Violent guerilla warfare erupts between anti-slavery Jayhawkers (Kansas) and pro-slavery Bushwhackers (Missouri), culminating in Quantrill's Raid on Lawrence. The animosity preceded athletic competition by over three decades.
Context: The Kansas Jayhawk nickname and Missouri Tiger nickname both originate directly from Civil War-era militia units.
The teams play their first football meeting in Kansas City, Missouri. It stands as the oldest football rivalry west of the Mississippi River.
Location: Exposition Park, Kansas City. The game quickly became a Thanksgiving Day staple.
No. 1 ranked Missouri fell to Kansas 23-7. However, the Big Eight Conference later determined Kansas back Bert Coan was ineligible due to improper recruiting gifts and ruled the game a Missouri forfeit victory.
Controversy: Kansas does not recognize the forfeit and counts it as a win, while Missouri and the NCAA record it as an official Missouri win.
Ranked No. 4 Missouri and No. 2 Kansas met at Arrowhead Stadium with the winner advancing to the Big 12 Championship and taking the BCS No. 1 ranking.
Quarterback Chase Daniel led Missouri to victory before 80,537 fans in one of the highest-stakes regular season matchups in college football history.
Missouri departs the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The annual series is discontinued due to Kansas officials refusing to schedule non-conference games against Missouri.
The dormant period lasted 14 seasons in football, freezing one of the longest continuous rivalries in the nation.
Both athletic departments announce an agreement to restart the football series with games scheduled for 2025, 2026, 2031, and 2032.
The rivalry officially returns to the field in Columbia after 14 years. Missouri pulls away in the second half in front of a sold-out Faurot Field.
Ahead of their game in Lawrence, Kansas Athletics releases a hype video highlighting the violent 1863 raid and Civil War atrocities. Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz publicly questions if the series should continue if historical tragedy is glorified for marketing.
The Athletic reports on Drinkwitz’s remarks questioning the future of the scheduled 2031–2032 games. Missouri won the contest 38-21.