season in 2000. What followed was arguably one of the best receiving careers in Mizzou Football history.
“Most young kids come in thinking that they know everything; thinking they have an idea how things work,” Gage said. “I had an opportunity to work with Larry Smith and Gary Pinkel and their staffs and I learned many things about being accountable, taking pride in what you do and representing the people and the names that you come from.”
In his first season at wideout in 2000, Gage earned Second Team All-Big 12 honors after hauling in 44 catches for 709 yards and four scores. The next year, Gage earned First Team All-Big 12 honors with 74 catches and five scores. His best year came as a senior in 2002 when he caught 82 passes for 1,075 yards and nine scores. Gage still holds the school record for receptions in a game (16) and yards in game (236, twice), and his 200 career receptions rank third all-time. Those lofty numbers etched his name atop the Mizzou record books in virtually every receiving category following his senior season, as he became the benchmark that other receivers in the coming years would hope to match. Gage grew into a Mizzou fan-favorite on the football field, but the true legend of Justin Gage began when he took on the challenge of pursuing his other passion – college basketball.
Gage played for Mizzou Basketball for three seasons and became an energy player who used his football mentality to the hardwood. His diving, hustling plays were always a shot in the arm for his basketball team. He even helped Mizzou reach the Elite Eight in 2002, averaging 16.4 minutes per game and 2.3 points. He did all of that while waiting to join the team following the completion of the football season.
When given the opportunity to compete with the men’s basketball team, the decision was easy for Gage.
“For me, it all started with that opportunity to come to a university like Missouri and meet people from different backgrounds,” Gage said. “Growing up in Jefferson City, you kind of know everybody, you’re in a town where everybody knows everybody. In Columbia with both programs I was meeting people from the Kansas City area, the St. Louis area, people from Texas, Oklahoma, people from Minnesota, New York, California. It made me want to expand my horizons as far as meeting different people.”
Not only did Gage meet a variety of different people while playing football and basketball, playing his sports at the Division I level made him appreciative of people of all different backgrounds, something that he says was unique to his experience while at Mizzou. That perspective gave Gage a drive and desire to strive for a better life for him and his future family.
“I was playing basketball with a guy like Josh Kroenke and knowing his lifestyle and how he grew up was totally different than me,” Gage said. “I saw how they were raised and said hey, maybe I want to raise my kids in that positive light and expose them to some things that I wasn’t exposed to as a young guy.”
After four years, the kid who grew up in Jefferson City idolizing names like Jones, West, Peeler and Crudup had now blazed his own legacy, both on the field and the hardwood. At the time of his graduation, he was arguably the best wideout in Mizzou Football history and he helped engineer one of the best Mizzou men’s basketball tournament runs in 2002. That run came to an end on March 23 in a six-point loss to Oklahoma in the Elite Eight. He scored six points and grabbed five rebounds in that game, but the Tigers fell just short for the Final Four.
Rather than sulk in the loss that ended his college career, Gage knew he had an opportunity to continue his athletic career in the NFL – but he had just four weeks to switch from the hardwood back to the football field and impress NFL scouts enough to be selected in the NFL Draft on April 20-21. That meant getting back in the weight room, back on the football field.
Gage was drafted in the fifth round (No. 143 overall) by the Chicago Bears. He played eight seasons in the NFL and enjoyed breakout seasons with the Tennessee Titans from 2007-08. In 2007, he led the Titans with 55 catches and 750 yards while scoring six touchdowns. He finished his career with 201 catches and 2,958 yards and 16 scores. Not bad for a small-town Missouri kid whose versatility and completive nature helped him maximize his ability.
He is still grateful for everything he learned while at Mizzou.
“Mizzou made me a better person. Mizzou made me a great father and a great friend to a lot of people,” Gage commented on his time in the Black and Gold. “I would like to thank Mizzou and the individuals who gave me a scholarship. I am Mizzou Made.”
Mizzou made me a better person. Mizzou made me a great father and a great friend to a lot of people. I would like to thank Mizzou and the individuals who gave me a scholarship. I am Mizzou Made.
Justin Gage
What does it mean to be #MizzouMade? That moniker has been a staple for Mizzou student-athletes for years. It is often associated with athletes who have excelled at the highest levels of their respective sports, but the true meaning runs much deeper.
While there are certainly examples of former Tigers excelling in professional athletics, there is a much larger contingent of Mizzou student-athletes thriving in today’s fast-paced, competitive work environment. What each of those student-athletes learned at Mizzou has prepared them for life beyond sports.
The mission of Mizzou Athletics remains to prepare champions for life through a personal enhancement model that emphasizes academic and athletic excellence, social responsibility, career development and leadership in order to help each student athlete become a prepared professional in any field upon earning their degree.
#MizzouMade Monday aims to tell those stories of student athletes who are bringing those values and ideals of Mizzou into the real world every day.