DALLAS, Tex. — The Missouri Tigers practiced on Monday morning at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Tex. Afterwards, they went to Children’s Medical Center in Dallas to spread a little joy and Tiger pride to kids undergoing treatment.
It’s a tradition at the Cotton Bowl where players and coaches travel to Children’s Medical Center and players get a chance to connect with a lot of kids and there are a lot of smiling faces.
Missouri’s head coach, Gary Pinkel, spoke emotionally at the hospital about what it means to his team to be at the hospital during the Cotton Bowl week.
“We get as much out of this as what we give back to these kids,” he told the crowd.
Coach Pinkel kicked off the event with a short lesson.
“The players are gonna show you how it’s done. ‘MIZ’ ‘(ZOU)’ MIZ-ZOU!”
Then the real fun started. Offensive lineman Nick Monaghan decorated footballs with 12-year-old Meredithe.
“She drew me a really cool tiger, and I’m pretty stoked about it all because I’ve never had a cool tiger like this drawn for me,” Monaghan said.
Meredithe said it was a nice distraction because she misses her dog, Buddy, and she’s had a lot of tests recently.
“MRI’s, and blood tests and stuff like that,” she said.
Defensive back Duron Singleton also brought out a smile from the usually shy Daniel, while showing off his artistic side.
“It’s a great feeling to know that we can come here and put a smile on his face and to have fun and enjoy,” Singleton said.
Daniel’s aunt said Monday was finally a fun day for the little boy.
“It’s great for the kids that they can be with all the team, and that’s awesome,” she said.
Senior offensive lineman Justin Britt said the visit was a little bittersweet for him having to see kids who are struggling.
“Having a daughter myself, it really touches my heart to be here,” Britt said. “To see these kids with high spirits, how they go about themselves, shows about their character and whenever we think we have a hard day, we really don’t.”
