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WASHINGTON -- Four teams had claims to the 1960 national championship in college football. The U.S. Senate is adding Missouri to that list.
Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., introduced a resolution during a meeting Thursday recognizing the Tigers for a claim to the national title. The measure was passed with no objections; resolutions don't have the force of law and by the chamber's definition reflect the Senate's "sentiments," according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Still, it adds another odd wrinkle to college football history for a sport decided by polls and rankings decades ago before the arrival of the Bowl Championship Series or today's College Football Playoff. Missouri hadn't previously claimed the 1960 team as a national champion.
In an email to The Associated Press on Friday, Missouri team spokesman Dave Matter said the school is "aware" of the resolution but offered no additional comment.
Missouri went 10-1 on the field after beating Navy and Heisman Trophy winner Joe Bellino in the Orange Bowl. The lone loss had come to "Border War" rival Kansas in a game to decide the then-Big Eight Conference title, though the league ordered the Jayhawks to forfeit for using an ineligible player because of recruiting violations.
In a past interview with the The Post-Dispatch, author Brendon Steenbergen -- who wrote a book detailing that season -- said: "I've been beating the drum to try to get the university to recognize it because I think they have as much a right as anyone in the country to be national champions in 1960."
Minnesota was crowed champion by the AP and United Press International polls, though that took place before the Gophers lost to Washington in the Rose Bowl. The Football Writers Association of America voted Mississippi its post-bowl champion.
Return to Texas
AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas offensive lineman Cole Hutson has returned to the team in training camp after gaining a fifth year of eligibility, the school announced Friday.
Hutson sued the NCAA last month in Texas for an extra year of college eligibility after the NCAA announced a new plan for athletes to have five years once they enter college. A federal judge recently ruled in favor of players like Hutson to grant them another year.
Hutson played in 48 games with 23 starts at three different positions in his career. He was undrafted after last season and did not earn a pro contract after participating in mini camps with the Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys.