Mizzou Football Claims the 1960 National Championship. So Do Four Other Teams.

Even if believed to be unlikely, Mizzou football winning a national championship to close the 2026 season was always possibility. But winning one before the season even started? That probably wasn't on many bingo cards.

Mizzou announced Friday afternoon that it would be claiming the 1960 national championship. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., brought the topic to the senate floor Aug. 6, and it was unanimously passed the same day. This is, technically, Mizzou's first national championship.

"We appreciate Sen. Schmitt and the U.S. Senate for recognizing the accomplishments of our 1960 football team and for bringing renewed attention to a remarkable group of Tigers,” Mizzou Director of Athletics Laird Veatch said. “The 1960 team has an important place in Mizzou history, and after reviewing the historical record, we believe it is appropriate to honor that team as national champions."

The Tigers went 11-0 that season, partially thanks to a forfeited victory from Kansas after the Jayhawks deployed an ineligible player, and capped the season off by beating Navy in the Orange Bowl. Mizzou also won the Big Eight championship that season, reached the No. 1 spot in the AP poll for a week and finished at the No. 5 spot.

Four other schools currently claim the same title: Ole Miss, Iowa, Minnesota and Washington.

Ole Miss went 10-0-1 with a Sugar Bowl victory and the No. 2 spot in the final poll, Iowa 8-1 and finished the season No. 3 in the poll, Minnesota 8-2 with a Rose Bowl loss and the No. 1 spot in the final poll and Washington 10-1 with a Rose Bowl win and No. 6 spot in the final poll.

Ole Miss joins Missouri as the only other school of the bunch with 1960 the lone title to its name. Ole Miss went undefeated, but unlike Missouri, didn't win every game — the Tigers were the only team with no loss, thanks to the Kansas forfeit.

“Coach Dan Devine and Danny LaRose led the Mizzou Tigers to an undefeated season in 1960 — and now, the Senate has unanimously recognized them as the 1960 College Football National Champions,” Schmitt said. “For too long, fans and players who proudly represent their school in the Black and Gold have been deprived of this glory. More than six decades later, the Tigers are now taking their rightful place in history. Their championship was earned. Their record remains perfect. And Kansas still lost.”

Missouri will honor the 1960 team as national champions during halftime of the Tigers' Sept. 19 contest against Troy, a game that will also celebrate the 100th anniversary of Memorial Stadium. Missouri will open its season against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Thursday, marking the first game with the newly-renovated North End Zone side of the stadium.

"We have a unique opportunity this year to recognize the Tigers who built the history and tradition of Mizzou Football while keeping our eyes firmly on the future,” Veatch said. “As we celebrate 100 years of Memorial Stadium and open the Centennial Project, we want to properly honor the 1960 team and its legacy in Mizzou history. While we celebrate where we've been, our priority is where we’re going next — supporting the 2026 Tigers and striving to capture the next Mizzou national championship."

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