Logan Muckey's Journey from Cancer Recovery to Mizzou Team Captain

Missouri Tigers wide receiver Logan Muckey has always felt like his teammates have made his fight as a walk-on easier. But this offseason, Muckey needed the support of his teammates for a different battle, after he was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer in April.

"It was a shocker for me, shock for my family, shock for my friends, my teammates," Muckey said of the diagnosis to reporters Tuesday. "Being 22 years old, that's not really something you want to hear about yourself."

But now being cancer free, Muckey is able to look at the process as a “blessing in disguise.” The terrifying moment g ave Muckey a new perspective on what is important in life.

"Anything you have can be taken away from you, just like that, without you knowing, without anything happening," Muckey said. "So, taking it day by day, really enjoying every moment I have in every situation I have, finding gratitude and everything, that definitely changed me for the better."

Once returning to full health, Muckey has not allowed himself any excuses on the field. Since the diagnosis, Muckey has worked every day with the director of sports medicine for the team, Zach Parker, to create a plan for the receiver to return to full strength.

"I haven't missed a step along the way," Muckey said. "I've never sat out. I've never let anyone take me out. It was something I went through, but it's something that definitel y made me stronger, something that built my character up."

People like Parker, the Missouri coaching staff and teammates is what Muckey says made the difference in his entire cancer recovery. Outside of the team, Muckey's parents and his doctors were with him every step of the way.

"It was a team effort," Muckey said. "If I was alone, it would have been different. But I wasn't ever alone throughout this entire thing. I had resources all around the town, all around the facility."

Muckey's teammates already had respect for the walk-on, but seeing him fight back from the disease was a different level of inspiring.

"When he was gone, it was tough," defensive back Daylan Carnell said. "We all were thinking about him. We'd bring it up every day. ... We just love having Muckey on the team."

At every practice during fall camp, Muckey is difficult to miss. If he’s not in a drill, he’s dancing with his teammates. If he’s not in a receiver drill, he’s working on special teams. Even when working back from recovery, Muckey’s contagious energy was consistent.

“If Drink(witz) wouldn't have told us (that Muckey was dealing with cancer), you wouldn't even know,” offensive guard Cayden Green said. “Muckey’s the same person every day, like he's always got a smile on his face. He's always got juice.”