The University of Missouri has formally announced its Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2026, a six-member group of standout student-athletes, coaches, and leaders set to be enshrined today in Columbia. The class will be recognized on the field Saturday during the No. 14 Tigers’ home Southeastern Conference football game against Texas A&M at Memorial Stadium, one week after Missouri’s dominant 45-17 victory over Florida.
The 2026 inductees are Nick Bolton (football, 2018-20), Ashley Fleming (softball, 2009-12), Andy Hill (football player and coach, 1980-84 and 1996-2019), Daniel Lewis (wrestling, 2016-19), Drew Lock (football, 2015-18), and Nicki Webber Moore (track and field/cross country, 1993-96). Mizzou Director of Athletics Laird Veatch described the group as competitors and leaders who “elevated our programs, represented Mizzou with integrity and excellence and continue to reflect the values that define our department.”
Bolton, a two-time First Team All-SEC linebacker and 2021 second-round NFL Draft pick of the Kansas City Chiefs, earned Second Team All-America honors, finished as a Butkus Award finalist, and later scored an iconic 86-yard fumble-return touchdown in Super Bowl LVII en route to back-to-back championships. Lock, one of the most productive quarterbacks in program history, threw for 12,193 yards and 99 touchdowns, including a nation-leading and then-SEC-record 44 scores in 2017, and has since won a Super Bowl with Seattle. Hill, a former walk-on wide receiver who returned for 24 seasons as an assistant under multiple head coaches, helped develop numerous 1,000-yard receivers and All-Americans before joining the Chiefs staff and collecting two more Super Bowl rings.
Fleming powered Missouri softball to three straight College World Series appearances and back-to-back NFCA Second Team All-America honors. Lewis became just the 12th Tiger to earn four NCAA All-America wrestling selections, compiling a 118-17 record and winning the 2019 Gorriaran Award. Moore, a four-year captain who set school records and helped capture conference titles, later built a distinguished career in athletic administration and now serves as athletic director at Cornell University.
The formal induction ceremony takes place Friday, October 9, with the group to be honored on the field the following day. The Hall of Fame, established in 1990, now includes 268 legends and four teams.
The timing coincides with a high-stakes matchup for the current Tigers. Ranked No. 14 in the AP poll (No. 16 in the Coaches poll), Missouri (4-1, 1-1 SEC) hosts Texas A&M (3-2, 1-2 SEC) at 11 a.m. CT on ABC at Faurot Field. The Tigers enter riding the momentum of a 45-17 thrashing of then-No. 8 Florida on October 3—their first win over a Top-10 regular-season opponent since 2013 and largest margin of victory against a top-10 team in program history. Quarterback Austin Simmons completed 23 of 30 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns, while St. Louis native Jamal Roberts rushed for 211 yards and three scores, including long runs of 76 and 80 yards. Missouri’s defense held Florida’s previously high-powered offense in check, limiting star back Jadan Baugh to 13 yards.
The game extends Missouri’s program-record sellout streak and offers the current team a chance to build on its signature win as the Hall of Fame class is celebrated. Texas A&M arrives looking to rebound after mixed early SEC results, while Drinkwitz’s Tigers aim to continue their upward trajectory in a demanding conference schedule.
The weekend in Columbia thus pairs the celebration of past excellence with the present ambitions of a ranked Mizzou squad seeking further momentum.
