John Smith discusses the return of Missouri wrestling as conference affiliate

Apr. 24—Missouri has rejoined the Big 12 Conference, as a wrestling affiliate.

The return of the former conference program brings the league's total to 12 wrestling programs less than a decade after shrinking to only four.

For the conference's top program, the return of a former Big Eight and Big 12 rival is a welcome one.

Oklahoma State wrestling coach John Smith had advocated for the return of Missouri as a wrestling affiliate for years after the Tigers' athletic department departed for the SEC — which doesn't field wrestling.

Instead, Missouri had been running roughshod over the MAC the past nine years.

"We're definitely excited," Smith said in a phone interview with the News Press on Friday. "It's been a couple year process of seeing it through, and just really appreciate the Big 12 and our commissioner in supporting wrestling and continuing to help us create a competitive environment in the Big 12.

"I think it took a few years, because there was quite a bit of bitterness when Missouri left, but sometimes people forget it wasn't the wrestling program's fault. So I think as time passed, the opportunity existed and really believe if it wasn't for our conference, it couldn't happen."

Though there may have been some bitterness about Missouri's athletic department leaving for a different conference, the wrestling coaches at Oklahoma State and Missouri didn't let it affect the tradition between the former conference foes.

The Cowboys and Tigers have held an annual dual even after Missouri's departure from the Big 12. This past season was the first time since the 1991-92 school year in which the two programs did not meet, though Mizzou sent a squad to Stillwater for the four-team Cowboy Challenge Tournament.

"I have a good relationship with their coach, I think he's one of the best coaches in the nation," Smith said. "So you want to be wrestling against them, and for us, you're right, we never stopped wrestling them. We continued with our annual dual meet, home and away, and I look forward to doing that with a little bit more importance with us both being Big 12 programs."

The two programs certainly have history. Oklahoma State holds a 44-7-1 all-time record against the former Big 12 rivals.

Missouri was the last program to win a Big 12 tournament title — doing so in its final season in the league — before OSU's reign of nine-straight conference crowns.

The return of the program is seen as a benefit for not only for Missouri, but the entire Big 12 Conference as it's constantly vying for pre-allocations for the NCAA tournament. Bringing in another top-10 program littered with ranked opponents will help increase those numbers.

"I think we're gonna be in a position in the near future where we're taking between 60 and 75 percent of our athletes (from the Big 12)," Smith said. "I think we can get there. That's really important to have that high a number of our student-athletes that are competing.

"I think that's a number that we can reach, and we can get, definitely. I think we're seeing improvement already, that there's no easy team, and need to keep it that way."

The Tigers finished tied for seventh in this year's NCAA tournament — six spots ahead of Iowa State, the only other Big 12 to finish in the top 15 along with OSU finishing third.

And while Smith played his role in getting the former Big 12 program back into the fold, he also said it took the support of all the coaches across the Big 12 landscape to make this week a reality.

"I think we were all supportive, I mean it takes all of us as coaches to make it happen," Smith said. "If you have two or three that aren't interested in it, it's not going to materialize. So, I'm just glad that all of the coaches that are in Big 12 wrestling really were able to see this as a big plus for all of us — bringing in a highly competitive team, and creating that environment where there's teams in our conference that have the chance to win national championships."

The Big 12 has continually added wrestling affiliates to bolster the league that had just four programs among its legacy members once Missouri and Nebraska departed — beginning with the addition of six programs prior to the 2015-16 season.

In February, California Baptist announced it had received a letter of intent from the Big 12 in regard to affiliate membership starting in 2022-23 — with the approval conditioned on the program's successful completion of its NCAA Division I four-year reclassification process.

With the addition of Missouri and if approval is met by Cal Baptist, the Big 12 Conference will have 13 wrestling programs — with Fresno State University, which had join as an affiliate in 2017, discontinuing its program after this past season.

"The addition of Missouri wrestling fortifies the Big 12 as one of the sport's premiere conferences," Commissioner Bob Bowlsby said in a release from the league office Thursday. "... The road to a Big 12 championship title has become an even bigger challenge. We welcome Missouri wrestling back to the Big 12 and look forward to hosting Tiger fans at the conference championship tournament in Tulsa."