Strong. #MizzouMade.

A scholarship allowed a potato farmer from North Dakota to live out his dream in the NFL.

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The coaches prepare you for any kind of experience. There’s not going to be a whole lot of stuff in life that is harder than what they make you go through with Mizzou Football. But they do it to make you a stronger person.

Connor McGovern

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Strength. That is a word that came to personify Mizzou Football standout offensive lineman Connor McGovern. His legendary grit led to countless Mizzou weight room records and stories of strength that boasted urban legend status. That power was fostered and groomed while growing up in Fargo, N.D., where his family worked on a six-generation owned and operated potato farm. But for a guy who was known to have legendary strength, his decision to attend Mizzou to continue his education was based on one thing: getting stronger, both as a football player and a man.

“The coaches prepare you for any kind of experience. There’s not going to be a whole lot of stuff in life that is harder than what they make you go through with Mizzou Football,” McGovern said. “But they do it to make you a stronger person.”

McGovern had always been part of championship cultures. He helped Shanley High School to consecutive state championships his final two seasons, earning Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of North Dakota as a senior. He brought that attitude with him to Mizzou. He earned playing time as a redshirt freshman in 2012 before stepping into a starting role on Mizzou’s offensive line in 2013. That O-Line group in 2013 led the way to the first of back-to-back SEC East titles with four of the five starters currently playing in the NFL.

“Here at Mizzou they run it like an NFL program. They take training really serious, they take meetings really serious and the coaches use NFL lingo so that was an easy transition,” McGovern said. “They try to do everything they can to prepare you for anything, especially the NFL. They want you to succeed, so they’re going to do whatever they can to help you get to the NFL.”

McGovern was part of arguably the best stretch in Mizzou Football history. While he was at Mizzou, the Tigers won a pair of SEC East Championships in 2013 and 2014. After winning at every level of his career prior to college, McGovern brought his winning attitude and emerged as a leader on a team that accomplished some of the best years in the program’s history.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“This program has a lot of history and I was fortunate when I was here that we made a lot of history with these teams and I think that’s what makes it so special,” McGovern said. “When you do something special with a big group of guys like we did, it definitely makes it mean a whole lot more.”

Following his career at Mizzou, McGovern was drafted in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft by AFC West power Denver Broncos. He has since emerged as a key player along Denver’s O-Line, a dream realized thanks to those who helped provide his scholarship to Mizzou.

“When you’re a little kid in North Dakota and you say you want to be an NFL football player, everyone kind of laughs because that hasn’t happened in a while,” McGovern said. “The scholarship definitely changed my life.”

Football and the chance to continue his football career as a professional were just a couple of many reasons why McGovern chose to play at Mizzou. Six-generations of potato farming in his family led him to pursue a career in agriculture, and he knew Mizzou would give him one of the nation’s top educations in that field.

“We have one of the best agricultural schools in the country here,” McGovern said. “That’s what I want to do after football so it was a huge help.”

Mizzou made me a better man. It took me from an 18-year-old kid to a 22-year-old man. I left with a better sense of direction, discipline, work ethic and it definitely made me into the man I am today.

Connor McGovern

McGovern excelled in Mizzou’s school of agriculture. He was a member of the SEC Honor Roll every year during his career, which included starting the final 40 of his 49 career games played. But for now, McGovern’s focus is on football. After spending the entirety of his rookie season on the Broncos’ active roster, he is poised to make an impact with the team again in 2017. He turned heads during training camp and has made a push for a starting job all year. The resolve and dedication to his craft that he learned at Mizzou will undoubtedly help him earn that spot.

“Mizzou made me a better man. It took me from an 18-year-old kid to a 22-year-old man,” McGovern said. “I left with a better sense of direction, discipline, work ethic and it definitely made me into the man I am today.”

That man helped lead Mizzou to arguably its best stretch of football in program history. A man who earned his degree while excelling in his major. And McGovern will forever be grateful for all that Mizzou has done for him.

“Coming here, I never would have dreamed I’d be playing in the NFL and here I am. The scholarship itself helped me get a really good agricultural degree and play football, which now obviously lead me to being in the NFL living a dream I’ve had since I was a little kid.”

Not bad for a small-town, North Dakota potato farmer. Not bad at all.

#MizzouMade Monday

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.

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