Ranking the Top 5 Kansas Football Wins Against Missouri All Time

The Kansas Jayhawks and the Missouri Tigers have had a lot of memorable matchups over the 134-year history of the Border War (now recognized as the StorageMart Border Showdown).

In what is one of the oldest and most revered rivalries in all of college sports, the two teams have met on the gridiron 120 times dating back to 1891, with Missouri holding a slight edge in the all-time series 56-55-9.

KU hopes to even the series when they travel to Columbia this Saturday to face the Tigers for the first time since 2011 when Missouri announced they would be leaving the Big 12 Conference for the SEC. This weekend’s contest is (arguably) the most anticipated game of the 2025 season for each team – and could be one of the more memorable ones in the history of the rivalry.

In honor of the Jayhawks and Tigers reconvening after the 14-year hiatus, here is a look at the top five KU wins against Missouri of all time.

No. 5 – KU beats Missouri in first meeting (1891)

Just 26 years removed from the end of the American Civil War, Kansas and Missouri faced off on the football field for the first time at Exposition Park in Kansas City, Missouri, on Halloween Oct. 31, 1891.

With tensions still fresh between the two states over their differences in the Civil War, KU won the inaugural matchup by a final score of 22-8 in front of a crowd of 3,000 people – solidifying the start of what would become the oldest and longest-running college football rivalries west of the Mississippi River.

No. 4 – KU wins centennial game behind Sands’ big day (1991)

In the 100th meeting of the two teams on a bitterly cold day in Lawrence on Nov. 23, 1991, KU senior running back Tony Sands provided one of the biggest performances in KU and NCAA history to give the Jayhawks a 53-29 win over the Tigers.

That day – on what would be his last in a Jayhawk uniform – Sands ran for an incredible 396 yards and four touchdowns on 58 carries, the latter of which still stands as an NCAA record. The 396 yards rushing remains a KU school record and is one of the greatest single-game efforts in college football history.

The win gave KU its first winning season in a decade (6-5), though they did not receive a postseason bowl game invitation.

No. 3 – KU tops top-ranked Missouri (1960)

In what remains one of the most controversial games between the two schools, No. 11-ranked KU defeated No. 1 Missouri by a score of 23-7 in Columbia on Nov. 19, 1960, spoiling the Tigers’ undefeated season and their chance at a national championship.

The win earned Kansas its first outright Big Eight Conference championship in 30 years as well as an invitation to the Orange Bowl that year. But both were rescinded after KU reportedly used an ineligible player, Bert Coan, in the game.

Despite the Big Eight requiring KU to forfeit the win, both KU and the NCAA still recognize the Jayhawks’ victory against Missouri that season.

No. 2 – Reesing shines in snowy showdown (2008)

One of the most memorable games in recent memory between the two rivals came on a wintry night on Nov. 29, 2008, in front of a split crowd at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing had one of the best performances of his legendary KU career, completing 37 of 51 passes for 375 yards and four touchdowns – including one to wide receiver Kerry Meier with 27 seconds left in the fourth quarter to give the Jayhawks the lead.

The Tigers had the chance to tie the game with time expiring but the field goal attempt was blocked and the unranked Jayhawks upset No. 12 Missouri by a score of 40-37.

The pass to Meier, the blocked field goal, and other plays from that game have been shown on highlight reels and hype videos ever since.