No more rushing the field: Mizzou puts out a statement ahead of the 2025 season
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Ahead of the start of the 2025 football season, the University of Missouri said that Tiger students and fans will 'no longer be rushing the field' after big victories at Faurot Field.
UM System President Mun Choi released a statement to Mizzou faithful on social media and email, on Tuesday, to address what he said were a couple of big topics: field rushes and fines.
"We can celebrate in the stands with our fellow fans, we can celebrate outside the venues, and we can share memories for years to come. But we all need to stay off the field after games," Choi said in his letter to the fanbase.
In 2025, if any fans do choose to rush Faurot Field, Mizzou will be on the hook for a $500,000 fine from the Southeastern Conference. That's money which Choi said it going directly into their opponent's pockets, which the athletic department cannot afford in the new era of revenue sharing.
"We understand that the excitement of victory can make it tempting to rush the field, but protecting our team, our fans, and our University requires all of us to do our part. Should a field incursion occur, we will be using cameras in the stadium to record and identify perpetrators. Perpetrators will be held to account. They may be trespassed from campus, fined, suspended or expelled," he said.
Tiger fans have rushed the field in pretty recent history. In fact, just a couple of seasons ago, when head coach Eli Drinkwitz and his team upset Kansas State courtesy of a game-winning field goal, thousands of fans flooded onto the playing surface at Memorial Stadium. Just in 2024, at Mizzou Arena, fans also rushed the court when MU hoops toppled then-No. 1 Kansas.
"To put it simply, entering the field after a game is dangerous for players, coaches and spectators – and it’s also costly," Choi said.
You can read Choi's entire letter to Mizzou faithful below.
Dear Tigers,
As we get ready to embark on another thrilling year of Mizzou Football, we wanted to highlight a very important topic: field rushes and fines.
Beginning with the 2025 season, Mizzou students and fans will no longer rush the field. We expect to win each game that we play. We can celebrate in the stands with our fellow fans, we can celebrate outside the venues, and we can share memories for years to come. But we all need to stay off the field after games.
To put it simply, entering the field after a game is dangerous for players, coaches and spectators – and it’s also costly.
If we rush the field, we will be fined $500,000 by the SEC, and that money goes directly to our opponent.In this era of revenue sharing, we cannot afford – literally or figuratively – to give our opponents a large sum of money.
We understand that the excitement of victory can make it tempting to rush the field, but protecting our team, our fans, and our University requires all of us to do our part. Should a field incursion occur, we will be using cameras in the stadium to record and identify perpetrators. Perpetrators will be held to account. They may be trespassed from campus, fined, suspended or expelled.
Together, we can build an atmosphere of passion and pride that doesn’t put anyone at risk or give away what we have earned.
We’re looking forward to a great season of Mizzou Football. Let’s celebrate loudly, proudly, and together – in the stands.
M-I-Z!
Mun Y. Choi, PhD
