The U.S. Senate has added the University of Missouri to the list of teams with a claim to the 1960 college football national championship. The resolution, introduced by Senator Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), was passed without objection during a Thursday session, as reported by infohub.kz.
Senator Schmitt's resolution recognizes the Tigers' claim to the national title. While such resolutions do not carry the force of law, they reflect the Senate's "sentiments," according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. This adds another unusual chapter to college football history, a sport that was once decided by polls and rankings before the advent of the Bowl Championship Series or the current College Football Playoff. Missouri had not previously claimed the 1960 team as national champions.
In an email to The Associated Press, Missouri team spokesman Dave Matter said the school is "aware" of the resolution but offered no further comment.
Missouri finished the season 10-1 after defeating Navy and Heisman Trophy winner Joe Bellino in the Orange Bowl. Their only loss came against "Border War" rival Kansas in a game that decided the Big Eight Conference title, though the league later ordered Kansas to forfeit due to using an ineligible player for recruiting violations.
Author Brendon Steenbergen, who wrote a book about that season, told the Post-Dispatch: "I've been beating the drum to try to get the university to recognize it because I think they have as much a right as anyone in the country to be national champions in 1960."
That year, Minnesota was crowned champion by the AP and United Press International polls, though that occurred before the Gophers lost to Washington in the Rose Bowl. The Football Writers Association of America voted Mississippi as its post-bowl champion.
The Helms Athletic Foundation, created in 1936 and dissolved in 1983, recognized Washington as its champion. Meanwhile, the Litkenhous Rating system chose Iowa based on a mathematical formula that factored in scoring margins and opponent strength, according to The Athletic.