Don Faurot, born in 1902 and raised in Mountain Grove, became a defining figure in University of Missouri athletics as a student athlete, football coach, and athletic director. Despite a boyhood accident that cost him the first two fingers at the middle joint, he lettered in baseball at Missouri, captained the basketball team, and played as a 148-pound linebacker who punted for the top-rated 1924 Tigers. After earning a master's degree in agriculture, he spent nine successful seasons as head coach at Kirksville Teachers College, then returned to Missouri in 1935 when the program faced defeat and debt. He improved both through strong recruiting within the state and demanding road schedules that brought in larger receipts, and winning teams led to bowl appearances and expansion of the stadium. In 19 seasons as Missouri's head football coach, interrupted by three World War II years in the U.S. Navy, his greatest football achievement was creating the unique Split-T formation built around the quarterback option. Though widely sought elsewhere, he remained loyal to the University of Missouri, serving as football coach from 1935 to 1942 and 1946 to 1956 and as athletic director from 1935 to 1967. His overall coaching record was 169 wins, 92 losses, and 13 ties, including 101 wins, 79 losses, and 10 ties at Missouri, and his honors included induction into multiple halls of fame, leadership of the Football Coaches Association, and the Amos Alonzo Stagg award. In recognition of the national stature his leadership brought to the University of Missouri, the playing field was dedicated to Don B. Faurot in 1972 as Faurot Field.